Creating a Gallery Wall in Five Easy Steps
A nice gallery wall can really do wonders for a space. Isn’t this fabulous?
Via How to Decorate
There are several different ways you could go in hanging a gallery wall. There’s the clean, totally symmetrical look:
Via
Via Stylebeat
There’s the more eclectic, asymmetrical approach:
Via Habitually Chic
Via Martha Stewart
Via Habitually Chic
There’s up the stairs…
Via Forever Cottage
Or around the bend…
Via mmmcraft
Regardless of what you decide, to do a gallery wall “right” you really do need to spend some time rolling up your sleeves and planning it out. Here are five easy steps to help you get there:
1) Figure out how large you’d like your grouping to be (will it extend past the dresser on either end? Will it be exactly the same length as the couch?), and make a general mental note (or, even better, measure it out).
2) Gather the frames (or other, unframed “stuff”) you think you want to hang. Arrange everything on the floor in a loose configuration so you have a general idea of how things will go. Often decorators will start with the largest item – they’ll stick it right in the middle or a bit off to the side, and they build everything else around it.
[ This is a quick “floor shot” I took a few weeks ago when sketching out a gallery wall for my friend Lauren ]
3) Create newspaper templates for each frame / item.
I’ve always found that cutting out newspaper templates to fit each frame is the best way to go, even though it’s pretty time consuming! That way, you can move those newspaper templates here and there until you land on the best possible layout (by the way, by “newspaper” I really mean those coupon inserts that won’t leave behind nubby black marks. Piecing together magazine pages also works well).
A gallery wall in process on Young House Love
4) Once you’ve settled on your layout, go ahead and hammer the nails right into the top-center of the newspaper templates (the paper easily comes off the wall).
5) Hang your pictures, and voila!
The “After”, via Young House Love
Another great tip I’ve learned along the way? Don’t reinvent the wheel! Look to photos on Pinterest, Houzz, or design blogs for specific ideas. On that note, if you are someone who might like a literal road map, here’s a neat concept:
Sometimes it’s nice to have someone tell you exactly what to buy and how to hang it. 🙂
A gallery wall is such a great way to add your personality and creativity to a space. Do you have any additional ideas or tips in pulling a gallery wall together? Do tell!
In the meantime, happy hanging!
