23 September How to Design the Perfect Gallery Wall for You September 23, 2024 By Melisa Rana DIY, Home Decor, Just for Fun entertaning, lighting, painting, walls 0 HOW TO DESIGN THE PERFECT GALLERY WALL FOR YOU September 23, 2024 | DIY, Home Decor, Just For Fun | walls, lighting, painting, entertaining Once you’ve moved into your new home, it can be easy to get swept away with your decorating plans. Repainting rooms, buying new furniture, maybe even building a bookshelf–the possibilities can seem endless, but the results are often superbly satisfying. While hanging single art pieces can certainly be effective and eye-catching all by themselves, designing a gallery wall is a great way to take things to a whole new level. If you’ve found the prospect of designing a gallery wall a bit intimidating in the past, now’s the time to reconsider! Although great gallery walls are a bit more involved than casually hanging a new item every few months, a bit of preparation is all that’s really required. Worry not, though! We’ve taken the liberty of gathering all of the best tried-and-true strategies so that you’ll end up with something you’re happy with. Here’s how to get started: Finding The Right Location When people picture a gallery wall, they may think of a large, blank wall, maybe starting just a few inches above a couch, above a dresser, or filling a space all the way from the floor to the ceiling. As you plan your gallery wall, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you do not have to fall into any of these cliches! Small spaces can make great gallery walls, along with areas beneath and along staircases. Houses all have their own unique quirks and characteristics. When planning out your interior design goals, consider emphasizing your home’s unique traits and opt for an unexpected area or two rather than falling into something a little too typical. The perfect gallery wall for you should embody a one-of-a-kind feel. Use that mindset for the best results. Map It Out Once you’ve picked out a prime location for your gallery wall, you should be ready to gather your tools and get to work. Start by grabbing your pieces and arrange them on the floor just in front of the wall that you’d like to use. By doing this, you can take your concept one step closer to reality and allow yourself to better visualize the final product. Give each piece proper breathing room so that your gallery wall doesn’t feel too cluttered. Note: There is no hard and fast rule for how much distance you should put between each piece! Smaller spaces and pieces can be placed a bit closer compared to large, floor-to-ceiling concepts that benefit from increased distances. If you’re struggling to make some of your prints “pop,” consider matting your pieces. Techniques like this are great for directing focus on your gallery wall. Speaking of focus, here’s one more pro-tip: place your largest piece somewhere off-center for a gallery wall that feels a bit more eclectic and personal. When placing the largest piece in the center, your design may benefit from an organized, symmetrical feel, but attention will naturally be dominated by that central point. Instead, placing larger pieces off-center will invite guests to give each piece of your gallery wall its own time and establish a cohesive internal flow to your arrangement. After getting your arrangement mapped out, trace and cut each item with newspaper or kraft paper, then tape them onto the wall. This will be a big help before you grab your hammer and start poking holes all over the place. Strategize Your Design Now, picking out what you’re actually going to hang is where the fun really starts! As discussed, lining pictures of equal size and subject matter all with matching frames in a grid can be satisfying and tasteful. When going for this route, consider opting for an all black and white approach. Pictures of family, kids, or pets in this style can be extremely effective and really tie together a living space. Alternatively (and probably our favorite option), you can opt for a more eclectic style, varying your frame sizes, your frame materials, your shapes, textures, colors - everything. Of course, this option can be the riskiest, leading to the most chaotic results. This route can produce the most unique and personal outcomes possible. And really, if you’re going through the effort of making a gallery wall, isn’t showing off your personality the ultimate goal? For the best results, pick a throughline or two to reference throughout your pieces. For example, select a color palette to repeat throughout your arrangement referencing that favorite leather sofa across the room, the piano against the wall, or maybe the tone of your hardwood flooring. Theming, whether strict or incredibly loose, is essential for the best gallery walls. Add a Personal Touch And finally, remember to think outside the box when selecting what you’d like to feature on your gallery walls. Pictures and favorite prints are all well and good, but branching out is the best way to craft something memorable. If you collect vinyl records, hang a few up! Went to a memorable concert or took a once-in-a-lifetime vacation? Frame and hang up those tickets! Whatever you’re into, whatever your hobbies are, find a way to integrate them into your design. Really, the only limit is your imagination, but here are a few often forgotten options that can help you begin to break the mold: Framed mirrors Pennants of your favorite sports teams Quirky clocks Postcards Hats Lights Plants Plates Gallery walls are so much fun to plan, and a great way to put an exclamation point on your latest room redesign. When in doubt, go with your gut! You’ll surprise yourself with what you can come up with. The other best way to feel confident and comfortable in your new home? To get a home inspection, of course! Stay ahead of serious maintenance issues, give NPI a call today. Comments are closed.