Hang a Shower Curtain as Art

If you are fortunate to have a two-story entryway in your home, you probably enjoy the ample space and gracious welcome it offers to guests; however, you may also lament the amount of wall space there is to fill.  What do you hang in a two-story foyer?  Large-scale artwork is wonderful, but can be pricey.  Likewise, enlarging some prints you already have is a great idea in theory, but custom framing for those prints can be cost-prohibitive.  These clever ideas, however, save the day.  They fill the space, and won't break the bank.

Hang a Rug

Have you ever thought to hang a rug on a wall?  Rugs in graphic patterns make a bold statement in a stairway.  Just be sure to choose a rug that looks like it could be meant as a wall tapestry.  This rug from IKEA, for example, works perfectly because it is woven (i.e. lightweight) and square versus something like a flokati rug, on the other hand, which would likely look out of a place on a wall.  

Hang a Doormat

Here's an unusual but effective idea.  Spray paint inexpensive rubber doormats and hang them in a group to look like large-scale metal fretwork panels.  Architectural salvage--such as old windows, doors, and shutters--would also work; but, in the event you can't find authentic pieces, a doormat like this one mimics the look.

Hang Wallpaper Panels

Instead of using rolls of wallpaper in the traditional way, skip the messy paste and time-consuming process, and hang a few rolls as wall art instead.  Hung from DIY curtain rods, unfurled rolls of wallpaper take up a lot of real estate and make a bold statement.

Hang a Picture Within a Picture Frame

Even the largest piece of art you can afford may still be too small for a two-story foyer.  To create the illusion of size, use molding and paint to create large squares or rectangles.  Then, in the smallest one, hang your framed artwork or a piece of metal art. 

Hang a Gallery Wall

Finally, depending on the height of your walls, just one or two pieces of art--even large ones-- can look lonesome in a two-story foyer, which is why many people opt to hang a gallery wall instead.  Lots of small, mismatched frames hung tightly together look stunning as a group.  Collect frames at yard sales and the dollar store, and watch for sales on frames at stores.  Follow these tricks for hanging a gallery wall to avoid headaches.

Another solution is to find a set of four, six, eight, or even ten art prints you like (Etsy has very affordable options, some available for instant download) and hang them in a grid.  

One final tip: Molding on the wall underneath a collection of wall art acts as a grounding force.  This way, whatever you choose won't look too diminutive on a grand, two-story staircase.