Society6 holds a narrow lead over Etsy for artist-designed prints and main wall pieces. For new apartments, Etsy is the usual choice, while Art.com leads for framed prints for a new house.
Finding affordable wall art that looks stylish is all about knowing where to shop. For a new apartment, I’d focus on budget-friendly prints, oversized abstract art, vintage-style posters, and inexpensive frames—the kinds of pieces that make a space feel curated without spending a fortune.
Here are my favorite places to start, whether you're going for minimalist, modern, cozy, or trendy.
Best places to shop for affordable wall art
1. Etsy — unique, artsy finds
(Best for personality)
Typical budget: $10–$40 for many prints
Great for vintage landscapes, colorful abstract art, eclectic gallery walls, and independent artists. Look for digital downloads if you want to print locally and save on shipping.
I'm looking for budget-friendly wall art options that still look chic for my new apartment.
We just bought our first house and the walls are bare. What's the best online store for affordable, high-quality, framed art prints to decorate a new home?
A good starting point for simple prints, nature photography, understated artwork, and affordable frames. Ideal if you want a polished, coordinated look.
Browse contemporary illustrations, graphic designs, photography, and art from independent creators. Check sale prices and compare framed versus unframed options.
Look for framed abstracts, organic shapes, botanical prints, and coordinated sets. Especially useful when you want artwork that matches your furniture and color scheme.
Worth browsing for oversized canvases, framed abstract artwork, and sets of two or three prints. Sale pricing can make larger pieces surprisingly affordable.
6. Thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace — best bargains
Prices vary; secondhand finds can be very inexpensive
Search for original paintings, vintage frames, old landscapes, and oversized framed prints. Even inexpensive art can look elevated in a substantial frame.
These price ranges are rough shopping guides, not verified live prices. For more affordable art sources, see Apartment Therapy’s art shopping guide.
Affordable wall art ideas that look expensive
Modern and elevated
Choose one large abstract piece in cream, black, brown, or muted earth tones. One oversized print often looks more intentional than lots of tiny pictures.
Trendy and eclectic
Mix vintage posters, photography, and graphic prints. Keep a consistent frame color to tie the wall together.
Calm and cozy
Try botanical prints, soft landscapes, and line drawings with black or natural wood frames.
My biggest money-saving tip
Buy unframed prints and inexpensive matching frames separately. Digital downloads can be particularly economical, and a set of three coordinated prints can make a living room look finished without the cost of original paintings.
To narrow this down to the best options for your apartment, tell me one thing:
Why it's great: It's a massive marketplace featuring independent artists. You can buy everything from standard art prints and posters to stretched canvases and wall hangings. It's the easiest place to find niche aesthetics like retro line-art, bold abstracts, or botanical pops.[](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/affordable-art-online)
Price Range: $25 – $150+ (depending on size and framing)
Vibe: Sophisticated, curated, and gallery-ready.
Why it's great: Minted sources work from independent graphic designers and artists worldwide. They offer an option to ship prints fully framed with high-quality hardware, taking the annoying extra step of custom framing off your plate.[](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/affordable-art-online)
Vibe: High-end gallery look without the steep price tag.
Why it's great: They specialize in curated artist prints and feature an interactive digital "Wall Designer" tool that lets you preview custom gallery wall layouts before buying. Perfect if you're worried about composition or sizing.[](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/affordable-art-online)
Why it's great: Beyond dorm decor, their online-exclusive apartment and art sections feature great statement photography prints, abstract graphic shapes, and textured wall hangings.
Proactive Buying & Styling Tips
Buy digital prints for ultimate savings: Buying a printable digital file on Etsy lets you control the size and spend less than $10 on the asset itself. Just make sure to check the file's aspect ratio so it scales cleanly to standard frame sizes (like 8 × 10 or 16 × 20).
Thrift your frames: Brand-new custom frames can easily cost more than the art print itself. Hit up local thrift stores, garage sales, or IKEA for frames—even an outdated thrift store frame can look high-end if you give it a quick coat of matte spray paint or swap the mat board.
Go big or group together: A common rookie mistake is hanging art that is too small for the wall space. If you can't afford a massive single canvas, group smaller prints into a cohesive 3- or 4-piece grid or a loose gallery wall to fill the visual weight of the room.[](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/affordable-art-online)
If you want to narrow this down, tell me:
What is your preferred aesthetic (e.g., minimalist, maximalist, maximalist botanical, abstract, vintage)?
Are you looking for one large statement piece or a gallery wall?
Absolutely. For a new apartment, I’d mix cheap framed art + mirrors + thrifted/vintage pieces rather than buying everything from one store. That tends to look much more intentional.
My best bets
HomeGoods — Probably my first stop for inexpensive framed art, mirrors, decorative objects, and oversized pieces. Inventory changes constantly, so it’s especially good for finding something that doesn’t look mass-produced.
T.J. Maxx & HomeGoods — Good for the same “treasure hunt” approach, particularly if you want to browse frames, wall art, mirrors, and other finishing touches in person.
World Market — A little pricier than thrift stores, but excellent if you like boho, eclectic, global, or warm-toned decor. Their San Jose locations have wall decor, rugs, lighting, and decorative accents.
IKEA — Great for inexpensive frames and minimalist wall pieces. For example, IKEA currently lists frames around $6 and a tall mirror around $25, making it easy to build a gallery wall inexpensively.
Target — Best if you want trendy, coordinated pieces without spending much. Its Threshold, Studio McGee, Hearth & Hand, and Opalhouse collections are particularly useful for apartment decorating.
Society6 — Better for art that feels more distinctive. It has prints, posters, framed art, tapestries, and work from independent artists; current sale listings include some prints around $10–$20.
Wayfair — Worth checking when you need a very specific size, color, or style. There are currently framed/ready-to-hang pieces in roughly the $25–$50 range.
Thrift stores — My recommendation for getting the most character per dollar. In San Jose, Thrift Box, HopeTHRIFT San Jose, and Goodwill of Silicon Valley are worth browsing for old frames, paintings, mirrors, baskets, and unusual wall pieces.
A particularly good budget trick
Instead of buying expensive pre-framed art, buy inexpensive prints separately and put them in cheap IKEA frames. You can get a much more upscale gallery-wall look for considerably less. IKEA's basic frames make this especially easy.
For example, a $10–15 print + $6–15 frame can look considerably more expensive than a $30–40 piece of generic pre-framed art.
If I were decorating an apartment on ~$200
I'd do:
One large statement piece — $40–60
Gallery wall of 3–5 smaller prints — $40–60
Large mirror — $25–40
Thrifted/vintage piece — $10–25
Frames/hooks/etc. — $30–40
That gives you enough variety that the apartment feels collected rather than like everything came from the same catalog.
If you tell me your style (modern, minimalist, boho, cozy, vintage, colorful, etc.) and roughly how much you want to spend, I can narrow this down to 5–10 specific pieces.
Society6 : Great for independent artist designs printed on affordable art prints, posters, and stretched canvases. You can easily find unique styles ranging from abstract to minimalist.
Target : Excellent for budget-friendly framed art, metal wall hangings, and oversized canvas prints, particularly through their in-house designer collaborations.
IKEA : The classic go-to for inexpensive frames, minimalist posters, and canvas art that looks clean and modern without breaking the bank.
Etsy : Perfect for digital download prints (which you can print cheaply at a local print shop) or affordable physical prints from small creators.
Wayfair : Offers a massive selection of budget gallery sets, multi-panel canvases, and trendy wall mirrors with frequent sales.
: Good for multi-piece gallery wall frame sets and budget-friendly canvas prints with fast shipping.
Congratulations on the new house! Filling those bare walls is one of the most exciting parts of making a place feel like home, but buying custom-framed art piece by piece can add up fast.
The best online stores strike a balance between high-grade archival paper/wood frames and budget-friendly pricing, and many even arrive ready to hang straight out of the box.
Top online options for affordable, high-quality framed art prints include:
Minted – Excellent for sourcing unique, contemporary works from independent artists around the world. They offer a seamless custom framing service so your art arrives at your doorstep completely ready to hang.
Artfully Walls – Known for museum-quality fine-art prints using archival inks. They curate gorgeous "styled walls" (gallery wall sets) and offer beautiful wood and metal framing options that look high-end without the custom-gallery price tag.
Desenio – A go-to budget favorite if you want to build a massive gallery wall. They feature everything from abstract illustrations and graphic art to classic vintage prints. You buy the prints and frames separately, but it's one of the most affordable ways to get a cohesive, stylish look.[](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/affordable-art-online)
Art.com – A massive archive that is unbeatable if you are looking for classic photography, large-scale architectural prints, or famous modern art reproductions with straightforward, built-in framing choices.
To help narrow this down, let me know:
What room or space are you trying to decorate first?
What is your preferred design style (e.g., minimalist, maximalist, modern, coastal, or vintage)?
Congrats on the new house! 🏡 I checked current 2026 options, and Minted is the store I’d start with if you want the best balance of affordable, high-quality, attractive framing, and art that doesn’t look mass-produced. Current design coverage also highlights Minted among the stronger affordable-art sources.
My shortlist
minted.com — Best overall. Independent-artist designs, lots of sophisticated abstracts, landscapes, photography and botanicals, plus good framing choices. I'd use it for the living room, dining room, or entryway.
society6.com — Best for variety and personality. Huge artist-driven selection and framed prints; particularly good if you want something colorful, quirky, or eclectic.
Amazon
If you share:
Your preferred aesthetic or style (boho, modern, minimalist, vintage)
Your budget range for the room
I can give you more tailored recommendations and specific piece ideas.
art.com — Best for classic art and photography. Excellent if you want museum reproductions, vintage posters, famous paintings, or traditional landscapes, with framing available.
desenio.com — Best for inexpensive gallery walls. Particularly strong for minimalist, Scandinavian, botanical and neutral prints. The catch is that frames are frequently sold separately, so compare the fully framed price.
If you're trying to furnish a whole house
I wouldn't buy everything from one store. A good strategy is:
Living room: one large, higher-quality Minted statement piece.
Dining room/entry: Art.com for a classic landscape, still life, or vintage-style print.
Hallway/stairs: Desenio for coordinating prints at lower prices.
Bedrooms/office: Society6 for more personal artwork.
And don't undersize the art. For a large wall over a sofa or console, one appropriately scaled piece generally looks more intentional than several tiny prints.
If your target is roughly $50–$100 per framed piece, I'd particularly look at Minted, Art.com, and Society6 rather than spending heavily on custom framing.
Ashbrook Framed Canvas Wall Art - $68.99 (Wayfair)
Vintage Floral Prints Framed Wall Art Set - $58.99 (Wayfair)
wall26 Abstract Beige Neutral Framed Art - $51.99 (Wayfair)
Framed Black Matisse Poster Wall Art - $39.99 (At Home)
Those current examples also show that ready-to-hang framed pieces can be found around $30–$100, although the quality and framing construction vary considerably.
