Gallery walls can be tricky, but when done right, they can look awesome! Here is how I created this one-of-a-kind and personalized gallery wall in my home.
The Space: Choose a wall in your home that you feel works for multiple frames and that you feel would suit a gallery wall. Some spaces may be too narrow or may look too cluttered with multiple pieces hung on the wall. I chose a stairwell wall that is open to my kitchen, living and dining rooms.
The Frames: Choose a frame style and color that works in your home. I chose silver frames as this wall is visible from my living room and I wanted it to look elegant. I also like the contrast of the silver with the dark stained oak stair rails. I also chose a series of frames that was available in a variety of sizes so that each frame matched one another. Frames shown: RIBBA series, IKEA, shown in silver, various sizes.
The Art: Gallery walls can be a mix of photographs, artwork, typography, etc. I chose to use photographs of my dog, Hattie, that reflect her as a new puppy and full-grown dog. My husband used Adobe Photoshop to adjust each photo’s colors to keep them in the same warm, muted tones, while making sure that the subject (Hattie) was the main focus. Printing photos in various sizes is really inexpensive.
Other Accessories: I found a silver “H” for “Hattie” and added it to the mix to break up the set of frames. Letter shown: Wall Letters, IndigoChapters
The Design: I like to use graph paper for all of my home designs. I draw my room out to scale and then cut out pieces that are representative of furniture pieces, or in this case photo frames. I’m really visual and this allows me to move the pieces around until I can see what I want. When designing my gallery wall, I cut out several of each size of photo frame and alternated pieces in and out until I got the balance I was looking for.
Hanging Your Frames: You can use traditional methods such as nails or picture hooks. I prefer to use 3M Command Adhesive photo hooks or Picture Hanging Strips as they allow me to change my mind without having to fill holes or repaint. I also use a small, 6″ long level as it fits nicely on top of my photo frames.
