I learned quite a bit about creating the perfect gallery wall these last few weeks. I did some research to make sure I was making all the right moves so that once it was up, it would stay up. Here are the steps I recommend on how to properly hang a gallery wall.
First thing’s first, pick a theme or concept. I went with mostly navy’s and blues as I thought it would compliment the rest of my home. Whether you’re picking all black and white prints, all bold colorful ones, whatever you like, pick a theme. This will make it instantly feel cohesive and not messy, plus it makes narrowing down all the great options a little easier.
Next, pick your prints! It may take time to select items, curate some favorites and so on, but I recommend having at least one decent sized piece to anchor the whole wall. I also think keeping the frames mostly the same is important. I loved adding in a gold and copper frame as it created some interest to the wall and kept it from feeling too white. Make sure you have a good mix of sizes as well, and even add some different elements that you may find like my heart marquee, or deer head. I ended up finding several great items over at Minted and loved their variety of options for frames.
Once you’ve selected your prints, which can take some time to pick out and curate over time, it’s time to create templates. Use construction paper, or old boxes, to create templates the exact size of the prints (in the frame!) that you have. I got very lucky in that my rug turned out to be the same sized area as the wall that the photos would hang. So I started to play around with it all on the floor. I recommend doing this first to get a good idea of where you want what. I also suggest keeping items the same width apart from one another. So all my photos here are about 4 inches from one another. This helps to keep it all looking neat and tidy.
From there, start to transfer that to your wall with some painters tape so to not damage your walls. Tape everything up and step back. Take a few more steps back so you can see the big picture. Something may not look the same up on the wall, as it did laid out on the floor. Rearrange as needed and once it all looks good and ready, you can start to hang your gallery wall.
So if you’re looking to overhaul a wall in your home, don’t feel overwhelmed. Follow my rules below for the perfect gallery wall every single time.
How To Properly Hang A Gallery Wall
- Pick a theme, whether it’s type of print, art or color.
- Plan out the wall by creating templates of each item you plan to include. Move things around, and around again, and then again to make sure you find the best layout before nailing things down. Always have a good anchor piece, one larger scale item that draws your eye in.
- Add interest with a different frame, a non art piece (like a sculpture, wall sconce etc) and personal touches.
- When hanging, keep things equidistant apart so things stay tidy.
- Balance it all out. Stand back and see how it’s balanced. Sometimes you may need to add a lamp to one side, a chair or bench, to make sure it all works together.
Photos by JNelly Photography
