21 Outdoor Wall Decor Ideas for Creating a Beautiful Outdoor Space
I’m sharing all kinds of beautiful outdoor wall decor ideas along with tips for hanging art on exterior walls and helping your outdoor art last longer.
I don’t think any room really looks pulled together or ‘finished’ until there’s art hanging on the walls – and that includes outdoor spaces. If you’ve ever wondered why some porches and decks look so beautiful and cozy and others look like a total afterthought, it’s all about the finishing touches: rugs, lighting, accessories, and art.
Of course we all know those things are important parts of decorating, but so many people forget to include them in their outdoor spaces!
And I kind of get it. When you’re choosing art for your living room, there are so many choices! But when you need art for an outdoor space, it’s a different story entirely.
A lot of the mainstays of indoor art including framed photos and paintings, just don’t really make sense outdoors. And a lot of the ‘porch decor’ sold in stores is overly cutesy and not necessarily the most stylish.
So what exactly are you supposed to hang on your exterior walls?
I love decorating outdoor spaces so I’ve been pondering that question for several years now. I’ve come up with a few outdoor wall decor ideas that I personally love and I’ve also gone down the rabbit hole and found a bunch of other smart ideas from other creative decorators to share as well.
Today I’m sharing my favorite outdoor wall art inspiration. Many of these outdoor wall decor ideas are DIY projects, but others are just really fun creative ideas that you might not have considered before. And I’m also sharing some simple tips for hanging art on all kinds of exterior walls.
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What kind of art can actually hold up well outdoors?
When you first start thinking about art that works well outdoors, it seems like the options are really limited, but there are actually quite a few great options.
Outdoor art can be made from wood, metal, clay, plastic, or woven materials. The key is simply to make sure that whatever materials your art is made from can withstand moisture, sunlight, and fluctuations in temperature.
Even if you choose materials that will last, keep in mind nothing will last outdoors indefinitely. Eventually, plastic fades, metal rusts, and wood breaks down. But there are a few things you can do to keep your decor looking good for longer.
- Whenever possible, hang your art under an overhand or porch roof away from direct sunlight and rain. Even just a little bit of shade can really extend the life of your decor.
- If you aren’t sure if your items were originally intended to be used outdoors, adding a clear topcoat can really help protect the finish. Minwax water-based spar urethane is a great choice for protecting wood decor and a clear spray sealer like Rust-oleum crystal clear enamel is a good choice for metal or plastic items.
So knowing all that, what kind of wall decor does that leave? There are all kinds of great things you can hang on your exterior walls:
- Wall planters, vertical gardens, and plants of all kinds
- Wooden signs
- Basket walls
- Architectural salvage like old shutters, doors, and interesting trim
- Mirrors (unconventional but so pretty!)
- Wall shelves
- Wreaths
- Address signs
- Tile mosaics
- Water features
Really, there are so many possibilities. Of course, I couldn’t possibly share every single thing that would look amazing on your porch walls in this post, but I do have lots of great examples below to get your wheels turning.
How do you hang outdoor art?
Hanging art on outdoor walls is pretty different from hanging art inside your house. Luckily, it isn’t as complicated as it may seem and in some cases is actually even easier than hanging art on drywall.
These are easy ways to hang art on different types of exterior walls:
- Vinyl siding – These vinyl siding hooks are cheap, super easy to use, and won’t damage siding
- Brick – These brick hooks will attach to many kinds of bricks. Masonry screws also work well
- Windows and glass doors – I love using these clear wire command hooks for hanging things on glass.
- Wooden siding and fences – You can always use regular nails when hanging items on wood or for lightweight items, you can use Command strips. Another option is to use wire to hang items from the top of a wooden fence to avoid adding holes to the fence.
- Other types of walls – If you are hanging something on a smooth wall, I’m a big fan of using Command velcro strips to hang items without damaging walls.
21 Outdoor Wall Decor Ideas
Now let’s see some wall art ideas!
You can find more details about each outdoor space along with a full tutorial for any DIY projects at the link below each photo.
Wall Planters and Vertical Gardens
Plants are always a great way to liven up any space, indoors or outdoors. Whether you have a green thumb or prefer the type of plants that can’t be killed, there are all kinds of fun ways to use plants as wall decor.
Cozy Back Porch Decor from Lovely Etc.
This is my own back porch and these vintage brass wall planters are one of my favorite details. I picked them up at a yard sale and they needed a good cleaning with some Brasso, but now they look beautiful. I love the unexpectedness of that shiny brass in an outdoor space.
DIY Outdoor Living Wall from A Life Unfolding
I’m a sucker for a wild ‘living wall’ and this one was made in such a simple, clever way! I especially love the addition of the oversized letterboard in the center – it gives this whole deck such a great focal point.
Metal Wall Planter with Moss from Sweet Valley Acres
This metal wall planter really lets the beauty of the trailing plants shine through and the post at the link has lots of tips for planting real plants in an open wall planter like this one so they look beautiful and also flourish.
Hanging Rope Outdoor Planter from Grillo Designs
This hanging rope planter looks beautiful against that brick wall and this one’s actually a really easy DIY. Instead of starting from scratch, you can quickly make one of these using a few matching planters and some simple rope.
Vertical Herb Garden Planter from Making Joy and Pretty Things
This is a fun take on a vertical garden! Half planter, half wall shelves, there’s plenty of room for plants and decor of all kinds. This planter is loaded up with a small kitchen herb garden, but it would also be a really beautiful spot for a small flower garden.
Wood Hexagon Wall Planters from My Love 2 Create
These wood hexagon planters are a really fun take on simple wall planters. I love the overlapping hexagon shape and an artistic grouping of these would look amazing on a big blank wall or fence.
Outdoor Succulent Planter Gallery Wall from Designing Vibes
This understated planter wall is a super easy way to use plants as wall art. You can control how wild or tame you want it to be based on what type of plants you add. (And to make it extra easy, you can even go for faux plants if you want!)
Wooden Outdoor Wall Decor Ideas
Even though outdoor art can be made from all kinds of materials, wood is always a super popular choice. It’s sturdy, holds up well, and can be used in so many ways.
Wood 3-d Barn Quilt from The DIY Dreamer
Brightly painted barn quilts have been adorning old barns and cottages for almost three hundred years. I love the idea of using a mini barn quilt as outdoor art and this 3D version looks amazing. One of the best parts of adding a DIY barn quilt is you can use any colors or design you want to coordinate with the rest of your space.
Deck Rail Wall Art from At Lane and High
This geometric wood art is the perfect mix of rustic and modern and it’s made from inexpensive pressure-treated wood so you know it will hold up well outdoors! It looks great natural but also would be beautiful painted black or another high-impact color.
DIY Geometric Outdoor Wall Art from Love and Renovations
This fun colorful art is the perfect mashup of a traditional barn quilt and modern geometric wood art. I love the bright summery colors, but you could easily customize this using whatever colors work best for your own space.
Home Sweet Home Sign from Lovely Etc.
I made this Home Sweet Home sign for the screened porch at our last house. It was super easy to make using a precut wood round and you could easily customize this with your last name or any other saying you want.
Outdoor Tropical Wall Art from Crafting My Home
These fun, colorful wood art pieces were actually inspired by Hawaiian quilt patterns. (Who knew quilting had such an influence on outdoor art!) These fun patterns look beautiful all grouped together, but i also love the idea of creating one oversized block in a bold color or even a bright white.
Driftwood Pineapple Wall Art from Made in a Day
This DIY pineapple sign is such a fun way to use the driftwood you’ve collected from the beach! The whole sign looks beautiful and classy and since the driftwood comes pre-weathered, you don’t really have to worry about the weather harming it!
Fresh Air and Sunshine Sign from Lovely Etc.
I know wooden signs aren’t as popular as they were a few years ago, but I still love them in certain spaces and I think they work especially well outdoors. This Fresh Air and Sunshine sign I made several years ago is one of my favorites, but you could easily make a simple wood sign using any favorite phrase.
Unique Outdoor Wall Decor Ideas
These next few ideas are some of my favorites. They include all kinds of unique wall decor that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see outdoors.
Cozy Back Porch Decor from Lovely Etc.
Mirrors may not be traditional porch decor, but they can actually work really well outdoors. Mirrors are generally made from materials that hold up to moisture well and they’re amazing for bouncing light around dark corners. To be honest, I don’t know that I’ve found a space yet that a great mirror won’t work!
Screened In Porch Wall Baskets from Lovely Etc.
Basket walls have been super popular the last few years and they work really well in outdoor spaces as well. Flat baskets can work for all kinds of styles and the woven texture brings to mind the rattan and wicker that’s common for outdoor furniture. I hung this trio of baskets on the screened porch at our last house and added a little metal welcome sign as a finishing touch.
Abacus Wall Art Tutorial from My Creative Days
Now this is a creative idea for some unique outdoor wall art! There’s just something about an old abacus that seems both mysterious and soothing at the same time. What’s fun about this DIY abacus wall art is it was actually upcycled from an old child’s toy (and you know I love a good upcycle!) You’ve got to see the before photo of this to really appreciate just what a clever project this is.
Upcycled Wood Frame with Stencils from Birdz of a Feather
Even though most traditional canvas paintings don’t work well outdoors, this is a great idea for creating your own framed art that will last. This cute framed piece was made using outdoor fabric and a stencil which means you can create your own version using any colors or stencil designs you want!
Oversized Wall Clock from In My Own Style
I don’t know if I would have thought of hanging an oversized wall clock outdoors, but this one looks amazing! The large size gives it presence and can easily be seen from across the lawn and I always love when art can be functional as well as beautiful.
Dollar Store Hat Wall from The Happy Housie
I’ve definitely never thought of hats as wall decor, but these look amazing! This collection of inexpensive summer hats really elevates this plain cedar privacy wall into a fun, whimsical, and inviting spot.
Looking for more budget-friendly porch decorating ideas?
You might want to check out these front porch decorating ideas and screened porch decorating ideas for lots of down-to-earth ideas for creating beautiful outdoor spaces on a budget.
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