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How To Create a Gallery Wall

February 06, 2023

Gallery Wall Inspiration

Including tips to create a perfect gallery wall

So, you’re thinking about creating a gallery wall in your living room but have no idea where to start? Well, you’ve come to the right place! We’re going to dive into the dos and don’ts of a gallery wall and share with you some of our helpful tips on how to make an eclectic gallery wall in your own home.
 Gallery walls create a focal point in your room and they’re a great alternative from wallpaper to create a feature wall. You can create a gallery wall in any room, and it doesn’t need to be over complicated. A gallery wall is a curated display of photographs, posters, prints and all your favourite things, so remember that it’s okay to experiment with different styles. The best thing about a gallery wall is that it’s not permanent and you can change it, so be brave and add in some quirky décor to give your home some personality.
 
In this blog post we’ll be sharing step by step instructions on how to create a gallery wall, giving you the insight on how to create a gallery wall on a budget and ideas about what types of art and photographs you should include. We’ll include a few different methods on how to build a good gallery wall so you can choose which option suits you best.
 

How to plan a gallery wall?

First things first, you need to plan what kinds of pictures you want to put on your gallery wall. This is the most important and exciting step since you can’t do anything until you’ve collected the pieces that you’d like to put on the wall. Now is the time to collect, collect, collect! There is no wrong or right answer here, it’s completely up to you what to display on your gallery wall, here’s some inspiration of what to include on your gallery wall:
  • Family pictures (These could be wedding photographs or family portraits)
  • Original artworks from local artists
  • Illustrated or decorative plates
  • Posters (These are great for adding pops of colour)
  • Typography prints
  • Frame your children’s artwork
  • Unique Wall Art
Once you start collecting your items, this will help dictate the layout of your gallery wall. If all of your items are the same size, you could create a grid layout gallery wall. If your items are a mix of different sizes, you can create a random layout for your gallery wall, but we’ll move onto this in more detail later.
 
Some people like to create a themed gallery wall, you can do this by grouping the pieces you’ve collected into categories. You could have a gallery wall with family photos, you could create a colour themed gallery wall or simply just choose different elements that make you happy.
 

Where to buy frames for a gallery wall?

Next up you’re going to need some gallery wall frames and that creates more questions. Do you want to create a gallery with matching frames. Would you prefer to mix and match frames on your gallery wall? Do you want to create a gallery wall with shelves? Again, this is completely up to you, but here’s some tips on where to get cheap picture frames for a gallery wall.
 
  1. My go to destination for collecting cheap photo frames is IKEA. Personally, I like my frames to match so this is the easiest way to buy matching picture frames for a gallery wall. These are my favourite photo frames from IKEA and they’re available in loads of different sizes. It’s worth noting that IKEA also sell gallery wall sets which is essentially a kit which comes with a template for how to create a perfect gallery wall layout, it tells you exactly which frames to buy and where to put them.
  1. If you’re trying to create a gallery wall on a budget, then you need to get yourself to some charity shops to find picture frames. Charity shops always have photo frames at affordable prices and if they’re not the right colour, you can always do a bit of DIY and spray paint them with a metallic or colourful paint to spruce them up.

  2. If you need to buy custom size picture frames for your artwork, then I recommend using https://www.easyframe.co.uk You can order affordable custom size photo frames in loads of different colour options, you just pop in your dimensions and pick a frame, they’re reasonably priced and are delivered really fast.

Here’s some of my favourite gallery wall ideas which I’ve found on Instagram:
(Please click the images below to visit each of these instagram profiles)

This Colourful Nest - Instagram
Sophia from @thiscolourfulnest has styled one of our wooden letter signs

Home With The Orange Door - Instagram@home_with_the_orange_door has styled one of our wooden stars

Kitchen Gallery Wall Inspiration
Jo @jo_at_sixty8 has created this gorgeous kitchen gallery wall with one of our wooden alphabet letters

How to hang a gallery wall

You need a plan of attack for this part. I’m not saying that you have to measure every millimetre between the frames (unless you want to), but I strongly recommend that you figure out a rough layout for a gallery wall before you start making holes in your walls. 

I like to do a practice layout on the floor with all the different elements that I’ve collected. This way I can move my picture frames around and try them in different arrangements before I make any commitments. Some other ways of planning a gallery wall are by drawing around all of your frames using cheap paper, you can then stick these to the wall so you can really visualise how the installation will look, and some people like to make a digital mock-up of a gallery wall. 

Your gallery wall layout will largely depend on the sizes of the frames that you plan to use. If your frame sizes are all the same size, you may want to organise your gallery wall so that the frames are in neat rows creating a grid look. If you plan to use different sized frames and objects then you will naturally end up creating a more organic arrangement with the frames being positioned randomly. You should definitely do some research into the type of gallery wall that you’d like to create beforehand.
 
Next it’s time to hang the gallery wall! You’re going to need a few things to make this easier:
  • Pencil
  • Spirit Level
  • Hammer
  • Picture Hooks
  • Adhesive Command Strips
 
I like to hang the biggest or most central piece first, check it’s straight and then work outwards from there. Once the first frame is hung on the wall, you can start to measure where all the other picture frames should be positioned. I like to try and leave approximately 4cm between each frame, but this will depend on the size of the space your trying to fill.
 
For heavier frames I use brass picture hooks, these are super easy to put up and can be tacked into the wall with a hammer. For lighter weight frames I like to keep it nice and simple and use Adhesive Command strips, these things are amazing. They’re easy to use (literally stick it on the back of your frame, peel the backing off and stick the frame on the wall) and it means you don’t have to put loads of holes in the wall, the perfect solution for creating a rental friendly gallery wall.

How to use adhesive command strips on a gallery wall
 

Gallery Wall Example 

You may be asking, what kind of pictures do you put on a gallery wall? Well I’m going to tell you exactly what I’ve used for my gallery wall including links to some of the items that I’ve found.
  3. Painting that I did as a child which I’ve framed
  6. I framed some of my wedding flowers which were pressed in a cool clear frame from IKEA
  7. Framed some of our wedding polaroid’s which were taken by Jennifer Davy Day Photography
Planning a gallery wall layout

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