Gallery walls – a collection of varied framed images and objects hung in an artful arrangement – have been popular for some time. They are a great way to display a lot of artwork or photos and they can fill a wall without having to purchase any large pieces. While they give the appearance of being random, there are a few steps to making your gallery look great. 1. Decide on the look – A gallery wall can look very polished and put-together, or it can appear totally random. Decide which look you are going for depending on your own style and that of your room.
2. Select the stuff – If you are going for a cohesive look, choose items that are the same type, such as all black-and-white photography. Use the same frames for all, or paint a collection of frames the same color. For a random gallery, feel free to mix it up but have a common theme that most of the items fit. This could be a color palette or a texture, like distressed wood.
3. Create the arrangement – Measure the wall space you have to work with and mark it on the floor with painter’s tape. Then start laying out your pieces keeping in mind the center of the arrangement will be 60 inches up from the floor. Symmetrical arrangements will provide a formal look, while asymmetry looks more relaxed. Start with your largest pieces and build from there, keeping roughly the same amount of space between all the items.
4. Keep it balanced – Consider the visual weight of each piece and distribute items accordingly. For example, if you have several colorful items don’t place them all together. It’s helpful to use your phone to snap photos as you do this, as it’s easier to consider the entire grouping on a small screen.
5. Hang it up – There are a couple methods to do this. You can cut pieces of paper to match the size of your items and tape them up, determine where the hook needs to go for each one, and nail right through the paper before tearing it away. Another way is to determine the center of your arrangement as well as the center of the wall. Mark this, and then use it to locate and hang your largest item. Work outward from there.
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