Lately, I've been amazed by the unexpected items that designers and DIYers use to fill walls. 

My home has a mix of original artwork, framed keepsakes (such as menus from a couple of our favorite restaurants and song lyrics) and photos of my son as he grows up.

But with these ideas and inspiration, I'll view architectural elements, rugs, metal objects, maps, and even random frames and mirrors in new ways and become bolder with my wall decor.

Keeping Time

The 20-foot ceilings in an Atlanta loft created the opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art for the large space. The result incorporates multiple clocks and gears mounted on an industrial background, reminiscent of steampunk artwork. 

Decorating the walls of his Atlanta loft with clocks is a nod to homeowner Sy Gray’s interest in time and math. Iesia D. King of IK Design Group helped Sy and wife Nyvette with the interior design of the loft. The clocks are set to time zones where they have friends and family, such as London and Kenya.

Reimagined Rug

Atlantan Amanda Macy Hall, who blogs about home decor and DIY projects, wanted an organic and natural piece to hang over her daughter’s crib as a focal point.

“As I was designing our nursery, I noticed that I was gravitating towards super straight white lines in the larger furniture pieces and bookshelves,” she says.

She found a rug on clearance and decided it would balance the more modern elements if she repurposed it as wall art.

“The round shape adds softness and the woven rattan material provides the perfect organic and natural texture to the space,” she says. “The open pattern allows the shiplap to peek through while the brown color reflects the hardwood floors nicely.”

She tacked it up with small white nails, making it a simple and inexpensive statement piece.

A Few Favorite Things

Atlanta interior designer Eryn Houck crafted crests to hang in son Grant’s bedroom by using crossed arrows as the center to create a strong focal point and base.

Houck, who owns Bellwether Design Co., added rocks and butterflies in display cases, as well as a few fish, to represent Grant’s love of nature. Then she hung up an Atlanta pennant to add a touch of home.

Going Big

Bill Gandee and Joey Kendrick decorated their Atlanta bedroom with a kudzu basket handwoven by a Bhutanese refugee. After purchasing it at an annual arts festival, they mounted it above the master bed to give the room a global and organic focal point.

Meanwhile, a mural of a phoenix rising from its ashes by artist Peter Ferrari enhances what might otherwise be a boring garage door in a couple’s music studio on the bottom floor of a downtown Atlanta loft.

In a glamorous modern living room, Chicago designer Tom Stringer's creativity makes a piece of amazing art even more of a stunner. The artwork is centered on a mirrored wall for even greater depth in the home.

Playful Pizzazz

DIY blogger Dena Stormer gave her metro Atlanta master bedroom a color injection by pairing a bright blue art-deco chest with a retro world map. Stormer added small books and knickknacks to balance the map’s bright orange and yellow tones.

When layering, it's important to pay special attention to balance — balance of color, size and shape — says Caitlin Murray of Black Lacquer Design in Los Angeles. She layered frames and mirrors for a quirky vignette in a home.

“I’m a big fan of mixing metals and layering according to scale, with the largest, most uniform selections toward the back, with the smaller, busier ones in front,” she says.