Move over, macramé. Tufted textile creations are the next big thing to adorn the walls of homes around the world. No longer limited to rugs, hand-tufted decor combines color, pattern, artistic motifs, and fluffy textures for fun and quirky results. Not only is this artsy interior decorating trend all over TikTok and Instagram, it’s also popping up everywhere from Etsy to Urban Outfitters. If you’re feeling crafty, you can even get in on the action yourself.

What is Tufted Wall Art?

Floral Tufted Jardin Rug from Anthropologie and the Loloi Optimism Sunset Rug.

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The COVID lockdowns of 2020 inspired a whole lot of creativity and DIY endeavors, including hand-tufted rugs. TikTok users first sparked the trend after rediscovering the tufting gun, a yarn stitching tool that makes it easy to make rugs in your own designs. The rugs represented a whole new way to express your style and personality at home, creating incredibly unique tufted rugs you could never find in stores.

Soon, crafters realized the uses of a tufting gun extended beyond rugs. They started tufting all kinds of things, including jackets and wall hangings. When you see how gorgeous some tufted rugs are — like the floral Tufted Jardin Rug from Anthropologie and the Loloi Optimism Sunset Rug — you can see why people would want to hang these up in a more prominent location. Most tufted rugs and wall hangings are pretty interchangeable though, so you could use them either way.

How to Add Tufted Wall Art to Your Home

Tufted wall art by Molly Pilkington (left) and Meg Design Studio (right).

Tufted wall art comes in virtually every style you can think of, including more traditional fringed tapestries, painterly works, cartoonish motifs, and abstract compositions. You’ll find the full spectrum on Etsy, ranging from small creations that cost as little as $25 to oversized works of art with price tags over $1,000. We love the tufted flower and vase piece by Molly Pilkington, Punch Needle characters by Meg Design Studio TR, and the vibrant Butterfly Eye by Jaime Derringer. Retailers like West Elm, World Market, and Overstock also have options that are a little more on the commercial side.

Integrating tufted wall art into your home is easy: just treat these objects like you would framed works of art. Use them to bring in a pop of color or pattern, draw the eye to a certain area, or introduce a whole lot of character and personality to a blank wall. Mix and match tufted works in smaller sizes, or work them into a gallery wall alongside your favorite framed photos, drawings, and paintings. The nice thing about tufted decor is its textural appeal. Don’t be surprised if your guests want to reach out and touch it!

DIY Tufted Textiles

Who cares if you’re never as good at tufting as artists like Caroline Rose Kaufman (who makes some of the coolest tufted wall hangings around)? It’s fun just to experiment and try something new. And who knows, maybe you’ll find that you’re a tufting genius after all.

Tufted wall art creations by Caroline Rose Kaufman.

Tufting was once a niche interest when supplies were hard to come by. But the growing popularity of this art has led to a proliferation of tufting kits that make it easy to try your hand at DIY tufted decor. You can find tufting starter kits ranging from $180 to $365 at Amazon, Tuft Love, and Tuft the World.