I will always love a gallery wall. I have several in my home that showcase my collection of estate sale finds, new art, my kids’ artwork, and personal family photos. For this particular wall, I had three things I wanted to draw attention away from: the radiator, the angle of the ceiling on the right side, and the mini-split. I was excited to see how a gallery wall would look in this space, and when it was finally finished, I stepped back and couldn’t help but smile. It felt so me.
Gallery walls are meant to be personal, and I hope you hang your art in a way that makes your heart happy.
Here are three steps I take to create a gallery wall I love!
FIRST PIECE THAT GOES ON THE WALL
I always start with the largest piece of art as an anchor for the layout. In this case, since the frame TV was already installed, the largest piece of art had limited placement options. Had the TV not been there, I would have centered the art. Instead, I placed it on the left side, and we built the layout from there.
Do you have a piece of art that you want to your eye to go to first?
For me, I absolutely love the oil painting of the girl playing the guitar, and I knew I wanted it to be a focal point that would catch my eye frequently. I stepped back and observed the wall from a few angles, and it became clear that my gaze naturally went to the center of the wall. So, that’s where I decided to place it.
A COMMON COLOR
I like to have a consistent color that runs through my entire art collection. In these pieces, green tends to be the most prominent color, appearing both within the artwork itself and as the mat in the frames. Another recurring color is shades of pink. I think this helps tie everything together, especially when the collection includes such a mix of styles—new art, vintage pieces, portraits, and abstract works. There’s even a Trader Joe’s greeting card in the mix, but because of the repeating color palette, it all feels cohesive.
SPACING
I once read a popular DIY blog that claimed hanging art too close together is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. I respectfully disagree. I prefer a gallery wall with art pieces placed closer together and generally aim to keep the frames within 2-4 inches of each other.
I also recommend mixing different shapes and sizes in your gallery wall. This one, in particular, needs one more oval print. After living with the display for a few days, I really started to love the oval shape and feel that adding a smaller one will make the layout feel more intentional, rather than just a random mix of frame shapes.
Gallery walls are personal, and I hope you create one that makes you happy!
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