Decor & Interiors File: How to Create a Gallery Wall

As I mentioned last week, this week I want to share some tips and tricks when choosing to create a gallery wall. I hope you find this post helpful!

The first step in creating a gallery wall is identifying the color palette you want to follow. Even though you don’t necessarily need to commit to a specific color story, if there’s a common element throughout the composition it will tie it all together and look cohesive. That element can be a color (or combination of two or more), a shape, or a specific theme such as nature, travel or architecture to name a few. I think that the most important thing to consider is that the art represents your style and taste, that it feels “you”.

Once you have chosen the theme, which could also be inspired by pieces you already own, you can start looking for art. Some favourite places to find great art are Etsy (some favourite shops are this, this and this), Minted, Furbish (they usually have great artist pop-ups), West Elm, and then local shops and flea markets for vintage finds that add a unique character.

Determine the style of your gallery wall. Are you looking for a symmetrical and classic layout or is it a free-flowing layout what you are after? If you’re going with a free-flowing style (like I did), consider having art in different sizes to add more dynamism and interest. It’s always good to start with one big piece and work your way around it.

Make sure you measure your wall and once you start selecting art and narrowing down some choices make a mock-up to make sure they will fit in your space.

Once you have chosen the art then it’s time to choose the frames. For a clean and classic look go with one style of frames, and for a more eclectic look try different finishes and sizes. I like to do a mockup of the layout with the frames to have a clear idea of how it will look. I do this on photoshop with photos of frames I find on the web or with photos of the actual art I’m ordering (in the case you’re ordering online of course). If you have some existing art, then just snap a photo and play with that.

Try a different layouts to have a feel of the final result and go with the one you like the best and feels more you.  There are different ways to visualize and plan the layout: a. Use craft paper to recreate the sizes of all your pieces and tape them on the wall. b. If you have a big area on the floor, just lay it all down and play with it. c. Do a mockup on photoshop like I did. These are the ones I came up with once I had all the art, and as you can see, I ended up using the layout on the bottom left. 
When is time to hang the frames, start with the biggest one and make your way from there. I started with the building print because it was the biggest and the one in the center. If you need some guidance on how to hang a gallery wall correctly read this post (I found it to be very helpful!).
Make sure you have all the tools necessary (hammer,  drill, nails, pencil, level, ruler). I like to place the frame on the wall, make sure it’s straight (did you know your phone has a level?) and outline the top two corners, then I measure where the hook is and make a mark on the wall for the nail. I hang one frame and repeat the process for each.

And that’s it! Any tips I didn’t cover and you’d like to share?

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