DIY: Making a Gallery Wall
We all do our best to make our houses feel like homes, but often they can feel more like temporary dwellings for little more than sleep and storage. Often this is because there is nothing of us in them—no character, no personal touch. It can be hard to know how to infuse ourselves into the spaces we inhabit, especially when whitewash and cool tones are all the rage. How do we keep our space from feeling like unlived-in hotel rooms and waiting rooms? One solution? A gallery wall. Gallery walls are a wonderful way not only to fill bare and depressing white walls but to put a bit of yourself into a home by displaying the things you love and are interested in. This can be a tricky business as a gallery wall can easily look either too procured or too cluttered. But luckily, we are here to teach you how to do it yourself.
Planning
Of course, the first step as always is to make a plan of execution, complete with budget and schedule. Look at inspiration, find out what you like and don’t like, and create a semi-concrete budget so that things don’t get out of hand or unmanageable. Pick a sufficiently barren wall in your home and ensure you know its measurements and the style of the space it borders. Pick a color pallet as well, as this will help narrow down your choices of subject matter. As you move forward, a great way to visualize different sizes, shapes, and spacing options is to purchase a large roll of brown construction paper and a proportionally large roll of tape. As you come across pieces that you like but are unsure how they would fit on the wall you can cut out a 2D version of it and test it in the space. You can plan the entirety of your gallery wall in this way.
Styling
As for the layout, there are several spacing methods to choose from depending on your preferred style and the atmosphere you wish to create with your gallery wall. Perhaps the easiest of these to execute is a grid style. You pick several framed pieces of the same size (often identical aside from the image contained) and arrange them in an equally spaced grid pattern usually creating a square or rectangle of images where each is the same distance from the ones above and below it as well as on the sides. This is usually done with photographs of similar subject matter like family portraits, flowers, or landscapes. Similar but different to this is the puzzle style in which the pieces of different sizes and even different shapes are arranged to fit together on the wall like a puzzle, more or less evenly separated from each other. Tightly arranged gallery walls where the pieces are closer together give a more maximalist cozy vibe while looser arrangements give the impression of neatness and minimalism.
Subject Matter
But who cares how the stuff is arranged if I don’t know what stuff I want to hang? Do they have to be personal portraits? How do I know what goes together? Well, first we’ll tell you your options and then how to coordinate them with your space. You can go with artwork, photos, plants, mirrors, or, as we recommend, a mix of these choices. Original artwork can be not only beautiful and meaningful but also wonderful conversation starters with visitors. You can also choose artwork that is coordinated with your own personal interests like movie posters, album covers, or book illustrations, and fanart from any and all of these sources. This is a great way to bring more of yourself to the room so you can feel at home in it and so that others can really feel they are getting to know you when they enter your home. Perhaps the most popular among these options, and for good reason, are personal photos of family or special memories from traveling and life events. This is a wonderful way for you to create a time capsule and preserve your family history. It is always good to look back on joyful moments that happened in and out of the home they are displayed in. Plants do not usually compose the entire gallery but they can be a new way to add color and texture! These can be real or fake depending on the amount of work and commitment you wish to exert. Finally, mirrors are a nifty addition to any gallery as they almost serve as extra windows and make any space feel bigger.
Final Tips
With any of these options, you will want to choose appropriate hardware from good old wire and nails to the potentially less damaging hanging strips or even shelves. As for frames, be sure they coordinate and refer to your color pallet. Depending on your stage of life you may want to choose more or less durable materials.
In conclusion, we hope these tips help you to plan, arrange, and display a little piece of your personality in the form of your new gallery wall. Your home is no longer in danger of feeling cold and impersonal. Check out our other blog post for more DIY projects that will have your house feeling like a home!
