When a large part of your day job (such as ours) requires you to spend time in the homes of wildly creative and stylish people, you pick up a tip or two. One of the biggest takeaways we've gotten from touring interiors all over the world is how to build the perfect gallery wall. After shooting everywhere from Silverlake to Dubai, we’ve learned how to curate the perfect gallery wall in any space. Behold, our words of wisdom below.
There Is No Space Too Small
Contrary to the thinking that you might need a massive blank wall, a gallery wall is also a great way to add character and depth to small spaces. A bathroom wall, around a window, or even surrounding an at-home work space are all great places that a gallery wall would add personality and color.
Make It Organized, but Not Too Organized
A great place to start with for inspiration is deciding on a color (let’s say red) or theme (travel) but then—go wild! Frames of different sizes, shapes, and materials are all encouraged. The same goes for what’s in the frame; don’t limit yourself to just pictures—magazine pages, mementos, a ceramic deer head, and drawings all belong up on your wall, as well. Plan!
Once you have your wall and images chosen, slow down and carefully plan your frame placement before having your hammer contact the wall. Use the floor space right under the wall where you will hang your art to map out how you want your gallery to look. If you want to get super specific, try using painter’s tape to recreate the exact dimensions of the wall space.
A great way to lay the images out is to start with the largest one in the center and work your way out from there. If you are looking to build out a grid wall, a good rule of thumb is to space the frames two inches apart. If you are going for a gallery style, a good rule of thumb is to create horizontal lines along the top and bottom of the wall and hang half of the images two to three inches above the line and the other half two inches below.
Have It Reflect You
The good thing about a gallery wall is that you can keep on changing and adding to it. The most interesting ones are made up of images and objects collected over time from tons of different places, rather than making a bulk purchase of similar-looking items online. It’s your home, and it should be a reflection of you!
Below, shop a few of our original photos printed and framed in various sizes in partnership with our friends at Framebridge.
