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Tired of staring at the blank wall around your television? Or maybe your stairway feels like it’s missing that pizazz. Gallery walls are a timeless and customizable way to fill large spaces and showcase your unique style. In this guide, you’ll get a simple, step-by-step plan to help you create a gallery wall you’ll love looking at every day.
Before you even start thinking about what to put on your gallery wall, you need to make sure you start with the right canvas. Homeowners usually choose spots behind the sofa, above the bed, next to the stairs, or in the hallway. Some even pick a bathroom wall! (You just need to factor in the added humidity here.) Whatever the room, a gallery wall is the perfect way to turn a blank slate into a stunning feature wall.
Once you have your wall picked and know the space you have to work with, you’re ready to start thinking about design and individual pieces.
Before you start laying out or hanging anything, it’s essential to nail down the look and feel you’re aiming for. Your gallery wall should reflect your personality, interests, or a specific mood you want to create in the room. Start by choosing a unifying theme, color palette, or styling approach. Think bold and eclectic, serene and minimalist, modern black-and-white, or vintage-inspired with ornate frames and classic artwork.
Ask yourself:
Not sure where to begin? Browsing for inspiration can spark gallery wall ideas. Check out local home goods shops, thrift stores, or better yet, stop by your nearest CORT Furniture Outlet. With a constantly rotating inventory of pre-loved wall art, mirrors, and home accents, you’re sure to find a standout piece that helps anchor your theme and brings your vision to life.
With your wall and aesthetic chosen, it’s time to get to the fun part—picking all your art, decor, and other gallery wall essentials. You can go for an all-picture gallery wall featuring frames of loved ones, friends, and other photographs in various sizes and shapes. You could also do an art gallery wall with paintings and wall sculptures.
Many people choose a mixed-media approach, though. Items commonly found on gallery walls include:
If you like it and you can hang it on the wall, you can include it!The beauty of gallery walls is that they’re totally personal—mix and match to make it your own.
Before you put a single hole in your wall, you need to nail down your layout first. You want to ensure you have enough room and nothing feels crammed together. There are two common approaches to planning a layout:
You don’t want to rush this process. Once you start nailing holes in the wall, it’s going to be a lot harder to change your mind and pivot if something doesn’t look right. Skipping the planning stage is one of the biggest wall art mistakes people make.
When planning your wall, you have two main spacing concerns: the space between gallery wall frames (generally 2 to 3 inches) and how high to hang artwork.
How high should a gallery wall be?
Once you have your layout finalized, you’re ready to create your masterpiece. Using the standard height and distance guidelines, measure and mark where you would like to hang your pieces on the wall—and always double measure to be extra safe. Use a level to keep things straight, and hang items with nails, Command strips, or nail-safe hooks depending on wall type.
No matter where your gallery wall lives, make sure it flows with the furniture and decor around it.
Your walls should tell your story. From mirrors and art to accent shelving, CORT Furniture Outlet carries the pieces that make gallery walls easy to create—at prices up to 70% off new retail prices.
Visit your local Outlet today and start building a space that’s uniquely yours.
