A Simple Guide To Designing The Ultimate Gallery Wall
The idea of a gallery wall originates from 17th-century Paris, where students of the Royal Academy hung their beloved pieces from floor to ceiling so as many artworks could be put on a show as possible. This seemingly overwhelming style became increasingly popular over time, evoking an atmosphere of grand salon-style museum exhibitions.
Naturally, the trend has evolved and has been adapted in less artistic and formal settings, including everyday homes. If the idea of collecting and mixing your favourite artworks on one statement wall sounds a bit of you, don’t stop reading just yet.
So how do you actually pull together a gallery wall? In this short guide, we give you all the tips and tricks to look out for when designing your own collection of artworks. Let’s get into it!
Forget the rules
First and foremost, designing your own gallery wall at home should be a creative and fun process, and luckily, there aren’t many rules to follow. The quirkier, the better. It should reflect your own personal style and add a bit of oomph to your space.
To begin with, remember to trust your gut feeling and keep in mind that you cannot really go wrong. For starters, it can be a good idea to lay all your chosen pieces out on the floor before fixing them permanently on the walls to get an idea of what needs to be added or moved around.
Pick a topic
In order to create some consistency, try choosing a certain theme that your items can revolve around. These can be broad categories such as ‘nature’, which could include anything from green and botanical posters through animal photography to your own holiday photos taken in beautiful, scenic locations. You should always aim to personalise your decor by using unique items that create the most homely vibe in a given space.
Stick to a colour theme
Another way to achieve a pulled-together look is picking your items based on a certain colour scheme. If we stick to the example of a natural gallery wall, your colour palette could combine various shades of green, earthy and natural tones. A bonus benefit of a gallery wall is that you can change it up seasonally. Instead of using vivid greens, you may want to pop some orangey reds in there during the autumn season or opt for a more toned down look with added grey for winter. At the end, it’s all up to your own imagination.
Mix up the items
Eventually, not every item on your wall needs to be strictly ‘art’. Try adding different fabrics, fairy lights, hanging or standing plants in funky pots. Play around with three-dimensional items if you feel like that could be an option for you, or see how framed objects could accompany your flat posters.
Use an anchor on the wall
Since you are placing numerous pieces on your wall, in order to avoid visual chaos and a messy look, use a large, signature item as an anchor. Start off by fixing that one first, ideally off centre so that it doesn’t attract all the attention. If you’ve got two of these feature pieces, even better! Just remember to place them far away from each other and spread the rest of your chosen items around them evenly. Asymmetry is the way to go!
Frame it in
Using frames can serve so many useful purposes when designing your wall. Most of all, it helps you create a grid and axis that you can build around. Do not be afraid to mix up horizontal and vertical arrangements, it will only make the overall look more interesting and stimulating for the eyes. It can also help the coordination of your colour palette, add contrast, draw attention to certain details or simply add a more artistic and refined appearance to your room. While frames are a wonderful way to create some symmetry, they also have the power to do the opposite by throwing some variation into your square-like arrangement. Use round frames and abstract shapes in combination with good old rectangles.
That’s it from us for now. We hope you could find some inspiration in this guide and will hopefully implement them in your own home. Just remember to have fun with it and keep in mind that once it is done, it can yield the most satisfying results. If you’d like to purchase items to add to your gallery wall, check out our webshop at Project Nord and let hundreds of beautiful posters inspire you.