I warned you I was eager to go all out for our first real Christmas in the new house, and the hallway became an unexpected spot for a little holiday cheer. To make the space feel festive I swapped art in 22 frames in our hallway gallery — almost two dozen changes — and it didn’t cost a thing. The result is subtle from across the room but rewarding up close: the frame wall still draws people in, and a closer look reveals the seasonal swaps and small treasures tucked into each frame.
From a distance the hallway looks familiar, which I like, but when you move closer you’ll spot the details: a yarn owl ornament hung where a paint deck used to be, two snowflake ornaments placed in shadow boxes, and a clear tree clipped from a magazine page and framed for a simple, elegant touch. Framing pages from magazines, catalogs, or calendars for personal enjoyment is a great, budget-friendly way to refresh a gallery wall — just don’t try to sell those images as your own work.
Many of the framed pieces are pages torn from holiday catalogs or magazines. For example, a glitter ornament ad became its own sparkly display, and a page from a West Elm catalog showing ornaments in the shape of a blue star was mounted as art. Another frame now features a Pottery Barn page with festive tableware, and a West Elm spread spelling out “Cheers,” “Joy,” and “Peace” on plates provides simple holiday reminders above the console table.
One of my favorites is a West Elm page filled with ornaments arranged into a star — it makes a great focal point. I also framed pages showing holiday mugs and numbered and lettered plates, using a scrap of green paper I already had as a backing to unify the look. Small, inexpensive ornaments (I scored a yarn owl and later a yarn bunny for about 25 cents each on clearance) were placed in shadow boxes or taped into frames for added texture and charm.
Where frames sit low and within reach of Clara, I swapped to plexiglass and secured them with heavy-duty Velcro so they’re safer for a toddler. One low frame displays a plate that reads “Cookies for Santa,” and Clara adores it — she’ll tell the plate “I love you, Santa!” as she walks by. Keeping some of the holiday art at her level made the whole wall more interactive for our little one.
From afar the wall still feels like the gallery we live with year-round. Up close you notice details like two oversized jingle bells hung inside a backwards-facing canvas — I love the raw wood that becomes visible when the canvas is flipped. To hang that canvas I installed a small metal picture hanger in the back of the frame so it sits neatly over a nail. Other frames feature framed photos of stacked firewood with holiday pillows from catalogs, adding a cozy, seasonal vibe.
On the opposite side of the hallway I made more quick swaps: a printed card that reads “Happy holidays, y’all!” accented with red hearts, a strip of red wrapping paper tucked behind a framed peacock feather, and another shadow box with small silver ornaments and a calendar page marking our anniversary. A West Elm page featuring graphic numbered ornaments with playful shapes (Clara calls the swan and goose “honk honk”) was added where she can see them.
More swaps included a Banana Republic ad with a pup under the mistletoe, a taped-on novelty Christmas sweater ornament in a flipped canvas, and a felt ornament from Target framed like an intricate paper cutout. I printed another card that says “Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas” and framed an illustration of holiday cookies clipped from a magazine. In a top-left shadow box, silver ornaments with a leftover piece of wrapping paper became a miniature winter scene.
All together, these 22 quick swaps transformed the hallway into a festive, budget-friendly display that’s easy to revert after the holidays. I left the original artwork stored behind the new pieces inside each frame, so in January it’s a simple matter of switching everything back. The frames themselves came from thrift stores, Ikea, and Target clearance racks — a collection we’ve assembled over time — and hanging them together as a concentrated gallery feels more impactful than spreading them around the house.
There’s something satisfying about adding free or very low-cost holiday decor to an often-overlooked space like a hallway. Small touches — framed catalog pages, tiny ornaments, printed holiday cards, and a few flipped canvases — can make a big difference. Did you decorate any unexpected spaces this season, like a bathroom, laundry room, or sunroom? Even tiny trees on bedroom windowsills or framed holiday pages can add a lot of cheer.
You can browse a collection of our seasonal and holiday projects and ideas for more simple, last-minute inspirations on our Holiday Ideas page. Ho ho hope it helps!
Psst — we picked a winner for this week’s giveaway. Check our site to see if it’s you.
Update: We’ve also rounded up some favorite holiday decor finds — many of them under $15 — in a separate favorites list for easy browsing.
