Ask Joshua - No Holes in the Walls

Hi Joshua,

I’m a renter and my landlord is pretty strict about holes in the walls. I don’t want to deal with having to try to cover and hide a bunch of holes when I move out, but I’ve got art I want to put up and display. I know about the adhesive strips and hooks, but I’m not sure I trust those and I’d like some other ideas please.

Thanks,

Jacqueline, Newark, NJ

California casual style living room designed by Joshua Jones, JJones Design Co.

Hi Jacqueline,

Thanks for writing in! You’ve got a common problem that a lot of people deal with. Not only renters with restrictions from landlords, but often people in temporary living situations or perhaps simply don’t like putting a lot of holes in their walls. I know every time I’ve moved, my partner gets very annoyed as they are the one usually tasked with hanging up all of our art.

You mentioned the adhesive strips and hooks. They are a lot better than what they used to be and can eliminate any sort of hole. Just make sure the surface is clean before application and you test the adhesive first to ensure it’s not going to damage the wall if you have a special paint treatment or wallpaper up.

My alternative suggestion doesn’t completely eliminate holes (sorry!), but reduces them significantly; it’s a wall shelf or ledge. As pictured above, go for a very simple and streamlined shelf since the point is to show off your art, not a fancy shelf. Try to get it anchored into a wall stud for extra stability if possible and check the listed weight limit on the shelf you purchase to ensure it can hold all of your art. A shelf like this allows you to change and move your art around as much as you want, without being committed to exactly what’s on display or the arrangement. Layering is important here. Simply lining the shelf with art adjacent to one another is a bit stilted and boring. It’s best to have some of them overlap, cluster some, and ideally have multiple sizes to play with as this tricks the eye to focus less on the fact that they’re all essentially at the same level.

I hope this suggestion was helpful to you and I wish you luck in your art display endeavors!

Warmly,

Joshua Jones

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