How to Design Your Own Gallery Wall

A gallery wall is a great decorating idea. It always catches the eye, and when well composed, it makes a huge impression. I think it's worth treating it as a bigger project and putting care into every stage – the result will be stunning. In a few steps, I'll show you how to go about it and what rules a gallery wall follows. 1. The first task seems obvious, but it's an important point. You need to find the right wall for your gallery. Walls with a TV, behind a sofa, behind a bed or a crib, or along the stairs work best. It should be an empty, well-exposed spot.  2. Think about the style of your gallery. It can be orderly, made up of small pieces, or loosely spread out. Below you'll find examples of such walls. Perhaps you want an eclectic effect, or to keep it minimalist. Most importantly, it shouldn't be a small gallery. It should consist of a larger number of pieces. If you use, say, 2–3 pictures, you won't achieve the desired effect. You won't use the wall's potential, and the arrangement will look random. Don't get me wrong… One or two pictures are a nice idea too, but they don't make a gallery and need to hang in the right spot. 

                                      This is a good example of how to create a gallery with closed boundaries. Nothing sticks out beyond the lines; everything fits within a square. 

Here, on the other hand, the posters are arranged a little more loosely, with no boundaries limiting the gallery. They're simply nicely spaced frames that form a neat composition. 

This composition is quite fragmented, but it still forms a nice, cohesive whole. Note that all the photos above use the same frames. The only differences are the sizes and the mats. That has a strong impact on the look. Of course, a variety of frames is fun too, but it takes more effort to find them, match them and then build the composition. Playing with different frames gives a gallery wall an eclectic character. If you don't have time to look for posters that go well together, I recommend the section in our Royal Rabbits shop with ready-made sets and gallery walls. 

      Examples of how you can kill a composition with pictures that are too small. Both the wall and the pictures lose their charm. 3. Choose illustrations, posters or photos. For the gallery to be cohesive, the individual pieces should share a color scheme, a similar style or a common theme. For example, black-and-white photos will create a cohesive whole. Posters can be linked by, say, the color green, and so on. Don't worry if some pictures seem too small. You can put them in a large frame with a very wide mat. That trick adds class to your picture.  4. Frames! This also depends on the style you're going for. If you want a minimalist effect, choose light frames with a thin aluminum profile. If you're going eclectic, make sure you have a variety of pieces. These can be frames or mirrors found at flea markets, or family heirlooms. You can mix vintage with new, modern frames. Anything goes. Elegant interiors, on the other hand, are orderly spaces, so identical frames hung in a neat arrangement work best. 5. Once you've chosen your frames and photos or posters, lay them out on the floor and start arranging the composition.  It's best to start with the largest pieces and gradually move to smaller ones. Watch out for gaps between frames that are too small, and avoid symmetry. When you're happy with the composition, take a photo of it with your phone and trace the frames onto parchment paper. Then tape the parchment to the wall, mirroring the layout on the floor. Make your final adjustments and start hanging the frames on the wall 🙂 The effect is guaranteed 🙂