Tips for Designing a Gallery Wall
I had been wanting to create a gallery wall for the longest time, and earlier this month I finally did. I love the visual interest that a gallery wall can bring to a space. Plus it can reflect individual personality and creativity as each one is different.
So how do you create one? In this post, I will share how I created my gallery wall and some tips for making your own. If you've created your own gallery wall, please share your tips in the comments and help me share the creative love.
Choose a space for your gallery wall
Let's be honest, you might end up collecting items for your gallery wall before you pick where you want to put them. But if you know the area you will be working with, you'll have an idea of how much it can hold, and the size of the pieces you might want to feature. Even a rough idea will help you pick out pieces for your wall.
Also, when selecting a space, pay attention to what will be in front of or near it. I have a short bookshelf sitting below my gallery wall. Your wall might be behind a couch, table, or bed. Or it may be next to a chair or potted plant. Large pieces nearby can serve as an anchor to work around, so take this into consideration when selecting a space. If you're decorating an anchor piece, remember that you will need coordinating items for this too.
As you'll see in the photos, my wall also had the thermostat and door bell on it. I tried to camouflage those items a bit in the design of the gallery, but in a way that would flow as much as possible. Depending on your wall, you may need to work around items like this too.
Pick a color palette
Think about your wall's paint color, nearby furniture, and items you may already plan to feature on your gallery wall when selecting a color palette. My palette was white, shades of turquoise, grey-blue, and a few hints of gold and brown. That may seem like a lot of colors, but remember that most of those are neutrals.
The book shelf was white, so it was an automatic color inclusion into the palette. Plus it looks great against the grey-blue of our wall color and is versatile if the palette ever changes. I own a lot of turquoise, so it was a natural inclusion, but as an accent to help it pop. Also because I have a lot of natural wood pieces around the house, a few touches of brown were a natural inclusion. I chose to include gold as an accent and a metallic touch to juxtapose the natural shades and textures.
As you pick your palette I recommend picking one primary shade (like the white) plus your wall color. Then choose one to three accent colors that work well together and play off of your primary and wall colors. Remember to use accent colors sparingly.
Gather items to feature
For my gallery wall, I used a combination of pieces I already owned and some new purchases. The important thing to keep in mind is your color palette. Select pieces that will tie into your palette, with more in your primary color and a few in your accent color (s). Also look for a few simple pieces as well as some unique ones to bring in personality and character.
I got a few fun, bargain-priced frames at HomeGoods and Marshalls, and included some I had previously purchased from T.J. Maxx and Michael's. I primarily featured photographs from our wedding, but also included some other family photos, a gold foil print, and two lettering pieces I had previously created. I also included a few non-framable items, on the wall and on the bookshelf. Things like books, plants, and seasonal pieces will help fill out the space.
You may want to make your own unique art to feature on your gallery wall. If so, you might find some of my previous posts helpful. If you're including chalk art, check out these tips. If you're looking to add some brush lettering, I have not one, but two posts featuring video tutorials. I also have tips for creating calligraphy. Finally, find a couple of tutorials: how to make your own hanging wall art and an art canvas using decorative paper or an adult coloring book page.
Determine a layout and hang your items
You may find it most helpful to layout your gallery wall on a table or the floor before hanging. I also found it helpful to hold the frames up on the wall. I designed the top of my bookshelf before arranging the wall, which helped me to find a complementary balance between the placement of accent colored-pieces.
My frames were easy to hang, only needing one nail each. Some things you might find helpful for hanging are a pencil, ruler, and level. You can lightly mark locations with a pencil and make sure your frames are straight with a level.
Add your finishing touches and enjoy
After I finished my gallery wall, I did some redesigning of the lower book shelves to tie even more into the color palette. I chose books in corresponding shades, added some gold accents, and incorporated a few more white items. To unify your gallery wall, include corresponding colors throughout all nearby items and anchor pieces.
So how do you create one? In this post, I will share how I created my gallery wall and some tips for making your own. If you've created your own gallery wall, please share your tips in the comments and help me share the creative love.
Choose a space for your gallery wall
Let's be honest, you might end up collecting items for your gallery wall before you pick where you want to put them. But if you know the area you will be working with, you'll have an idea of how much it can hold, and the size of the pieces you might want to feature. Even a rough idea will help you pick out pieces for your wall.
Also, when selecting a space, pay attention to what will be in front of or near it. I have a short bookshelf sitting below my gallery wall. Your wall might be behind a couch, table, or bed. Or it may be next to a chair or potted plant. Large pieces nearby can serve as an anchor to work around, so take this into consideration when selecting a space. If you're decorating an anchor piece, remember that you will need coordinating items for this too.
As you'll see in the photos, my wall also had the thermostat and door bell on it. I tried to camouflage those items a bit in the design of the gallery, but in a way that would flow as much as possible. Depending on your wall, you may need to work around items like this too.
Pick a color palette
Think about your wall's paint color, nearby furniture, and items you may already plan to feature on your gallery wall when selecting a color palette. My palette was white, shades of turquoise, grey-blue, and a few hints of gold and brown. That may seem like a lot of colors, but remember that most of those are neutrals.
The book shelf was white, so it was an automatic color inclusion into the palette. Plus it looks great against the grey-blue of our wall color and is versatile if the palette ever changes. I own a lot of turquoise, so it was a natural inclusion, but as an accent to help it pop. Also because I have a lot of natural wood pieces around the house, a few touches of brown were a natural inclusion. I chose to include gold as an accent and a metallic touch to juxtapose the natural shades and textures.
As you pick your palette I recommend picking one primary shade (like the white) plus your wall color. Then choose one to three accent colors that work well together and play off of your primary and wall colors. Remember to use accent colors sparingly.
Gather items to feature
For my gallery wall, I used a combination of pieces I already owned and some new purchases. The important thing to keep in mind is your color palette. Select pieces that will tie into your palette, with more in your primary color and a few in your accent color (s). Also look for a few simple pieces as well as some unique ones to bring in personality and character.
I got a few fun, bargain-priced frames at HomeGoods and Marshalls, and included some I had previously purchased from T.J. Maxx and Michael's. I primarily featured photographs from our wedding, but also included some other family photos, a gold foil print, and two lettering pieces I had previously created. I also included a few non-framable items, on the wall and on the bookshelf. Things like books, plants, and seasonal pieces will help fill out the space.
You may want to make your own unique art to feature on your gallery wall. If so, you might find some of my previous posts helpful. If you're including chalk art, check out these tips. If you're looking to add some brush lettering, I have not one, but two posts featuring video tutorials. I also have tips for creating calligraphy. Finally, find a couple of tutorials: how to make your own hanging wall art and an art canvas using decorative paper or an adult coloring book page.
Determine a layout and hang your items
You may find it most helpful to layout your gallery wall on a table or the floor before hanging. I also found it helpful to hold the frames up on the wall. I designed the top of my bookshelf before arranging the wall, which helped me to find a complementary balance between the placement of accent colored-pieces.
My frames were easy to hang, only needing one nail each. Some things you might find helpful for hanging are a pencil, ruler, and level. You can lightly mark locations with a pencil and make sure your frames are straight with a level.
Add your finishing touches and enjoy
After I finished my gallery wall, I did some redesigning of the lower book shelves to tie even more into the color palette. I chose books in corresponding shades, added some gold accents, and incorporated a few more white items. To unify your gallery wall, include corresponding colors throughout all nearby items and anchor pieces.
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