1 Choose a wall with enough blank wall space, and without too much distraction. Paint the wall a solid color or use a simple textural grass cloth wallpaper. Nothing too busy!
2 When choosing frames, go one of two ways: they should ALL match, or they should all be mixed up – lots of styles, shapes, sizes and textures, vertical and horizontal. Don’t, for example, use five white rectangular frames then put up one black square frame. It will look like a mistake.
3 If you are hanging frames on top of a furniture piece, art work should stay narrow above the confines of the furniture. The furniture should ground the space for your gallery wall.
4 Always lay things out on the floor in a big open area before you start putting things on the wall - use the floor to play with the frames, to mix and match the colors and sizes.
5 Think of it like a jigsaw. Don’t stack items perfectly, or measure gaps between everything to be identical. Imperfections are interesting.
6 The subjects of art you’re choosing to hang on a wall need to be the same i.e., color photos from the same family photo shoot, or really mixed up – think vintage photos, a selfie, an illustration, a piece of framed 3D art. If it’s all the same medium apart from one piece it will look like an error.
7 Once you are happy with the general layout on the floor, take some measurements, then take that rendering to the wall. Find the center point on your furniture piece and in your gallery design. Mark both with tape. Begin with the picture that falls at the center of the piece of furniture.
8 Generally, the center point should be at eye level, leaving enough space above the furniture piece to display your Tchotchkes. Books are great to display. Bigger Books lying flat are great at grounding your decorative items, while standing smaller books up helps break up space.
9 Use nails or mounting tape. You choose. Whatever works with your wall and your DIY skills.
10 Once it’s done, step back and take a look and mark sure there’s no symmetry – nothing should be at the same height or distance.
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TOP TOP: In design in general, when putting anything on a wall, place your favorite item on the left because the eye goes there first naturally. Left to right is how we learned to read, and it sticks with us on all things visual.
