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.