Gallery Walls
One of my favorite things in my house are my gallery walls. I love a good gallery wall. They are so interesting, and they add so much personality to a space. If you can’t pick one picture why not have as many as you want, and don't limit yourself to pictures! You can hang almost anything on a wall. Galleries are by definition an exhibition, but in your home a gallery wall is an exhibition of you. Your style, personality, memories. It is a glimpse into who you are.
So, that being said, it might feel a little daunting but don’t let it scare you! Gallery walls should be fun and organic. You are using things you love so enjoy the process.
Step 1 Find your inspiration piece
This inspiration piece will guide you to find your theme and color scheme. Let your piece guide you. For example, are you doing a modern art installation or are you going for a nautical or western theme. Sometimes you might just want to choose items based on certain colors, but it is always a good idea to pick a cohesive color palette. I love the website www.coolors.co . If you are unsure of a good color scheme to pick, or even if you are not, this site is so fun to play with. Take a picture of your inspiration piece and download it to the site. The site will suggest a color palette for you! You can even play with different color options!
Step 2 Collect your art
To me this is the most exciting and fun part of planning a gallery wall. Have fun with this. If you stay within your theme and color scheme the sky is the limit! They say variety is the spice of life so spice it up. Vary sizes, shapes, and even mediums like photos, prints, paintings, and even objects. If you can figure out how to hang it on a wall, go for it! Shadow boxes are also a fun way to display a special item in a gallery.
Step 3 Plan your layout
I like to start by measuring the area you want to fill with your gallery. Once you have done this you can then use painter’s tape to make a box the same size on the floor to design in. Another option is to make your box with craft paper (like the kind you get in a roll). With the craft paper option, you can trace the arrangement you come up with on the paper and then hang the paper directly on the wall to get exact placements.
Once you have your area prepared. start with your largest item first. You want it to be the anchor for your gallery, so it needs to be near the middle. It can be off center if you are going for a more organic look but somewhere close to the middle is best.
After your largest piece is set, spread your other larger pieces out evenly for balance. Remember that you want about 2 to 3 inches between items. There can be more space but that is about as close as you want to get between pieces. I like to think in boxes at this point. If your largest piece is a box, you want to balance it with another grouping of the same size. So maybe your largest item is equal to a grouping of four smaller pieces. Think of a puzzle of squares and rectangles. Each square or rectangle of space is an area to create a smaller gallery. When you have placed your largest items, it should automatically create boxes of space to fill.
Step 4 Hang your art
If you went with the craft paper option, all you have to do is trace around each piece if your design and mark where your nail holes should go. Then simply hang the paper, hammer your nails, and pull the paper off. Otherwise, I suggest taking a picture of your arrangement that is on the floor before you start. Begin by hanging your largest piece first and work out from there. If you don’t feel comfortable eyeballing your design, take measurements of your spacing on the floor before you transfer to the wall. Levels, laser levels, measuring tapes, or a picture hanging tool come in handy at this point. When I hung my gallery wall, I used a laser level to make a straight line on the wall with painter’s tape. I was then able to use it to make sure all my art was level. I also love this picture hanging tool from Amazon.
That’s it! Now it is time to step back and enjoy your work. You will be amazed at the charm your gallery wall will add to your room. I am sure it will become one of your favorite parts of your house too.