There’s this myth that exists that hanging a gallery wall is challenging. And it’s really not. I promise. What complicates it, is this idea that it has to adhere to certain rules. But nope, it’s all up to you. The whole point is to make it look like yours not someone else’s. That being said, let me offer up some guidelines and friendly suggestions to save you time and hassle:
- Start by hanging your main focal point first. Then add the remaining frames around it. You can trace all of your frames onto craft paper beforehand, cut out the shapes and hang them on the wall to figure out the arrangement but honestly you can lay it on the floor and get the same idea with less work.
- Use a level. Please, please, please. This will help you so much and really who wants to look at constantly crooked frames? Not us. To keep frames forever in place, use tiny pieces of those velcro Command strips placed behind the bottom edges of the frames. It will keep the movement to a minimum.
(Image from Lemon Stripes) - The spacing between your pictures (on all sides) is important. Two inches seems to look best. It’s sort of a Goldilocks situation, because you don’t want the frames too close or too far apart. In my experience two inches consistently looks great. But if you do want to use a different measurement just keep it consistent on all sides.
- Find your unifying element. Whether it’s your frame colors (like a collection of warm metallics or black frames with different styles) or your imagery, you want to find some common theme to tie it all together. Maybe all your travel images, or family, or landscapes. The strongest gallery walls tend to have some theme, so keep that in mind when you’re curating your images.
(Image from A Beautiful Mess) - Make hanging your pictures easy. Personally I dread figuring out where I’m putting screws or nails into the wall. I saw a life changing trick recently though. Using a piece of tape place it your distance between where the two screw holes are in the back of your frame. After you mark where you’re going to hang the frame on the wall measure the distance for the top that your screws will be. Place the tape on the wall and you’ll know exactly where to hang your screws.
- Add in some 3-D elements. This again is a suggestion. It adds interest and a little bit of the unexpected to your arrangement. Plus it’s a cool place to show off a different type of art: a gorgeous necklace, a papier-mâché animal head, a vintage sconce, a plant holder. There are tons of options!
(Image via this home office makeover)
Some of of favorite places for gallery wall frames (DIY, prints and framing)
Minted (have a few of these prints on our walls)
Framebridge (our favorite for framing photos and Instagrams)
LuLu & Georgia (tons of gorgeous prints)
West Elm (great for DIY)
We hope these suggestions gave you some ideas and a can-do attitude. You’ve got this!
Leave a Reply