Gallery walls are still incredibly popular in home decor and for a good reason. They’re the perfect way to make a statement (especially if you’ve kept everywhere else quite simple) they allow you to get creative and you can easily change up the prints any time you like to totally switch up the look.
Decide on the Frames
A good gallery wall will have a mixture of sizes of frames, you will need to decide whether you will use all of the same type or go with a mismatched look. Purchase a number of frames, your gallery wall should have ten or more of them to create a striking overall finish.
Choose the Layout
One of the most difficult parts of getting your gallery wall right is the layout. You could either copy a layout online or place all of your frames on the floor and work out what looks best where. It shouldn’t look too symmetrical, although all of the frames should be the same width apart.
Choose Your Prints
Here comes the fun part! You get to decide what goes in your gallery wall. You could create your own art on illustrator or Photoshop and print it out. You could find prints you liked online or on creators marketplaces like Etsy. You could buy prints from an art exhibition, or even buy postcards from card stores. Postcards work well as they’re inexpensive and the perfect size for smaller frames, you could even use a postcard app to make your own. All of your frames should have the sizes in the inserts, so it’s easy to find. Along with prints you could also add things like mirrors or wooden letters to spruce it up further.
Decide Which Wall
Finally, you will need to decide on the position and wall of the gallery wall in the room. Since this is a large, statement piece you will ideally have it on a wall with nothing else on it- so not on the main fireplace wall. It will really depend the layout of your room and the amount of frames you’ve gone for but think carefully as hanging can take some time and will be difficult to move everything over if you don’t like the location.
Hang The Framed Prints
Following the layout you’ve created, start hanging your prints on the wall. It can be easier to start with the one in the center and work your way out. Use a spirit level and a ruler to make sure everything is straight. Even if you’ve gone with very mismatched frames, the execution with the hanging needs to be exactly right for it to work. If you’re using very heavy frames, you may need to drill holes and use wall plugs. Otherwise, you may be able to get away with Command Hooks. These are useful as they won’t mark the walls, and it’s a great way to bring personality to your home if your landlord has said you can’t decorate or make holes hanging things on the walls.