How to Create a Gallery Wall

While it can be tempting to gather together your favorite art pieces as spontaneously as inspiration strikes, hang it all up on a wall and call it a “gallery,” more likely than not your final aesthetic is bound to feel purposeless or even disorienting. A good gallery wall should refresh your home and feel pulled-together. (No matter how much you love that framed poster from your favorite rock concert, hanging it up next to black-and-white photos of your great grandparents is probably not the best idea.) The good news is, with a little planning and effort, you can take that ‘initial spark inspiration’ to a well-cultivated, thoughtful gallery wall – one that brings to you a touch of joy as you walk past it every day.

1. Choose a Style.

To get a sense of your overall vision, think about what brings you joy and what you won’t get tired of looking at day after day. Create an inspiration board of your favorite things, from colors to places to design trends and more. Take notice which ones you keep coming back to again and again – and begin to look for wall art that matches the style.

2. Create a “First Draft.”

First, choose a wall in your home on which a gallery would look pleasing – the bigger and emptier the wall space, the better. Then, designate and measure a space within it for hanging individual pictures.

As you begin browsing wall art prints, keep track of the ones you love. Take note of their measurements. Before buying, cut out pieces of kraft paper that exactly match the measurements of the prints you have in mind. Tape each piece of paper on the wall, arranging it as needed to make room for the others. Doing a dry run-through will help you identify which pieces will fit into your space and exactly where they should go.

3. Adjust and Finalize.

Once you’ve bought and brought home your artwork pieces, arrange them on the floor, exactly mirroring the pieces of paper you’ve taped up on the wall. Seeing how the actual arrangement looks, you may change your mind about the order of which pieces you want placed near each other. Re-arrange as needed.

Hammer a nail into the top center of each piece of paper on the wall. Tear off the papers, and in their spot hang up each art piece. Then, take a step back, pat yourself on the back and admire your creation!