After we welcomed A into our family, not only did the amount of laundry, toys, and giggles in our house increase, but the number of printed photos also increased. We had newborn pictures, 6-month pictures, one-year pictures. Of course I had to buy all of these beautiful pictures of my beautiful baby boy! A few months ago I realized the box I was stashing photos in was bulging. Enter the gallery wall.
Choosing a Wall
Start by looking at inspiration photos. Do you recognize a theme? When I looked at Pinterest (my favorites are here, here, and here) a pattern emerged: I liked condensed, narrow arrangements. So I knew I was looking for a narrow sliver of wall to hang all of our family photos.
Our home is open concept with lots and lots of windows (yay natural light!) but not many spots for hanging art or photos. Since I was only looking for a narrow wall (remember our inspiration?) it was easier to identify the best place, and that place was…. in our office!
Choosing Art and Frames
Family photos were going to be the main focus of our gallery wall, but I also had a few other items I was struggling to find a home for: a hand-carved miniature surf board from our Hawaiian vacation a few years ago, paintings of our pups by a high school classmate, a framed quote that I really love. I gathered all of these things to ensure everything had a consistent theme. Don’t be afraid to nix something if it doesn’t fit.
With all of the art selected, I had a feel for how many and what size frames I needed. I already had some but not enough for the entire wall. I’m definitely a budget frame shopper. All of these were picked up at Home Goods and Hobby Lobby. I like the look of mixing white and black frames, so I made sure to keep the frame type the same: all of mine are about one inch thick and flat. I also mixed up frames with and without mats for a little variety. (Psst, Hobby Lobby sells mats in their framing aisle if you need a few extra.) Resist the urge to start framing things right now. It will make life easier later.
Determine the Boundaries of the Arrangement
Since the arrangement and wall I picked are both narrow, it made sense to make my arrangement the width of the wall. To balance out the narrowness, I wanted a lot of height. I also chose to have it go as high as the door frame next to it and pretty close to the floor.
I had two large prints that together matched the width of my wall. I used these as a guide to define the boundaries of my arrangement. If your space isn’t as defined as mine you could use painters tape to mark off your “boundaries” on the floor.
Set the Anchor Piece and Surround with the Supporting Pieces
If you’re using a variety of sizes in your arrangement, it’s a good idea to have one or two anchor pieces. For me, these were the two large prints I had. After placing these in the center, I started adding in the other pieces. Since I hadn’t put any of the art into a frame, I could easily switch the direction of a frame or try a photo in a different color. I also tried to create a sense of balance within the arrangement: not too many frames of one color bunched together, small pieces offset by larger ones, etc. Once you have your arrangement like you want, pop those prints into their frames.
Hanging your Gallery Wall
Before you starting putting holes in the wall, trace each frame onto kraft paper (or heck, old wrapping paper) to create a template of your arrangement. After each piece is cut, mark the direction the frame will hang (portrait or landscape) and mark where the hangers are.
Use painters tape to hang each paper template on the wall. After checking that the frames will be level and the spacing is okay, you’re ready to hammer in some nails! It’s ok to drive them right into the paper. After they’re all in, just tear away the paper and hang your frames. Now step back, admire and enjoy your beautiful gallery wall.
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