How To Create An Art Gallery Wall: 5 Tips And 25 Ideas

how to create a gallery art wall 5 tips and 25 examples cover

We’ve shared a lot of ideas for gallery walls lately and today I’d like to give your some tips for creating one more gallery wall type – an art gallery wall.

Colors

Choose a color story (such as bright and airy or dark and moody) and purchase art within that overall palette.

pastels is a neutral choice

pastels is a neutral choice

monochromatic always works

monochromatic always works

bold gallery art wall

bold gallery art wall

black and white is a way to go for modern interiors

black and white is a way to go for modern interiors

shades of blue gallery art wall

shades of blue gallery art wall

Style

Blend different styles. With a collected look, you can mix and match wall decor, so in addition to framed prints or photos, think about mirrors, wooden letters, clocks, signs, even jewelry or vinyl sayings, and something three dimensional (like a collage or paper sculpture) is always a nice addition, too.

rustic gallery art wall with 3D additions

rustic gallery art wall with 3D additions

giant key and an animal head look awesome

giant key and an animal head look awesome

add a key sign to it

add a key sign to it

posters, letters and an animal head look great together

posters, letters and an animal head look great together

Size

Combine a mix of sizes. You need a few bigger pieces to ground it, as well as a few smaller pieces to help round it out. Make sure you have vertical, horizontal and square. And the more strange-sized the better; sometimes when you have a whole wall of standard sizes, your eye can just tell, so throw in a few odd sizes. You also don’t want your art to be too small for the space, which is a common mistake.

various sized wall frames in combination with art look great

various sized wall frames in combination with art look great

gallery art wall with a big central art piece

gallery art wall with a big central art piece

you can choose a giant abstract piece as a centrepiece of your wall

you can choose a giant abstract piece as a centrepiece of your wall

mixed and matched frames look very artsy

mixed and matched frames look very artsy

several monochromatic big frames with an addition of several small is always a cool soluton

several monochromatic big frames with an addition of several small is always a cool soluton

Frames

As far as frame colors go, neutrals all tend to work well together – white, natural wood and black. When you introduce metallics, stained woods, colored frames, etc. things can start to become visually distracting. The frame shouldn’t contrast with the art too much, unless you are working with a monochromatic scheme (black art, white frame).

black and neutral-colored frames

black and neutral-colored frames

all-white frames

all-white frames

thing black frames in the same style

thing black frames in the same style

white frames of various shapes and sizes

white frames of various shapes and sizes

gilded frames of the same style

gilded frames of the same style

neutral-colored frames

neutral-colored frames

How And Where To Hang

Start with the biggest piece and put it off-center. Then build around it. Keep at least three inches between each piece, and make sure to pepper art evenly. For example, don’t put two really dark pieces next to each other or really light pieces next to each other. If the gallery wall is visible from the side angle, look for pieces that are relatively similar in terms of depth so that one doesn’t stick out further than the others. Art should be hung at “eye level,” except if your ceilings are really low or if you’re really tall. Typically, art should be centered around 57 inches from the floor.

If you want a more formal display, use matching frames and hang them symmetrically.  For a more casual look, try different frames in different sizes with an organic shape.

black and white gallery wall hung right

black and white gallery wall hung right

vintage-inspired gallery art wall

vintage-inspired gallery art wall

modern gallery art wall

modern gallery art wall

black frames is a classic

black frames is a classic

botanical-inspired art is quite popular nowadays

botanical-inspired art is quite popular nowadays