Gallery walls: how to kick-start your wall art collection — from framing vintage silk scarves to macramé and woven tapestry

Have your walls been looking a little flat lately? Want to move on from those far-too-familiar prints and pictures? A new generation of weavers and makers is quietly redefining art for walls, creating textured pieces that bring a new look and, more importantly, a new feel to the home.

Dalston-based Christabel Balfour is a weaver and also holds workshops in her studio: “I think the resurgence in woven wall-hangings is driven in part by the blurring of the lines between art, design and craft,” she says. “They are tactile and interactive, and if you spend most of your time staring at a screen, I think that combination is especially attractive. People don’t just want to look at art any more, they want to engage with it.”

Macramé, embroidery, tapestry and appliqué are all making tactile talking points. Some of the beautiful handmade pieces on show at Collect this coming weekend at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea are inspiring but understandably pricey.

Award-winning embroiderer Richard McVetis can spend hundreds of hours on his meticulous artworks that combine wool and tiny cotton stitches to dramatic effect. Kazuhito Takadoi is a maker who also works in gardens where he forages to find the plants that are woven into his work.

Wall art such as this is practical as well as pretty. Easy to display, it can be relatively inexpensive and is a useful way to absorb the sound in a space.

A whole range of options all work really well on walls, from full-sized rugs if you’ve got the space, to simple, delicate banners that create a subtle focal point. And they’re portable, too — as people have done throughout history, these textile heirlooms will move with you. Just pack them carefully and you’re ready to go.

If you’re looking for an affordable alternative you can easily make your own.

First measure the height of the wall, buy a couple of metres of fabulous fabric, trim to size, extend the length between two pieces of dowling, then hang.

You can embellish this with all kinds of decoration or just leave it plain. Or find an eye-catching vintage scarf and frame it for a quick and unique artwork that can instantly transform a space.