How to Create a Gallery Wall

February 03, 2015

It seems these days everyone either has a gallery wall or is in the process of creating one. For example here is mine. I have since moved a few things and added my marquee light initial that I shared here with you on instagram.

You may see my entire office and read the full post here.

But gallery walls are not always easy! They take a lot of planning and design. Here are some tips and tricks for creating an amazing gallery wall of your very own:

Have a theme or color scheme before you get started. I knew pink and gold would play a part in my wall so I played off of the color and built if from there with images and quotes that I loved.

Have a solid plan. I began gathering my prints, designs, and frames before I started hanging. If you don't want to wait until you have all your images you may create a growing gallery wall. This is where you add the prints to your wall as you go. A critical point to this method is to have a solid compositional beginning.

Consider your framing options. While there is no steadfast rule to what frames you use, planning carefully using different styles can work. I kept my frames uniform in appearance with smooth or slightly rigged frames but in assorted styles and in white and silver. Prints come in many shapes and sizes sometimes making it difficult to find a frame that fits and works with your other frames. Many times matting prints can easily change the size and even the shape of your print to fit a standard size frame just in a larger size. For example: framing an 5x7 in an 8x10 frame with a mat.

Create a mock wall and play around with your arrangement. The last thing I wanted was a bunch of holes in my wall prior to finally finding the right position. Before you go banging your wall up there are a few options that will save your wall from looking like Swiss cheese. Cut an old grocery brown bag, wax paper, or any other paper you may have to match the shape and size of your frames. You may even use command hooks as long as your frames are not to heavy for them. Place your cutouts on the wall for a dry run. This process also allows you the luxury to move them around for the best placement. Once you are pleased with your placement remove one cutout at a time and hang your frame.

The top example below is currently how my wall is designed. Below is another example of how to play around with shapes and sizes. Have fun with it!

Fee free to pin this guide for a future handy reference.

peridotskies

2 comments

willfullyelegantFebruary 5, 2015 at 10:38 AM
Absolutely gorgeous work corner!! Digging the horizontal stripes on the wall aswell.. I would be sitting in this nook day in and out.. :)
xx
ReplyDelete
Replies