How To Create The Perfect Gallery Wall
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Creating a gallery wall is the perfect way to express yourself in your home. It can contain anything that makes you happy – from framed art prints, family photographs, even film posters or pretty postcards that you want to frame.
There are also lots of different styles you can choose – from relaxed, colourful and messy to monochrome and regimented. These are my tips for creating the perfect gallery wall.
How To Create The Perfect Gallery Wall
Where To Put Your Gallery Wall
Before you get started, you’ll need to decide where in your home to put your gallery wall. Most people like to have them in their main living space or going up the stairs. However, they can also work well in other rooms such as the bedroom or in a hallway.
You may also want to think about the sizes you’ll be using. Do you want the pictures to all be the same size or should you mix them up to create a more chaotic feel?
Do you want to use any prints or images you already own?
How To Choose Your Gallery Wall Images
First of all, you need to choose the type of pictures you want on the picture wall. I often think this depends on the type of room they’ll be going in and also you’ll want to create some sort of harmony between the pictures.
They don’t all need to be matchy matchy, but the same overall feel, tone or colour will help the gallery wall feel more cohesive.
For a family room or living room, you may want to use family photographs teamed with some fun quotes about love and family life.
For a bedroom, you may want to choose some romantic art prints that add to that calming and relaxed feel a bedroom should have. I also think space and moon-themed prints look amazing in bedrooms, especially those with dark colours.
Bachelor pad? Movie Posters or framed book quotes work well as do band posters.
Of course, it’s entirely up to you what you choose, it’s just worth giving some thought before you get started.
Here are some ideas for colours and concepts you could use to create your perfect gallery wall.
- Monochrome – also known as black and white. You could choose all black frames, a combination of black and white frames or choose just black and white prints to frame.
- Pastel Colours – these are perfect for rooms with a calm feel such as nurseries and children’s bedrooms.
- Metallics – such as gold, bronze and silver.
- Movies – it doesn’t just have to be the movie poster, it could be quotes from the film, abstract images or even animated caricatures.
- Bands – as well as images of the band you could frame concert stubs, album covers or even print out lyrics from your favourite songs.
- Abstract – There’s actually nothing wrong with creating a totally abstract wall where anything goes in theme or colour! You could use mirrors, wood, old photographs, even postcards. You can also utilize wall art canvas to change things up a bit.
- Family – including your children’s drawings and artwork alongside family photos.
- Natural – Images of the outdoors teamed with wall hangings made from natural materials.
- Special Interest – if you have a special interest whether it’s volcanos or giraffes this is the perfect way to share that love in your home.
Which Picture Should I Use For A Gallery Wall?
The type of picture frames you use will depend on the overall look and feel you’re going for with your picture wall.
Monochrome can look really modern and it’s easy to match the colours of the frames even if you’re using different sizes.
You could also choose to use a completely different frame for every picture and photograph. This works well if you plan to add other textures or 3D items to compliment the pictures and want a fun and relaxed abstract feel.
Some well-known DIY and home stores actually sell ready-made picture wall kits – so the frames and sizes are done for you, you just have to add your own photographs and prints and often they come with a wall gallery template too.
The most important thing is to make sure you know the sizes you need before setting off to buy your frames. Alternatively, you could buy a set of frames first and then have images printed to fit them.
How To Arrange Your Pictures
Arranging the pictures for perfectly for your wall gallery can seem like a daunting task. The key is to have several practice runs on the floor before you start drilling or hammering those nails.
Typically picture frames look better when hung in odd numbers, so bear this in mind when you’re in the planning stages.
If you’re not feeling confident about your arrangement then don’t worry, there are plenty of places you can get help.
As always on all things home-related, Pinterest is a font of knowledge so a quick search should help you find lots of different ways to arrange your pictures.
Another option is to buy a gallery wall template. They are very cheap to buy and can help alleviate some of the stress around attempting to hang your pictures perfectly as the template does all the hard work for you. Even better they can be reused if you want to create a picture gallery in another room.
Often one template will have several different configurations and can be used both vertically or horizontally giving you a lot of different options.
I think a gallery wall is a perfect way to add some personality and vibrancy to any home!
