Gallery walls are curated displays of art – prints, posters and/or photographs – arranged creatively on a single wall. Something different than a traditional painted or wallpapered feature wall, gallery walls can transform a boring wall into a focal point of your home’s interior. They’re a wonderfully imaginative way of personalizing your home.

When you Google ‘gallery walls’, the beautifully arranged art can feel a bit intimidating – you might think, “How can I possibly recreate something as well-put together as the photos I see online?”

It’s not as hard as it looks, we promise. If you aren’t ready to commit to a gallery wall, check out our guide to pairing artwork here.

If you’re feeling inspired, keep reading. This blog post will walk you through what to consider before decorating, how to build a collection based on colour, style, and subject/theme, and a few tips for hanging your gallery wall.

“A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.” ― Salvador Dali

What to consider before decorating

There are no hard and fast rules for creating a gallery wall. It’s your home – your safe place where you can express yourself – so the most important thing to remember is that you’re creating something for you. You don’t have to stick to any rules.

And you’re probably not going to get it right the first time! Decorating your home is a constant learning curve and that’s okay. All it takes is practice.

Now, on to the fun part. 

The most popular places for gallery walls are living rooms, hallways, and staircase walls. It’s easiest to create a gallery wall if you’re decorating a room from scratch because you can make the gallery wall part of your design process. A gallery wall is meant to be eye-catching, so it’s just a matter of figuring out what you want.

Before you buy or hang anything, we have two tips for you. First, create a digital mood board. This will help you figure out what kind of aesthetic you’re drawn to, and which colours, styles, and subjects/themes inspire you. Second, take a photograph of your desired wall and play about with photoshop. This will help you figure out how many pieces of art you’ll need and what sizes you want – do this before you hammer any nails! Trust us.

Creating a gallery wall: colour, style, and subject/theme

Colours

Colours are a tricky part of creating a gallery wall because it can seem easy on the surface, but it’s more complicated than you might think. Certain colours compliment each other, while others contrast. It can be hard to know what’s what, so we recommend using a colour wheel. It’ll be a big help!

There are five colour combinations:

  • Complementary: opposite sides of the wheel, bright contrast

  • Monochromatic: shades, tones, and tints of one base colour, harmonious

  • Analogous: three colours beside each other

  • Triadic: three evenly spaced colours, high contrast

  • Tetradic: four evenly spaced colours, bold, works best with one dominant colour and three accents

The colours you choose will depend on what kind of vibe you want to create. Do you want something bright and bold? Go for complementary colours like yellow and purple. Do you want to create a sense of peace and balance? Pair a soft blue sofa in your chosen room with a gallery wall dominated by monochromatic blues.

Style

A gallery wall based on a specific style is a wonderful way of creating a sense of harmony and consistency. Curating a gallery wall by artistic style is an emotional decision. Certain artistic movements are going to speak to your soul more than others.

What’s great about curating a gallery wall using a specific artistic style or movement is that it doesn’t limit you to one colour scheme or one artist – if you choose Arts & Crafts, for example, you can curate a collection of works from William Morris, Carl Larsson, and Gustav Stickley!

And because artists within specific movements approached art in similar ways, their works of art will naturally complement each other – Impressionism, for example, is characterised by thin but visible brushstrokes and the beauty of natural light, so regardless of the subject matter, Impressionist artwork will work well together.

Subject/theme

This is where gallery walls really shine. Curating a gallery wall by subject/theme is the most imaginative way to not only showcase your personality and tell a unified story with your artwork, but it gives you the freedom to incorporate various styles, artists, and colours. There are no limits!

If you want a gallery wall that expresses your personality, think about what makes you you. Is female empowerment important to you? Curate a collection of nudist photography, nudist abstract art and body positivity quotes. Have you always wanted to visit London? Curate a collection of underground tube maps, professional photography, and emotive city sketches.

Or maybe you want to create a specific vibe in your chosen room. A peaceful, coastal themed wall can be achieved with photographs of waves, real shells, and blue abstract art. An exciting and inspiring music gallery wall can be achieved with song lyrics, concert prints, and photographs of musicians. There are endless options!

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ―  Henry David Thoreau

Hanging your gallery wall 

While there are no set in stone rules when it comes to hanging your gallery wall – it’s all about creative, individual expression, after all – we do have a few tips.

Tip #1: Don’t have artwork that’s all the same size. One of the best things about gallery walls is being able to be eclectic and expressive with it, so choosing artwork of different sizes will not only catch people’s eyes but it will help you experiment with where you want to place certain artworks.

Tip #2: Maintain balance. While you don’t have to keep your wall symmetrical, it’s a good idea to have your artwork evenly spaced (for example, 2 inches around all sides of your frame) so your wall doesn’t look heavy on one side. It’s also a good call to frame all your artworks in the same frame – this not only creates consistency, but it means your eye won’t be drawn to the one random black frame in the corner.

Tip #3: Start hanging from the middle. If you’re unsure where to start, go for the middle of the wall. It can be easier to build a curated collection around one central piece, especially if this is your first gallery wall.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

Gallery walls are a beautiful way of infusing your home with what matters to you.

Feeling inspired? Get started and check out Miljo’s collection of gallery quality prints here.