Do you have a blank wall in your home that you have always wanted to make a canvas for your favorite art ideas? If you answered yes, we have some excellent news for you. A gallery wall is a perfect way to express your artistic personality.
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When asked about it by Veranda, Annica Wallin, an Executive Creative Director for Desenio, beautifully put it: “Choose art that you love that speaks to you. Curating an eclectic mix of different styles creates an intriguing and personal collection.”
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Whether you want to make an eclectic statement, add some color, or showcase your personal memories, a gallery wall can do it all. With our curated list of 30 stunning gallery wall ideas, you can turn any space into a home gallery—from lounge to hallway.
Read on to find valuable tips for arranging your art, choosing the right frames, and creating a centerpiece in your space. Trust us, the possibilities with these wall art ideas are endless! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites!
Are Gallery Walls Still on Trend?
Can a gallery of sentimental photos, prints, or art ever go out of fashion? Possibly, just not so quick. As one of the home decor trends of 2023, gallery walls will continue to be popular the following year. On the other hand, gallery walls can be timeless as long as you change the art occasionally.
Some trends might, in fact, be going out of fashion. According to Google Trends, interest in world wall art has dropped drastically since its peak in August 2023. Studio production and interior designer Adrian Palacios confirmed to Living Spaces that “World wall art is going out and being replaced by a movement toward less obvious and more nuanced art. These are complicated times we’re living in, and our walls don’t need to add to our information overload.”
How to Design a Gallery Wall?
There is no right or wrong way to arrange a gallery wall, so you can follow your intuition and experiment with different options. However, if you don’t know where to start or how to arrange the pieces, here are some useful tips for you to begin with.
Placement
The first thing you need to consider is the placement of your gallery wall. Choose an empty wall in your home that you want to decorate, such as above the sofa in the living room, behind the bed in the bedroom, or in a hallway.
Pick a Spacious Wall
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Ensure your wall has enough space to accommodate the art without making it look crowded or sparse. You can measure the area and mark it with painter’s tape.
Consider the Room’s Function
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Design your gallery wall facing the seating area in the living room so you can sit down and admire your art.
Consider the Lighting
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Choose a wall with good lighting, natural or artificial, to enhance the visibility of your art or photographs.
Layout
What is the best way to arrange a gallery wall? You can use different layouts, such as a grid, a symmetrical, or an organic placement, to create various effects and styles for your gallery wall. Just remember to measure your art against the wall.
Grid Layout
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Follow a horizontal and vertical alignment to arrange your art in a neat and orderly fashion. It creates a uniform look, perfect for minimalist and modern-style spaces.
Symmetrical Layout
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Arrange the art pieces following a central axis or a focal point. It creates an elegantly balanced look for classic and formal interiors.
Organic Layout
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Hang your art following a curved shape. This method is perfect when you have pieces in different sizes and shapes. It creates an eclectic look and works well with bohemian and rustic-style interiors.
Frames
When creating a gallery wall, it’s important to consider the frames you’ll be using. Frames come in a variety of styles and can have different effects on both your gallery wall and interior. You can choose matching or mismatching frames or even opt for frameless options. To add some interesting contrast, you can mix frames of different colors, materials, and thicknesses.
Matching and Mismatching Frames
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Matching frames create a uniform and consistent look to perfectly suit a grid or a symmetrical layout. However, if you want to go for a diverse and eclectic look, try using mismatched frames. This works exceptionally well if you have an organic layout. Finally, choose no frames to create a modern, minimalist look.
Choosing a Color
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Pick frames that suit your color scheme or theme to create a balanced interior. You can seamlessly blend similar colors to match your art or choose bold contrast to make it a statement in your space. If you want to push it even further and create a striking maximalist decor in your home, try using different frames for each piece.
Accessories
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Have fun with frames by adding shelves, wall hangings, baskets, or other items to make your gallery wall not only artistic but functional.
Artsy Living Room Gallery Wall Ideas
Whether you are an art lover or want to bring some creativity to your living space, our collection of living room gallery wall ideas will give you plenty of inspiration. You can choose from a range of styles, from a mix of vintage pieces to a modern display of contemporary art, and create a unique look that truly reflects your personality.
Vintage Paintings
Feature a mix of portraits or botanical pieces with antique frames to create a vibrant and eclectic art display. If you want to make a statement feature in your living room, try expanding your gallery wall over the two walls.
Above a Couch
How do you fill the blank space behind a sofa? The answer is simple—with a well-planned gallery wall! Simply arrange the prints symmetrically to complement the living room’s colors and style.
Basket Gallery Wall
Use various woven baskets to decorate bright white walls. The texture of the baskets adds contrast and creates a unique vibe for your bedroom. They are also easy to hang and move around, making this idea highly versatile.
Mismatching Frames
Embrace the charm of mismatching frames to create a fun and creative atmosphere. Experiment with different sizes, shapes, colors, and styles to see what works together.
The Magic of Mirrors
Add dimension and light by incorporating unframed mirrors into a staircase gallery wall. The mirrors will reflect other details of the room, such as plants and furniture, expanding the space further.
Gallery of Shelves
Using shelves to display objects will create a gallery wall that is both functional and stylish. The shelves allow for more variety, as they can hold frames, books, plants, candles, sculptural pieces, etc.
Gallery Wall With a Clock
Feature an extraordinary clock with paintings, sculptures, and other collectibles on your gallery wall. The clock will add a nostalgic vintage touch.
World Maps
Create a travel-themed and adventurous look by adding miscellaneous maps to your wall. You can also hang some frames with pictures from your travels, making the gallery wall more sentimental.
A Plate Gallery
The perfect way to add an attractive detail to your interior is by creating a display of plates on your wall. Choose plates of different shapes and sizes, whether plain or with patterns. Hang them using plate hangers.
Old-Fashioned Posters
Mix and match posters of different sizes, colors, and patterns to create a charming collage that reflects your unique taste.
Hallway Gallery Wall Ideas
A hallway is often an overlooked space at home, but it can be transformed into a stunning gallery with minimal effort. Whether you want to make a statement, add color, or showcase your taste, we’ll share some of the most inspiring gallery wall ideas you could try in your home.
Vintage Gallery
Design a gallery wall with a collection of retro French art for an authentic countryside-style look in your hallway.
Functional Shelves For Unused Corners
Have an empty corner in the hallway? Install a shelving unit to display books, plants, candles, and other miscellaneous art. You can still use it to hold your keys, making it a functional and stylish piece of your interior.
Golden Frames
Consider hanging impressionist paintings in golden frames to make your hallway feel more luxurious.
Neutral Prints
Improve your empty hallway walls by decorating them with two double-sided neutral paintings—a final touch to a mid-century hallway.
Letterboards
Letterboards are perfect for making a special hallway announcement or keeping home’s internet passwords. You can hang a letterboard or put it on the chest of drawers next to some sculptures.
Natural Wood
To design a bright and cozy hallway, consider framing vivid prints in natural wood frames.
Cover Odd Areas
A gallery wall is an ideal way to fill unused areas. Choose abstract wall decor in colors complementing your interior.
Add Zones to Your Hallway
Anyone with a long hallway will confirm how difficult it is to organize. One way to solve this is by adding zones to your hallway.
Combine a mirror, table, and shelves to create a focal point first. This area will help separate the space and provide functionality as you can display prints, vases and keep your goods. Next, make use of an empty wall along the hallway by hanging a few pictures.
Inspiring Quotes
Receive a dose of motivation every time you step into your home. Positive, inspirational art is perfect for designing a hallway gallery wall.
Black and White Linear Art
Looking for modern minimalist gallery wall ideas? Play with black and white linear prints to create a monochrome feature in bright interiors.
Photo Gallery Wall Ideas
A photo gallery wall is a charming way to share cherished memories and add a personal touch to any room. Whether it’s a collection of family photos or an eclectic mix of artistic photo prints, a gallery wall expresses genuine emotion.
With thoughtful placement and a keen eye for design, the following photo gallery wall ideas will transform a blank wall into a captivating visual display.
Black and White Photographs
Looking for a classic and elegant photo gallery wall idea? Feature black-and-white family photos in stylish black frames to add a striking contrast to the wall. This idea is easily adaptable to any space or color palette.
Polaroids
Display your Polaroid photos and create a retro, nostalgic look, reminding you of all the precious moments in your life.
Photographs and Letterboard
Feature your family photos with a letterboard to make your gallery wall more authentic. You can write anything from family member’s initials to their full names or simply put a phrase that describes them.
Round Frames
One unconventional way to design a gallery wall is by using circular frames. This approach creates a modern look with a touch of avant-garde.
Colorful Photographs
Colorful, bright photographs are perfect for balanced monochromatic interiors. If you choose to go with this look use black-and-white frames.
Pink Photographs
Adding your favorite pinkish photographs, such as nature or travel, will instantly warm up the colors of the room.
Old-School Collage
Create a focal point using an old-but-gold collage technique. Combine photographs in a symmetrical or asymmetrical grid with your own photos, or use a collage kit.
From Small to Large
Photography begins to look dynamic and exciting when framed in different size frames.
Layout Variations
Consider featuring a gallery wall with an arrangement of photos in different layouts. For a space such as a staircase, a diagonal layout would be perfect. If you want to create a repetition, it’s best to opt for the same style of frames. The layout of the gallery wall can be either horizontal or vertical, depending on the placement.
Illuminated Gallery Wall
The gallery wall looks great during the day but can be dim at night. Illuminate your photographs with lights to add a magical and romantic touch to the wall, brightening up the space.
Answers to Popular Questions About Gallery Walls
Before you go ahead with designing your own gallery wall, let’s answer some of the most popular questions to help you along.
What Is the Rule for Gallery Walls?
While there are no strict rules in place for making a gallery wall, a common practice is to keep the space between the frames consistent, at or around 3 inches apart. This can help your gallery look less crowded and chaotic.
What is Replacing Gallery Walls?
Some believe that gallery walls have become outdated and too cluttered for a modern, minimalist approach to decorating. If you’re looking for something more sophisticated and subtle, try hanging a tapestry, a single large-scale print, or a group of no more than three art pieces, on your wall. Alternatively, you could create an accent wall with plants. Vertical gardens are currently one of the trendiest options out there.
Where Not to Put a Gallery Wall?
A gallery wall is a great way to display your favorite art and photos, but there are some places where you might want to avoid putting one.
- Busy or cluttered areas. A gallery wall can make a space look crowded and chaotic if too many elements compete for attention.
- In sunny or humid places. Sunlight and humidity can damage your art and photos. Avoid placing gallery walls near windows, bathrooms, or kitchens to prevent fading, warping, or mold growth.
- Inaccessible spots. A gallery wall should be placed in a location that is easy to maintain and appreciate.