How to Create a Perfect Gallery Wall

We need art inspiration at home

We’re living under uncertain times... And our daily routines had been hit by lockdowns and restrictions in the last three months of the year. Our homes had become for most of us a working space, a playground for our children and even, an Opera balcony to listen our neighbors play classical music. Still, those bedrooms and living rooms where we pass so much time deserves our dearest attention : we can transform those places and in particular, their walls, with a clear plan and clever aesthetics.

By having a well designed gallery wall, you show how much you care for your living spaces and your attention to details. By sparing some time to design a plan tailored to you gallery wall, you give a feeling of true ownership to those spaces. It personalises that comfy bedroom or the sunny living room. By decorating your living room appropriately, it will serve as a reflection of how much you value that place you call home.

We have received several inquiries regarding gallery wall composition. It is our pleasure to share with your this Guide about how to create a perfect gallery wall.

You have always loved inspiring paintings, illustrations, posters and art photography among friends and on social media. And then, you have started a your own personal collection of artworks and art prints that are going to be hang out on your bedroom or living room : your house or apartment is ready to have a real estate lifting. A gallery wall can infuse colours, subjects and inspiration to your home. A gallery wall at your living room is an excellent way to take up empty space on a large wall, making the room feel fully inhabited. It is an extraordinary vehicle to display your style and personality through a mix of collected artworks, fine art prints and objects. It would reflect your dreams, preferences, tastes, dreams, and memories. Imagine this : no two gallery walls could be alike.

Now, you have plenty ideas about creating a gallery wall and you even think that creating a gallery wall is simple, but then you realize that you don't know how to find the right combination of fine art prints hung each other side by side. Actually creating your own wall gallery for your living room or bedroom is much easier than you think. Today we will share with you some decoration ideas to create a perfect gallery wall at home.

 

First, choose your fine art prints wisely

A perfect gallery wall hung at your living room can be composed of fine art prints, art photography, illustrations and posters, the options are endless. To make a suitable gallery wall, start with a simple thought : imagine your empty room wall you’re about to decorate as a whole, composed with 4 or 10 art art prints. It’s true, those artworks have been chosen individually but wall aesthetics goes beyond this concept. The beauty of the living room wall is the clever selection of artworks and fine art prints and artwork hung together.

Take your time and make your selection so that you have no doubts about the wall prints that are going to be hung on the gallery wall.

 

Some artworks tips :

  • Imagine your gallery wall by selecting a subject you have always cherished : let’s say Echos of South of Europe for instance. By choosing one subject those art prints and artworks will resemble, a story will be naturally taught between the artworks. In the case of Echos of South of Europe, a selection of artworks will be seen under different angles : a charming street in Burano (Italy), a summer sunset in Uzès (South of France), a modern Catalan statue in Barcelone (Spain), a fascinating fisherman door from the island of Poros (Greece)...

  • or choosing a set of subjects that mix up with taste. The majority of gallery walls created at home tend to mix subjects (travel, nature, urban, portraits) and techniques (art photography, paintings, illustrations, posters). If this is your case, ask yourself about which subjects evoke the artworks and if they tell a story as a whole. Wonder if a fine art print of Poros, Greece mix together with a art print of the Eiffel Tower in winter and a portrait illustration, side by side. You get the point. If this is not the case, you need to rethink the gallery wall artworks. Maybe by replacing that portrait by a fine art print about a small village in Attica, Greece.

  • Thinking about a colour or a selection of them common to selection of artworks. Colours play a key role in almost every aspect of interior design. In the case of composing a Gallery wall, they can be the main line that will tie your different artworks together.

 

Second, mock up the composition

Now that you have picked a subject (or two) and your artworks, it is time to arrange them on a grid.

There are several ways of mocking the artwork composition : by taping paper mockups hung at the living room wall, by putting your artworks side by side or simply by creating a virtual gallery wall.

  • Creating a composition with paper : start by tracing each frame onto a pieces of kraft or tissue paper. Naturally, your mockups will be the same size and proportions at the size of your art prints. Then, time to creativity : tape them at your empty wall, side by side, above, below. This method is perfectly suited in order to understand proportions.

  • Putting side by side on the floor : perhaps the simplest and quickest method. Start by choosing a clean and clear floor or an empty table. Start by defining the orientation and the floor escape that must be proportional to the gallery wall. Then build your artworks and fine art prints composition to they fit together and they mix as a whole, in an aesthetic way.

  • Going digital with a virtual gallery wall : we live in a connected world so there are several digital tools you can use. The first one is Adobe Photoshop, best photo editing software. On the web, Mockupeditor.com allows users to create virtual gallery walls. In both cases, you only need a virtual copy of your artworks and no kraft paper !

 

 

Some composition tips :

The Golden Ratio

  • As a rule of thumb, it is suitable to keep the artworks about 5 cm (or 2 inches) apart from one another.

     

  • If you feel a grid or linear gallery wall would better suit your tastes : begin by measuring out the space you'll need for the entire display on your wall, including spaced gaps between each frame. Then trace the frame you're using on a piece of paper to make a template, then mark the top center point of the template. Use the template to plot out where each frame will go on the wall, making a mark at the top center of each frame's position. With each spot clearly marked, you can be confident when you go to pick up the hammer and nails. 

  • On the other hand, if a more spontaneous freeform gallery wall mixes up with your tastes and plans :  start by hanging the most central or largest piece of artwork first, then created the gallery around it. To make the overall display feel balanced, avoid placing some frames close together while others are more spread apart : remember the rule of 5 cm (2 inches) apart from one another. The core advantage of this kind of composition is that you can keep adding to it over time. 

  • If you're creating a gallery wall above the sofa, start about 15 cm (or 6 Inches ) above the back edge. Building from the most profound row allows you to extend your gallery wall up and out without running out of space.

     

  • Whenever you choose a linear or a freeform wall, you can ask yourself : do they fill your wall space appropriately? how those artworks will fit with the room space and the furniture ?

  • There’s no need to make a perfect linear grid. Often, the most interesting compositions comes from creating asymmetry.

     

  • Think Proportions and use the Golden Ratio : Whether you are going to making a symmetrical composition or on the opposite, a more unstructured mockup, there is a clear size ratio that the human eye perceive as aesthetically pleasing. In the exemple picture, if you take a blue line and divide it in 2, the human eye will perceive the division aesthetically pleasing when the relationship between AB and AC, is equal to the ratio between BC and AB.

     

  • You must think about the empty areas on the gallery wall. These areas could cause an unwelcoming and cold feeling.

  • Take your time. If you feel you lack of ideas or inspiration about composition, the subject (or subjects) or choosing the artworks, take a nap, read a book or talk about it with your friends and family.

 

Third, select a suitable set of frames for your fine art prints and artworks

 

Once you have chosen your composition and selected the best art prints for your gallery wall, the next step is to select appropriate frames for your wall prints that delimit and enrich your arts. Using a clever selection of frames can elevate the look of the artwork and create cohesion within the context of the wall.

Some frame tips :

  • Choosing black, wood and golden colour frames will bring a classic touch to your living room without being too pushy or extravagant. Avoid using the same frame style for every artwork however. The brilliance of a gallery wall is to show a collection of unique of artworks among different genres, periods and techniques.

  • Now, selecting one set of colours or style frames will ease the composition. For instance, opting for golden colour frames : baroque golden frames, neoclassic golden frames. They will fit together as a whole and your gallery wall will look coherent. The composition will focus on the artworks and fine art prints more than their frames since the latter are coherent together at the gallery wall. A golden colour frame selection would remind us a more museum-like appearance for your wall. A golden colour set of frames would remind us a more museum-like appearance to your wall. A one set of colours or styles will suggest a gallery wall composition focused on the artworks more than their frames since they bring harmony to the composition.

  • Finally, choosing a different set of colours or style frames, such as blue, red, black, and wood will make composition more dynamic, young and will bring an authentic vintage touch. Moreover, a variety of frames will bring a feeling you have collected those artworks over time.

     

There is no strict rule for choosing colour and style frames. However, you can choose an eye-catching or on the contrarty, a more discreet selection that would fulfil your gallery wall plan.

 

Fourth, hang your artworks and fine art prints & enjoy !

 

Once you have selected artworks, conceived a mockup and selected a set of frames, it is time to display your artworks by hanging them at your room wall. By the way, we have created a how to hang fine art prints guide here.

A final word : your gallery wall shines brand new at home, you have transformed of your rooms with taste. Just temember to keep artworks and fine art prints away from dirt and dust. Now, it is time to enjoy your gallery wall. We hope it looks well balanced and aesthetic !

 

If you are an art lover, art keep or art lover and want to decorate your room wall, then these simple steps will help you to create a perfect gallery wall.  

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Article by Frozen Sailor