How to Turn a Basic Wall Into a Feature Wall for $30

Hey y’all!

I’m so excited to share this post with you. As my readers know, I moved a few months ago into a new place that I’m renting and I’ve been going at it with some DIY renos + converting an entire room into a closet (see the blog post here). This is my third DIY project and I am so happy with how it turned out.

I wanted to continue with my DIY projects but take them downstairs and I have a spot in my basement, aka the perfect bar/hangout area that needed some love. It’s not by all means finished, I will still be adding some more details/photos/decor over the next few weeks, but I'm finally finished with one of my favorite accents.

I wanted to start simply by taking the basic walls and making them something new. They’re beige, and decor helps, but I was desperate for something more. And so I turned to other bloggers, Pinterest, Google. I first landed on the idea of stick-and-peel wallpaper and how it’s great for rentals. I thought, yes! I’ve got it. But, with the size of the wall I wanted to turn into a feature wall, it would’ve cost me about $150+. I wanted something more affordable, so I found ideas on using Washi Tape.

And it worked perfectly.

I ordered three packs of Scotch Washi Tape from Target that were only $5 each (exact color not available online, shop similar here). Each roll contained 30-something feet of tape so I thought I was good. I ended up going back to buy three more packs to finish off the wall once I moved the furniture around, bringing my total to a whopping $30!

And so I went to work.

Before

As you know from my Gallery Wall post, I kind of like to do things on a whim without any plan. What I would totally recommend before doing this process (and the advice my mom gave me), is to measure and draw out your lines of where you want to tape. I, of course, did not do that, so the process took me a little over three hours cause I had to tape, re-tape, see if it all aligned...you get it.

During

One thing I will note is that this tape does require a lot of resticking. Many pieces stayed, but a few stragglers continued to fall over the course of about a week after using. So in total, it took about a week to get everything to fully stick. But, overall this wall renovation was pretty easy. Washi Tape is rental-friendly because it does not damage the walls upon use and it's extremely easy to apply and re-apply if needed. It's adhesive and it gets the job done.

I opted for black, white, and gold tape to accent the different golds and blacks around the room. I initially had the couch up against this wall but later moved the furniture around so the chest and bar cart sit against it.

In this space, I use my projector a lot to watch movies. You can buy the exact one I have here (under $200), and I have a screen that sits either on the floor or chest and easily pulls up (similar under $100 here). It fits perfectly under the lower ceiling.

After

The chest that sits against the wall is dressed with a gold runner, a gold mirror that used to be my grandmothers on my mom's side and an actual one-of-a-kind wooden calendar that used to be my grandmother's on my dad's side. The chest/dresser is a part of a bedroom set that used to be my grandmas, and the matching armoire is in my closet (see here).

My bar-cart is dressed with tons of stuff, as you can tell: I am no minimalist. It's mostly glasses for now (she needs to be stocked but I'm too lazy and don't drink often enough to want to do it lol), a MagicBullet for blended drinks, and a few pieces of decor!

This space is one I’m really proud of, and I’m going to continue to add to other areas that aren’t photographed to finish it off! Have you been working on any DIY projects since you’ve been home? Let me know in the comments below!

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Talk soon.

Xoxo,

Abby