Gallery walls are a great way to fill that wall space with a personal touch. Whether you have a list of favorite artists or you’re just starting your collection, curating a wall of your pieces will transform your room from basic to mod-tastic. Here are a few tips to getting the most out of your wall.
1. Choosing the right art.
It can be tempting to hang up all of your favorite pieces of art, but an aesthetic gallery wall consists of very purposefully chosen pieces. Look at the colors that are already given by the room. What color are your furnishings? What color is the wall?
Make sure the colors in one piece of art match the colors in another. If you have a black and white painting, try pairing this with a black and white photograph on the opposite side of the wall. If you have a textured painting with hints of yellow, make sure to have another art piece on the wall that has yellow accents, as well. Also, look at the colors of your furnishings. If you have a bright turquoise chair, hang a photograph or a painting that uses turquoise. Allow the rest of the room to flow into the wall. Choosing art and choosing colors is all about balance.
Pay attention to the vibe you want to get from the room and let your gallery wall reflect you. You may just want to hang a piece because it matches, but your gallery wall should be a reflection of you and what you like about art.
2. Framing your art.
Focus on your personal taste. If you tend to choose more wood elements, then try framing your pieces with different wood stains. If you like more clean and white rooms, go for white and gray frames. Or, throw out the rulebook and don’t use frames at all. There is no correct gallery wall.
If you choose mostly monochromatic frames, throw in a gold or silver frame for some dimension. Wood frames all look very nice placed next to each other, but to let certain pieces stand out, pair them with a frame that has a lot of texture.
Once you have your art picked out and the perfect frames to match, it’s time to start hanging.
3. Hanging it up.
There isn’t one specific way to hang a gallery wall, but planning and choosing the right wall can really help. The best gallery walls are on walls that aren’t filled with a lot of furnishings. You should dedicate the majority of the wall to your gallery. Let it be its own furnishing. Depending on how you decide to hang your pieces, you may want to pick a wall with the least amount of texture.
There are a few different ways that you can plan your gallery wall. The guess and check method is always an option. Simply start hanging pieces and step back and listen to the space. This may take a few tries, but it’s definitely the most fun.
If you want something very balanced and symmetrical, use blue painter’s tape. You can measure your frames and the wall and use the tape to make even spaces between the art.
Lay it out on the floor. If you lay out all your pieces first, you can see how they will look hung up. You can change pieces around or replace certain frames. The art of hanging a gallery wall is very creative and takes a little bit of time. But, once you hang it all up you’ll want to keep walking past your wall again and again.
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