Gallery Wall Inspiration

I love the idea of a gallery wall and have started the planning process to create one.  Through a little research on the web and some inspiration from Pinterest, I found a few things that I thought might be helpful to share so you can create a fantastic gallery wall for your home.

First up, some inspiration photos taken from Pinterest!

This collection is pulled together with matching frames arranged in a linear square configuration.  Gorgeous!

Black frames positioned in a random arrangement with pops of color.

Photo wall using ledges, accessories, candles and lighting from Pottery Barn.

Black and white photos in black frames with the addition of a typeface letter.  This arrangement takes up a good amount of space and would be great for an entry or family room where you are trying to cover vertical space.



This collection covers a lot of wall space both vertically and horizontally, has a random arrangement and uses various brightly colored frames.

Gallery walls can fit into every room in your home.  The traditional spaces are hallways, stairways and libraries.  But really they can go anywhere - in an entry hall, bathroom, over a bed (can act as a visual headboard), in a media room, dining room, where ever you are looking to fill up wall space with interesting objects. 

And the contents for gallery walls are endless!!  What about empty brightly painted vintage frames?  You can use a collection of mirrors arranged to create a beautiful reflective wall.  What about a wall gallery of your child's art, using coordinating frames in similar sizes to group the collection. What about framing vintage fabric or linens?  Have some gorgeous plates or platters that you don't see except on those special occasions - what a great way to get them out of the cabinet and on display than through a gallery wall.  You can use ledges or shelves to create additional dimension for resting your frames on.  Large typeface letters, memory boxes, framed postcards ...all have a place in a personal collection.  You can group together similar objects that contain an inspiration color, ie. creating a group that has pops of turquoise within them.  You can group your collection by matching frames like all black, white, silver or gold.  Or maybe, they don't match at all!!!  What a great way to create a conversation piece in a room.  The options are endless.

A few things to remember, when creating a gallery for a stairway, try to follow the upward slant of the stairs for creating your vision line.  When creating collections on room walls, general rule of thumb is to create a center point at eye level or 5 ft from the ground as your starting point and add your pictures from there.  A great option to help you with your layout is to trace an outline of each of the individual frames you plan to hang on brown craft paper (you can buy on rolls at your local craft store).  Cut out the outlines.  Use blue painters tape and tape the paper outlines to your wall to work through the best configuration for your wall.  You can easily move around until you find the arrangement that looks best for your room.  This approach helps to save you from putting a lot of unnecessary holes in your wall.  When you determine your arrangement, hammer in your hanging nails through the craft paper.  After the nail is secured, tear off the paper, then hang your pictures where your nails remain. 

For sourcing your frames, I suggest starting with places like Marshall's, TJ Maxx and Home Goods.  I have found reasonably priced single frames and multiple opening frames at these stores.   Hobby Lobby frequently puts their frames on sale for 50% off or you can use the 40% off coupon for when they are full price.

Here's some help for determining your gallery configuration.  As you can see, there are numerous options for how to create your gallery.

(source: Ann Beck Photography)

(source: Melissa Davis Photography)

Happy hanging! Have a great gallery wall idea you would like to share?