10 Steps To Perfecting The Gallery Wall*

When it comes to wall design, artwork is something that will instantly set your home out from the crowd. The majority of the time it will become a focal point of the room to draw the eye which means getting it right is essential.

Whether you chose to showcase some family photo’s or go down the print route; a gallery wall is a great way to add texture, depth, pattern & interest. Without artwork on the walls, a room can risk looking barren & unfinished.

Prints are also a brilliant way of adding colour to a room so remember that painting a room in a neutral shade may be ‘beige & boring’ but can quickly & easily be transformed with the help of accessories & frames across them.

So how do you go about perfecting the picture wall?

1. Consider size –
If you have a large wall then you have two choices, either go for many frames clustered together to give a shabby chic look or ‘go big or go home’ with a singular large frame or even try a ‘perfect pair‘ which give a classy minimalist look. You’ll be able to find many examples of how to group images together on Pinterest.
Make sure to measure the wall to make sure you don’t overpower the space before ordering.

2. Mishmash or uniformed –
Depending on your style you’ll need to decide whether to go for a mishmash of frames (this can range from different sizes to shapes/designs & even colours hung in unorganised positions) to sets of identical frames hung in a uniformed manor such as a set of 6 or 9 white square frames to give a classy/modern look. Just be aware that lots of small frames can make it look cluttered.

3. Background –
Avoid placing a gallery wall on a heavily patterned background such as feature wallpaper; this will make it look too busy & the purpose of the frames is to draw the eye in itself. Place frames on to a plain background & let the prints or photos speak for themselves.

4. Don’t just measure it out –
Before you start hammering nails into the wall it’s really important to make sure you know what layout you’d like the frames to sit in (as well as if they’ll fit). The best way to do this is by using paper or cardboard cut to the same size as your frames masking taped (or frog tape – be careful not to damage your paint work!) to the wall beforehand.

5. Display meaningfully –
The best gallery walls are ones that mean something to you; whether they display precious memories, your favourite photos of your family/friends or even a meaningful quote to remind you to live life in a certain way; it’s best to keep it significant.

6. Create a gallery shelfie –
A great alternative to the typical gallery wall is the gallery shelf. Picture rails can be attached to walls then frames & prints laid on them with other decorative items to give an effective display.

7. Colour VS black & white –
Depending on the colour scheme of the room you may want to opt for a laid back neutral wall using black & white images mounted in simple white or black frames – this gives a simple sophisticated look. Alternatively bring colour to your room by using colour prints to add pops of colour; the burnt oranges of Autumn to pastels of Spring.

8. Start large –
I’d always recommend starting with your largest picture/frame first then working outwards with smaller pieces. You can browse Pinterest for gallery wall layout inspiration such as below.

9. Invest in frames –
The prints can be changed as/when you feel like it but the frames are more of an investment so it’s really important to go for good quality ones which won’t bend out of shape or become unsightly over time. It’s relatively cheap to reprint pictures or order a new quote however frames are less likely to be swapped.

10. Change it up –
As above, the great thing about a gallery wall is that you can change the prints whenever you like which is particularly great if you have young children who are forever changing & you need to refresh images which are from when they were newborn & now they are starting school or if you just get bored easily like me & fancy a change.

If you fancy creating a feature with a gallery wall then Desenio are offering 25% off from today (Tuesday 21st February 2017) until Thursday (24th February 2017) by using code ‘thtmm25’ at checkout.

Love,