Use Hangers To Turn Your Magazine Collection Into A Stunning Gallery Wall

Have you been accused of hoarding old magazines with no real purpose but still can't bring yourself to throw them away? If so, then this quick and easy decorative DIY may be exactly what you need. Rather than letting your collected magazines gather dust on a side table or, even worse, end up in the recycling bin, you can instead use them to decorate your walls! And the best part is, you don't need fancy display cases — metal clothes hangers do the trick.

Whether you love to hold onto fashion magazines, architectural publications, comic books, or vintage travel periodicals, you can actually present them as wall art by draping them over simple clothes hangers. This project is renter friendly, as you can use removable adhesive strips to suspend the hangers on the wall. You then simply need to open the magazine about halfway through and slot it over the bottom rail of the hanger. Because the steps are so straightforward, hanging multiple on one wall is a fun, quick way to create the perfect gallery wall in your living room or hallway. 

Another key highlight of this clever idea is that it is completely customizable and adjustable. Because the magazines haven't been cut out or glued down to anything, you can change up which ones you have on display whenever you want. Now, while this DIY idea is pretty easy to recreate yourself, you may find yourself at a loss for how to pick the right magazines and how to arrange them on your wall for the best effect. Let's take a moment to explore some options and work out which arrangements might work best in different spaces.

The first thing to consider with this DIY is where you want to display your magazines. A home office, for example, is a great location because you can hang magazines that you frequently refer to in your work. They are easy to take off the hangers whenever you need them, and they create decor that aligns with your work. Alternatively, this hanger-magazine combo can work well for decorating a large blank wall without making it look cluttered in a common area, helping you create a fun talking piece in the dining room or living room. 

Then, you will need to grab some hangers. If your magazines are from decades past, you could keep that historic vibe going by choosing some vintage wooden hangers to slot them onto. Alternatively, if your magazines are modern or you are likely to replace them with the newest issue, you could opt to repurpose old hangers made from wire to foster a sleek, minimalist vibe. 

Once you know where you want to hang your magazines, you will then need to pick some out that you want to display. Try looking for covers with bold shapes that will be striking from across the room, or go for a few that have distinct colors that tie into the rest of your decor. If your magazine covers aren't as eye-popping as their inner pages and you don't mind a more rugged, handmade feel, you could always rip off the cover to display your favorite page instead. You can create a fun, multidimensional feel by ripping the magazines to different thicknesses so that some are more prominent while others are more flush to the wall behind.