It’s hard to overstate what a good gallery wall can do for a space. It brings an instant personal touch to a room; it allows family pictures and art collections to be displayed with ease; it creates an attention-grabbing accent wall with no need for a different paint color; and, unlike a painted accent wall, it’s easy to alter if your tastes change (or you acquire a new treasure that deserves showing off).
But, for all their virtues, gallery walls are also very easy to get wrong. Many can turn out too busy, unbalanced or distracting. To help you create a memorable and an aesthetically pleasing gallery wall, we have a curated collection of our favorites from our archives, and provide a few tips to guide you.
Mix frame sizes.
The greatest virtue of a gallery wall is its visual interest. Maximize that by using different sizes, orientations and styles of frames. In this Upper Saddle River home, originally showcased in our sister magazine, designer Jennifer Pacca uses black, white and silver frames, some horizontal and some virtual, for a bright and eye-catching accent wall.
Don’t be too obvious.
A gallery wall should embody your true style and aesthetic, and it should also elevate the whole room. Avoid generic word art (script signs that read “Home” have their place, but perhaps not here) and pedestrian prints.
Choose a cohesive color palette.
The advantage of a uniting color palette is two-fold. For starters, it draws all the pieces in the collection together. It also ties the pieces together with the rest of the room. This design, by Holmdel-based James Yarosh, pulls the red, pink and white tones from the furniture and carpet into a lovely spread of curated posters.
Find the perfect height.
Experts agree that the ideal height to start hanging pieces for your gallery wall is no less than 5 and no greater than 10 inches off of the nearest key furniture piece, be that a sofa or a sideboard. You should also keep 1 to 3 inches between each frame.
Add personal touches.
Showcase your interests and your tastes. This is a great place to display recent or vintage family pictures (we love an old black-and-white shot to add a sense of history to a space), but don’t limit yourself to that. In this Ridgewood home, also by Jennifer Pacca, the lady of the house embraces her playful side in this joyful and pink home office space, choosing images she knew would fuel her creativity.
Think asymmetrically.
Most modern gallery walls are organic, and reject the ridged symmetry you might find in a museum. Use one large piece to anchor the wall, and then experiment with frames at different levels around to make each individual piece pop.
Mix it up.
There’s no need to limit yourself to just frames—there’s room for 3D elements in gallery walls as well. Consider wall sculptures or, as in this stunning colonial in Saddle River designed by Robyn Stevens, add wall sconces into the mix.
Keep it simple.
Just like many things in life, gallery walls are exercises in moderation. Add pieces slowly and deliberately, and don’t be afraid to take some pieces away to see what some space can offer.
Have a gallery wall you’re crazy about? Show it off on Instagram and tag us @njhomemag.