Creating a Gallery Wall

 

You don’t have to visit a museum to experience a gallery wall display. These design schemes featuring many framed photos or paintings, have been popular for years. And they’re a nice way to enhance just about any space while showcasing your favorite art.

Gallery walls serve as an easy solution for awkward areas, such as hallways, stairwells, high walls, and other spaces where just a piece or two would leave the wall feeling bare.

There are many ways to approach a gallery wall. Go for an eclectic look, mixing metal and wood frames with a variety of textures and colors. The opposite extreme: using all wood or all metal frames of just one color.

American Frame Showroom Manager, Lindsey Harrison, usually suggests frames that don’t compete with the art.

“I recommend simpler shaped frames, like the Basics or American Hardwoods collections, so the wall doesn’t get too busy,” she said. “The great thing about those collections is that the shape and dimensions are all similar, but you can use different colors if you want. For metal frames, I often recommend the Standard Plus Three for its simplicity, or the Tiffany because the recess adds some additional detail and interest without becoming too fussy.”

Whichever frames you choose, consider keeping one theme throughout, so the collection feels cohesive. When using a variety of frames, for example, display only watercolor portraits or black and white photographs. You can add a common thread by using the same color mats for all pieces. For a linear approach, the frames and mats can be identical with differing window openings to accommodate different shapes of art.

Love the freewheeling look of a framed art collection that's arranged with little rhyme or reason? That approach makes it easy to add to the grouping as you create or buy new pieces.

If you prefer a neat, orderly style, our Director of Special Projects, Mike Cromly, recommends designing the layout using the following process.

·         Gather all your framed pieces and trace their outline onto pieces of kraft paper.

·         Tape the paper to the wall, experimenting with the arrangement until it looks balanced or fits the look you're trying to achieve. That will save you the time and frustration of repairing misplaced nail holes.

·         Once you like the layout, start driving the nails, leaving the kraft paper in place. When all the nails have been positioned, remove the kraft paper and hang your art.

Have questions? We’re here to help.