Tips for Creating a Gallery Wall
Creating a seemingly perfect gallery wall is not an easy task. Trying to finding the right frames, pictures, and artwork that match a certain color scheme, and then trying to nail them in the right place can be overwhelming and frustrating. There has been many times I have thrown caution to the wind and ended up with more holes in my wall than I needed. So if you want to avoid the Swiss cheese walls (like mine), these tips will help minimize the damage and keep your home looking beautiful.
1. Determine the Look
There are typically two types of gallery wall designs you see when scrolling down the many examples (of course it leaves room to get creative!):
- Orderly and tidy
- Colorful and chaotic
The neat and orderly design commonly uses a linear patterns with the same type of framing and typically black and white photos, whereas, the chaotic design has more colors, different frames, and is more free flowing.
Which design do you like best?
Orderly & Tidy
Colorful & Chaotic
2. Picking the Photos, Artwork, and Frames
For creating a chaotic gallery wall you want to choose a larger main photo to anchor the rest of the smaller photos around. You also want to consider a common color theme to unify the collection. I enjoy choosing light colors, such as white, for majority of the collection then adding a variant of a bright color to make it pop! A good rule of thumb is to decide between 2-4 colors to focus on, and don’t be too worried if you deviate a smidge from the color scheme.
As Bob Ross would say, these are “happy mistakes”. Also, don’t be afraid to have fun with the variety of photo sizes and frames you can use. Mixing up the styles of frames can leave your gallery wall looking more interesting and inviting. Just be sure you use similar color tones for your frames. For example, you don’t want to use all pastel color frames, then add a black frame. The darker frame will stick out, throwing off the aesthetic look for the gallery wall. The chaotic style is my favorite because it allows you to have more creative freedom.
As for the neat approach to the gallery wall, using black and white photos is a perfect way to complete the uniformed look. You also might consider using the same size pattern for your photos and frames. For example, you may want to hang your photos in a repetitive pattern such as: A large photo, followed by 3 smaller frames vertically aligned, followed by another larger photo, then repeat. The organized approach is definitely a good pair with the clean modern decor look.
3. Lay It Out
No matter what design type you are looking for, there are many ways you can go about designing the layout for your gallery wall. For example, you can go on Pintrest and find different gallery wall templates you can choose to follow. Another way to visualize the positioning of your photos is by creating mini frame sized cutouts, then use the cutouts to arrange the gallery wall layout. If you have your photos and artwork already in its frame, you can layout the pictures on the floor and rearrange them until you decide on a layout that fits. For me, arranging the photos on the floor helps me better visualize the how it will look on the wall. You want to be sure to at least have 2-3 inches of space between each frame.
No matter which way you decide to create your layout, you want to occasionally step back from your work just so you can get a good sense of perspective.
For more gallery wall templates, check out Desenio
Before picking up a hammer you might want to consider how low/high your gallery wall is going to be.
Tip to Remember: If you are hanging your gallery wall above furniture, such as the couch or a table, try to keep the bottom of your lowest hanging frame 5-8 inches above the top of the furniture. Plan to have the center of your gallery wall 57 inches above the floor if you are hanging it on a free wall.
4. Pick Up the Hammer
These steps may be a bit tedious but they are a sure way to save time and money in the long run!
Step 1:
Take a pencil and trace around each frame on craft paper or newspaper.
Step 2:
Cut out the traced paper then mark where the hanging hardware would be located on the frame.
Step 3:
Once each frame has a cutout made, arrange the cutouts in the designed layout and tape them on the wall using painter’s tape.
Step 4:
Now you can use the area you marked for the hooks to precisely place the nails. (Be aware of what type of hooks your frames has. This could affect how low or high your photo will actually hang.)
Step 5:
Once you have placed all of the nails, replace the cutouts with your framed photos or art.
Step 6:
After all the photos are hung, take a step back and decide if you need to level any frames or make adjustments.
No matter how big or small your gallery wall might be, don’t get overwhelmed because you got this! And now you have a gallery wall of your dreams!
What are some other tips we might want to try to create a perfect gallery wall?
Written by Ashley Hicks
