Bringing nature into your home is always a good idea. The Design Chaser featured the gallery wall from the Australian store Adairs on their blog. The retailer took this one step further by hanging plants on the wall, as well as purchasing prints of leaves. Even the gray furniture matches the color of the gray walls. Everything in this living room goes together perfectly, and it’s no wonder that it’s staged by Adairs. It’s almost too perfect to be a real lived-in home.
This next one comes from a blog called Chris Loves Julia. Before they assembled their project, they used a website called Artfully Walls that gives you a virtual gallery wall tool. This way, they could preview the prints they were considering before buying them. This is a great idea, and it’s something you should consider doing on your own. If you don’t want to use the specific prints sold by that company, you can use software like Canva or Photoshop to arrange the pictures on your computer ahead of time.
If you love dark and sultry design, this next room is for you. This is a ready-made gallery wall set by a retailer called Desenio. So you can buy all of these posters and recreate this for your own home very easily. The only potential downside to this gallery wall is that all of them are posters. So you’re not going to get that eclectic mix of paintings, objects, and prints all on one wall. However, it’s truly up to someone’s personal taste what they would want hanging in their home.
This next photograph comes from a blogger named Ella Seal who wrote a tutorial called How to Hang a Gallery Wall the Right Way. So if you need some tips, feel free to check that out once you’re done reading this article. This is a great example of how a blank white space looks so much better once you make the effort to do something like a picture wall. This is definitely a good balance for anyone who prefers the minimalist side of things.
Looking for pure luxury? This next gallery wall going up a staircase is one that most people cannot afford, because of the sheer amount of oil paintings in golden frames. If you’re trying to replicate this look, I suggest searching your thrift shop for wooden frames. It’s possible to spray paint a frame gold, or even use sheets of real gold leaf. Buying these frames new or even used on eBay costs a small fortune, so good luck on the hunt.
The typography wall art is a clever idea. These homeowners have taken the letter “G” and printed it out in dozens of different fonts. Then, they bought dozens of identical frames to cover them with. They don’t leave very much space on the wall, with these back-to-back letter G’s surrounding the television set. Somehow that horse bust sitting on the credenza really ties the whole look together.
Most gallery walls are dedicated to one section of a wall, and that’s it. But in this photo, you can see how these people hung photos wrapping around the entire room. That’s okay too! Don’t feel that you need to limit yourself to the number of photos and pieces of artwork that you want to hang on your own picture wall. Remember that it’s your unique project, and you can put your own stamp on it.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to come up with a theme before you make your gallery wall. This way, everything is cohesive with that theme, and it might add a lot of value to the room you’re in. For example, this wall is filled with prints of fashion themed artwork. We see vintage ads from brands like Hermes and Chanel. The gold frames match the gold in the furniture, and it really ties everything together. I can imagine something like this in someone’s luxury beauty room or closet space.
While many people will tell you to come up with a color story before getting started, you don’t necessarily have to limit yourself. This is a great example of how embracing all colors can really make an amazing rainbow themed gallery wall. The homeowner also has nods to Walt Disney in both the books and the Mickey Mouse artwork. Just looking at this wall makes me feel like I’m on vacation!
This next gallery wall is very different than a lot of what we’ve seen on this list so far, because the artwork is arranged on shelving in front of wainscoting. When you put artwork on shelves, it gives you the ability to layer everything and add more pieces than you would if you had hung them on the wall. This homeowner seems to have gone with a color story to include mostly black and white in the prints they have chosen, with the occasional pops of color throughout. The colors match the rest of the room’s aesthetic, and it really all ties together beautifully.
Most of the time, when you see a gallery wall, it’s on a white or beige wall. This is an example of how you can have a color on the wall, and it still works out incredibly well with the different colors that show up in the artwork. The robin’s egg blue wall looks beautiful with the photographs of the ocean and the sky. But the other photos with green images of nature also look great, because obviously blue and green are together all the time in the real world. Just remember to have fun with your project, and worry too much about clashing with the wall colors.
An interior designer named J.P. Horton created this gallery wall in her home. Contrary to the advice given by practically everyone else, J.P. suggests not planning out too much what will go on your wall. She doesn’t even recommend measuring or plotting out where the photos will go. During an interview, she said, “”I think a gallery wall works best with the least amount of planning possible. Collect art that speaks to you, and it will work together because you personally chose it. Uniform framing is great for a series of prints, but otherwise, your art will be all shapes and sizes, and therefore should fit together more like a puzzle than a grid. I have found that eyeballing placements can actually be more effective than rigorously measuring it out.”
An interior designer named Laura Hur created this modern gallery wall. The shapes and sizes of the pieces are all different, and the artwork that sits on the credenza complement the gallery very well. Hur said, “I think that the most successful gallery walls showcase artwork that has been collected over time, rather than deciding you want a gallery wall and purchasing all of the art right before you install it. Successful gallery walls are personal and tell the story of the home’s occupants. Ideally, the artwork included serves as a pleasant or even emotional reminder of different stages and places in our lives—something we want to recall every time we look at that piece of art.”
Art is so inspiring, it’s sometimes hard to pick just one of our favorite prints. That’s why a gallery wall is so brilliant. You can display an entire collection all at once. This example shows a lot of colorful prints that the homeowner has collected over time. The frames are not identical, so it adds to the eclectic spirit of the project. It truly compliments the blue velvet chairs that are in this living room. There’s nothing boring about this space!
It’s rare to describe a gallery wall as “sexy”, but that’s exactly how his feminine arrangement feels. A small living room space is made to feel elevated with the images hanging above an L-shaped couch. The designer of this wall, Gemma Louise, gave some advice on her blog. “ I don’t think there is a wrong way to create a gallery wall. I’ve seen beautiful gallery walls that are made up of what you may think would be clashing prints and frames, and they actually look insane. I really think it’s about how you arrange them and not what you arrange them with.”
This stunning gallery wall is filled with black and white prints. The collection comes from Western artists, and it perhaps shows in the aesthetic of the home itself. Bamboo, black, and gold frames are all mixed together on the wall. Unlike most gallery walls, this one barely leaves any space between the images.
A blog called Audenza featured a home of a woman named Amara who made her rental completely colorful and whimsical. This yellow wall and couch looks amazing with the rainbow of prints that are featured on the walls. When asked to give tips on gallery walls, Amara said, “I love a gallery wall especially in the room where you entertain guests because they can often become a talking point. A great gallery wall, in my eyes, always needs a whimsical element! Choose prints and artwork which invite the eye to explore the details. It is meant to make a statement, so don’t hesitate to make it loud. A little renters tip, if you aren’t allowed to drill nails in the walls, choose lightweight frames with plastic front instead of glass so you can hang them easily with adhesive hooks.”
For those of you who want to have a color story, look no further than this photograph. You can see how the shades of red in the paintings tie in with the furniture in this room, as well as the red on the accent pillows. Technically, nothing is matching perfectly, and yet it looks cohesive as if everything was done with intention. If you want more tips on making a timeless gallery wall, check this one out on Apartment Therapy.
This eclectic gallery wall comes from Real Simple magazine. They recommend finding an anchor piece first, and then use that to build upon with more pictures. In this photo, you can see that they even used a plant as part of the decor. If you are interested in buying any of the pieces from this gallery wall, check out the list of prices on Real Simple.
Normally, I would say that hanging a poster on a wall could become tacky very quickly. (Especially without a frame) But in this case, it works incredibly well together. When you choose a poster, don’t just default to your favorite band or movie. Look at how these works of art are amazing prints when they’re in a larger size. This dining room space will never be boring again.
