Inspired Design: Creating A Gallery Wall
On a recent visit to Kate Spade New York I spotted something in the store that I fell in love. No, it wasn’t a handbag or shoes (although I love them all!). It was a gallery wall – a mix of prints, calendars, and even album covers that were hung on the wall as beautiful statement pieces. The collected wall of pieces left me inspired, and got me thinking about how I would create my very own gallery wall at home.
I am a huge fan of art. It’s my belief that no home should be without art on the walls. Art has the power to express what you love, and is a great way to express your individual style. I’ve been working on curating my own collection of art over the past year, and now it’s finally time to get it up on the wall. Here are few images that keep me inspired as I explore how to create the perfect gallery wall.
There are a number of different ways to showcase your art. I love the idea of a slim shelving unit for a rotating collection. That way pieces can easily be displayed and changed over time.
See how my fellow blogger, Erin Loechner, made her own modern art shelf.
Elle Decor :: Photographer Simon Upton
For a cleaner look, feature the work of just one artist in simple, cohesive frames. Here, prints by Gary Hume are placed in white frames, allowing the design and color of each piece to stand out against a minimal background.
If wall space is limited, you can be innovative and use another backdrop for your collection. With nails and a few hooks, you can install art on a bookshelf, and change out pieces whenever you would like. (Important tip: be sure to put your framed pieces in front of books that you’re not going to need often. While the look is beautiful, it would be a pain to have to move a painting every time you have to get your favorite design book.)
While I’m a fan of a collection of frames for an art gallery, oversized pieces also create an exceptional look. Two or three big pieces hung in succession will make a quite a statement. With big prints, a little bit goes a long way, so make sure your pieces complement each other through color, technique or design for a cohesive look.
I am completely inspired. How about you? Do you have or are you thinking about creating a gallery wall at home?
This is so great. Displaying art is important whether you have one piece or many. This is a great article too http://blog.custommade.com/2011/11/the-art-of-dis…
That looks so good, I try and it's like just a bunch of photos and pictures. I need to get more color perhaps. Is there a trick as to size, color and texture?
Simply GORGEOUS! You guys have outdone yourselves on this one. I'd love to do something really similar, but (here's where I admit that I'm a weenie) the thought of dusting all of that terrifies me.
So happy you like the post! I can assure you the dusting is not as bad as it seems. Personally I love swiffers. They can easily clean each picture in the gallery without knocking things down.
I have alot of family photos that I want to frame and put on 1 wall. I dont know how to space them or what sizes to start with most are 5 by 17, a few 8 by 10 and 3 are 10 by 13 can you give me some ideas as how to space, place, most of the frames are white border and black border the rest are wood. thank you so much
Hi Donna. Yes, the spacing can be daunting. On my own wall at home I have white frames that are about 6 inches apart. The frames are all the same size, so it creates a nice clean look. For varied frames, I would look at a system like this one: http://www.thepicturewallcompany.com/ It will help you create a gallery wall without a lot of fuss. There are even templates that will help you get the perfect look. Have fun with your family photo wall project!
I love that deer painting. Where can I find it? Or something like it?
who is the artist?
I have inquired, and unfortunately cannot find any information right now on the artist. I would suggest perusing etsy for something similar. There are so beautiful watercolors on the site with deer, like this one: http://www.etsy.com/listing/75274515/deer-paintin…
Love this grey chair shown on the photo! Any idea of the make or manufacturer??? Thank you.