Art gallery wall ideas, layouts, & inspiration

A gallery wall is a collection of artwork, photos, and special mementos stylishly arranged on a wall. There are countless styles and gallery wall layout ideas that can be achieved on the walls of every room of your home. Lets review style and arrangement ideas and some simple how-to's.

Get inspired and gather your prints and wall décor, let's get started👇🏽

 

Spacing Matters

Whether you’re going for an asymmetrical or symmetrical gallery wall, consider spacing your art pieces a certain distance apart from each other. While you don’t need to have a perfectly symmetrical pattern, equal spacing in an asymmetrical arrangement can provide balance to your collection. Quick tip: use painters tape to maintain consistent width.

 

Similar frames will work best, but...

Generally, stylists suggest using a consistent frame color or material for a cohesive look. But if you like to mix things up feel free to incorporate different art formats/sizes and shapes to make the most of your wall space. Mix unframed canvas with matted or unmatted framed work. Either way, you’re free to choose as many different frame stylings as you’d like🤗 Using a varied set of frames can add character to your collection. 

For an cool boho or eclectic vibe use the same material or color but in different styles. For example, all gold frames, some clean and modern and some traditional or ornate. Using different matting widths to add white space. 

Mix It Up

Gallery walls don’t have to include just paintings or illustrations. Mix in other meaningful items too, such as souvenirs or that drawing you got for Mothers Day.

Okay, Let’s get started

• Use butcher paper or construction paper: Cut pieces of butcher paper at exactly the size of the artwork you plan to hang. You could also use painters tape to ‘mark’ the outlines of the frame sizes your going to hang. Tape your wall in the outlines of the measurements of your wall art and step back to see if it’s the look you desire.

• You can also lay the artwork on the floor. This is another easy way to visualize how the various sizes, shapes and texture work together.

• Take a step back and see if you like it.

 

Step One

Level the first piece

Hang a bottom piece first. If you’re creating a gallery above the sofa, start about 6 inches above the back edge. Building from the lowest row allows you to expand your gallery wall up and out without running out of space. Use a level to hang at least the first couple of frames. If the first row is crooked or slanted, the whole gallery will be off.

Step Two

Hang frames with uniform spacing

Leave the same amount of space between frames so that the installation doesn’t appear messy — 2 inches is a good starting point. Too much space (more than 5 inches) or uneven space between frames can make the arrangement come off as haphazard. Use the width of the painters tape as a measuring tool so that you can easily put these “spacers” between items as you hang the collection. Quick tip: Use Command picture hanging strips to avoid putting holes in your wall. They also make is easier to move the pieces around as needed.

Step Three

Check It Out

Step back and take a look at your handy work! If you don’t love it, tweak it until you do. Leave the painters tape up if its just a matter of switching the order of prints.