Types of Wall Hangings

Wall hangings come in many different shapes, forms and sizes and are made of many different materials. These decorations have a rich history and can be traced to before the 13th century, largely in the form of tapestries. Today, people still use wall hangings as a way to decorate homes and businesses. You can find wall hangings in many different forms.

Long used as bed covers and to keep people warm at night, hand-made quilts also make beautiful wall hangings. Many quilt makers create beautiful hand stitched covers to be used specifically as a wall hanging; however, a normal bed covering can also be used in the same way. Quilts can be hung either on specially made hangers, normally used to hang tapestries, or on a quilt hanger or tapestry rod held by fabric loops attached to the quilt.

Wooden wall hangings come in a variety of sizes, styles, finishes and types of wood. Wall hangings made from wood may be in square, rectangular or sculptured form. Artists may choose to leave the wood wall hanging in its natural wooden form or varnish, stain or paint the hanging to add luster. Wood wall hangings may come in the form of elaborate, carved hangings or modern letters hanging on a child's door or room wall.

Metal wall art is mostly composed of abstract art types of wall hangings. Artists have long used steel, aluminum and wrought iron to construct intricate pieces of wall art. Metal wall art dates to medieval times and has derived from many influences over the centuries, including Chinese, Japanese, Italian and American Indian influences.

A tapestry is a densely woven piece of fabric containing patterns and/or images that may chronicle an event or tell a story. While not all tapestries communicate an idea or tale, people have used tapestries since ancient times to convey ideas and keep a historical account of events. Tapestries were traditionally hand woven, using a loom with a variety of threads. Today, while wall tapestries are often made using factory machinery, some artisans still create tapestries on a loom.