In a sense, gallery walls are works of art in and of themselves; when the appropriate pieces are arranged in a way that both strengthens them individually and as a whole, it just makes sense. Curating a gallery wall does present some difficulties, such as where to start, how to decide which prints to frame, and how to decide which pieces to hang together. To help you design a wall display that makes you happy every time you stop to think about it, we’ve made an effort to cover the essentials.
Table of Contents
What You Need
- Artwork
- Pencil
- Kraft paper
- Scissors or a crafts knife
- Painters tape
- Hammer
- Nails or picture hangers
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Level
- Double-sided adhesive tapes, such as Command strips, or adhesive hook-and-loop tape, such as Velcro
Planning Your Gallery Wall
While gallery walls frequently appear to have grown naturally over time, they actually require some planning to achieve the desired appearance. Find a wall that needs a style upgrade first. Large, empty walls and awkward locations (like those next to stairs) that traditional artwork doesn’t quite fit are good candidates for gallery walls. A gallery wall looks great as the first wall you see when you walk into a room. Next, decide what style you want your gallery wall to have. Look around the space. Would traditional black-and-white photos go best with your furniture and decor, or would colorful artwork or objects really make the wall pop? Which would you choose: an organic, free-flowing collection or a neat, symmetrical wall? Decide how much space you’ll need, and then use it. Do you have a large wall to play with or only a small area? Is the room primarily vertical or horizontal? How many items you use will depend on this.
Choosing Your Gallery Wall Collection
You now have a space picked out and a design objective. Will you be hanging anything? For your collection, there are two methods.
- Unified: A collection of similar items such as photographs, mirrors, or dishes
- Eclectic: A combination of items such as pictures, objects, and paintings (like the image below)
Examples of gallery wall concepts are:
- Baskets
- Vinyl album covers
- Framed wallpaper or patterned fabric
- Empty antique frames on a contrasting color wall
- Mirrors in different shapes and sizes
How To Hang A Gallery Wall
Plan out the hanging arrangement and organize your collection. You can accomplish this in one of three ways:
On the floor. A floor area the same size as the wall area should be blocked off with some painter’s tape. Start arranging your collection inside the floor’s outline until you’re satisfied. Once the layout is finished, take a photo of it and make note of the spaces between the objects. One at a time, hang the items on the wall with the same distance between each one.
On the wall. On a piece of paper, trace the outline of each item’s shape, then cut it out. Once you’re satisfied with the arrangement, tape the paper shapes to the wall, labeling each shape to correspond to the item on the wall. Where the paper shape is taped, hang the actual piece.
by means of a wall gallery kit. Hanging a gallery wall is simple with Perfect Picture Wall. On the business’ website, you can order premade gallery layouts that include photo frames, mats, and wall templates. After placing your preferred photos in each frame, hang the paper template on the wall before hanging your gallery. Here is a video tutorial on how to use the wall gallery kit.
How High (or Low) To Hang Your Gallery Wall
One of the most hotly debated topics in home design is this one! Here’s what we think: Plan your gallery wall so that the bottom of your lowest frame hangs 7–10 inches above the top of your furniture if it will be placed above a piece of furniture. Aim for your gallery wall’s center to hang approximately 57 inches above the ground if it is hanging on an empty wall. More information on how high to hang your art can be found in this blog post.
Alternatives To Nails
Here are some alternative methods for hanging a gallery wall if you can’t or don’t want to drill a lot of holes in the wall:
• Use command picture hanging strips. These strips’ adhesive holds picture frames firmly in place. They have a velcro backing that makes it simple to take down or replace items on your wall.
• Utilize floating shelves. Consider hanging some floating shelves to hold your collection of gallery wall art if you like to rotate the items in it. Although shelves also need nails, you’ll use a lot less than if you were to hang each item separately.
• Make use of a hanging system for galleries in museums. Museum gallery systems give your gallery wall an industrial, modern edge by using cables and interchangeable steel hardware that hang from a track on the ceiling or upper wall (see image below).
The many ways you can create collections are what make realizing your gallery wall idea the coolest. To create a space that is modern and distinctive to your personal style, be creative with your displays.
