A basket wall is an trendy and inexpensive idea to cover lots of empty space on your walls! Plus it looks natural and fun. It’s also up cycling and an awesome way to provide a new use for something that was discarded, as most of the baskets are vintage or thrifted. For these reasons, they’ve been gaining in popularity.
Since I’ve been playing around with new decor ideas in my home for a while now, I thought I would talk about a few tricks and tips I’ve learned! Here’s an easy-to-follow 6-step process for putting your own basket wall arrangement together:
1. Source your baskets
If you’re finding your baskets individually, thrifting is a great place to start, but it can take a while to put a good collection together. Always look for quality over quantity. If you don’t have the energy or the time to try thrift stores or don’t want to wait weeks or months to put a collection together, Etsy can be a great resource for bundles already put together by sellers, but if their style isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, buying them individually can work too. If while on Etsy you can find a seller that might carry a number of baskets you like in their shop, don’t be shy! Ask if they can combine the shipping cost if you buy multiple items. Most sellers are more than willing to refund you shipping overages, some will combine the shipping for you before you purchase.
2. Keep it round
Mix it up with different textures and depths, and feel free to throw in some color if that’s your thing, but stick to the same shape. Some people are able to pull of arrangements with different shapes of baskets (I’ve seen it done well), but I think for the most part, it looks better and more cohesive with one shape. Easiest, obviously, is round.
3. Go large
I think it’s important to have at least one or two larger baskets in your arrangement. There’s a lot going on in a 3-D basket arrangement; different sizes, textures, colors, depths. Having a large piece that stands out gives your eye a place to land first and gives the arrangement some substance and weight.
4. Get em close
I’m not saying it can’t be done, some people can pull it off, but to me, there’s nothing worse than a basket wall with a bunch of the same sized baskets spread way apart. Squish em all in together so it looks like one piece of art. You can even overlap the edges. A little space is okay, but when there’s a lot of space in between them all, it’s hard for your eye to focus on any one, which, to me, feels chaotic.
5. Practice first
Try your layout on the floor first to find an arrangement you like before having to move a bunch of nails around on your wall. Start with your largest baskets first, and fill in around them with your smaller ones. Also, If I have a couple of baskets that are really similar, I try not to put them right next to each other.
6. Hang em up
Once I find an arrangement I like, I usually use small picture nails to hang them on the wall. Sometimes a push pin will work too, but they tend to not be as secure on the wall. There are some baskets where the weave is so tight that it’s hard to get a nail in the spot you need it without compromising the basket. Sometimes a couple of safety pins with some string across the back will work. Or you can try floral wire to make a hanger on the back side.
Now, I’m not claiming to be an expert at this, but these are some of the things I’ve noticed that make a basket arrangement one I’d like to have on my wall. I hope it helps you with yours!