[Disclaimer: I’m not a professional interior decorator. I first shared this on my personal social media as a really cool hack for hanging art and the reception has been pretty warm.]
Tired of staring at the same old wall space and want to brighten your homes with a little art / make a small artsy corner / a memory wall? This home makeover project was a roaring success for me, who initially pursued this because I wanted a better BG for my conference calls that I take from home than a boring blank wall 😛
For the uninitiated, creating a gallery wall can seem daunting, yet with a few tools and some creativity, you can have a simple selection up in no time. Now it is not only an inspiration wall, a piece of home décor, an ambiance lender, conversation starter, it is one thing that actually makes my space more ME.
Lately, I have been looking at the perfect Pinterest homes and office space, that I was inspired to make something for myself and…. I pulled an all-nighter to do this. Because let’s face it I didn’t want the kid to pull things out or tear them even before they were up on the wall. Also because late nights are the perfect time to do creative stuff 😀
I’m going to share with you how you can do this too, and as an art project, this is NOT daunting at all. In fact, this should be a beginner level project.
And the best part?? There is absolutely no drilling, no nailing/hammering required. If you live in a rented place you can pull this down when you move out and reuse it at your new place. Sound too good to be true? Stay with me to find out how:
All you need:
- A blank wall, preferably clean (mine had crayon stains – which is ok since I would cover them up as much as I can with these )
- Lightweight MDF or plastic photo frames. I bought my frames from Amazon
- Faber Castell Tack it glue
- Artwork
- Scissors
- Netflix or Prime videos or music to keep you company
Step 1: Pick your prints
This is the fun part! Start off by getting your artwork ready. Depending on what you want to create, this might vary from photographs to pics, to typography etc.,. Make sure they are the right dimensions to fit in the frames. I’m a handlettering enthusiast and a pattern lover. I did a little bit of lettering and a bit of inspirational quote hunting, which I printed out on my home printer. I also had patterned paper and cardstock papers, that added to my personal design taste. This trellis/lattice is something I ABSOLUTELY ADORE. So, can’t NOT have it up on the wall.
Most interior decorators would suggest that you stick to a certain color schema: a common color that runs in all these artwork. But I would say, do what you will. I didn’t quite follow that – in fact, I did the opposite and made sure every color featured in this. The most important thing is for your wall to represent you—your tastes, your history, and the art you love most. I scoured our favorite sites to put together our collection of prints. More important than focusing on the art type or scheme, it’s often the combination of sizes that makes or breaks a gallery wall. The key is making sure you start with a couple of larger pieces to anchor the wall.
Eclectic Bedroom by London Interior Designers & Decorators Studio Morton
Step 2: Pick the frames
I got these lightweight plastic frames from Amazon, they come in 3 different sizes are pretty neat!
Lightweight because I need them glued to the wall. Generally monochrome works best – just white frames give a lovely appearance. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have mixed colors. Do your thing!
Step 3: Lay it out
Balance and symmetry are key to creating a gallery wall that works. Start with the largest piece and use it as the focal point. Work from the center out. Space out the artwork at least 2-4 cms apart to make each piece stand out on its own. Try to keep the overall pattern balanced against other furniture or centered in a room.
There are 2 ways to do this – the engineer way and the mom way.
Engineer’s way:
- Measure the wall space
- Mark that on the floor and then lay the frames and aim to fit it in there.
- Shift things around until you find a layout that you love.
- Once you lock down your favorite arrangement, take a few photos for reference when you’re hanging.
- Hang it up. Use a bubble scale to check the balance etc.,.
The mom way:
- Eyeball wall space.
- Eyeball floor space and lay it out there.
- Shift things around until you find a layout that you love.
- Take a mental picture.
- Hang it up on the wall, again, eyeballing the spacing etc,. easy peasy, right!
Once you fit in all the artwork in the frames. Lay it out there and see how the arrangement looks. Does it look aesthetically balanced? Is the spacing alright? Rearrange if need be.
Step 4: Hang it up
Start by hanging the largest piece first. Hanging it slightly off-center makes sure that it doesn’t completely steal the show! If you don’t have one large piece, group two together for the illusion of a larger work. Once you’ve hung the largest piece, build off of that from the center outward with smaller pieces. Now, some people will trace the outlines of their prints, tape them to the wall, and then hang them. My kit came with a biggg template for laying out – It seemed too tedious and too orderly for me, so I decided to just rely on the photos I took of the layout, and it worked great!
So there’s this neat tack-it glue from Fabercastell that I used which holds these frames in place. All u gotta do is to take a small amount of tack it glue – it is similar to your Wrigley’s chewing gum. Cut off a strip. Place it on the frame and put it in position. Don’t worry if it is tilted. You can always remove and reuse the same one. My artwork has been put up for over 3 months now, only one of them fell down, that too because it was the last one to be hung up and I used too little gum. Ideally, a channa size is enough for each corner of the frame.
[BONUS] Expert Tips :
I recommend limiting the height of your gallery wall to two works, top to bottom (three if they’re super small). This generally keeps your art at eye-level, where it’s much easier for you and your guests to enjoy!” However, you can throw this rule to the wind if you’re going for the full floor-to-ceiling look.
And there you have it! A gorgeous gallery wall, filled with prints made by your favorite artists or pictures of your family!
Do you have any tips or tricks to add to the list?
And what do you think of my gallery wall?
The Grace Log 
Cute!
Absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for all the tips. Very useful.