How to Create the Perfect Gallery Wall

BY PAULA GOWLAND

Trends come and go, however the "Gallery Wall" trend is one that I hope stays around for many years to come.

A well designed and placed gallery wall is the perfect way to make a big personal and bold impact in your home! Gallery Walls allow you the ability show who you are and what you or your family like. In recent times, gallery walls have become the new feature wall in homes being built today, which means no more bright green paint walls in the living room (I'm looking at you 1970)! Also, if desired, a blank staircase can come to life by arranging the Gallery Wall of your dreams.

Arranging a gallery wall can be an intimidating challenge, but here are some tips on how you can cash in on this hot new trend and throw away the bright green wall paint.

Have fun and be playful

This is an exciting journey that you have just undertaken, just make sure that you enjoy it! Have fun with it, maybe add some goofy family photos or use your child's drawing that has been on the fridge for years. You can use art that you have purchased from a local artist you met while over seas on your last holiday. You can use old calendars, notes, cards or even a favourite poem or quote.

Gallery walls can be used to tell a story of your travels. You can use a combination of photos, prints or postcards you have collected along the way. This creates a great conversation piece for guest's and adds character/authenticity to your home.

The sky is the limit and the only thing holding you back is your imagination.

Mix it up and take your time

"Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour" - William Cowper 1785 .

When creating your unique Gallery wall, you have to ensure that there is a lot of variety in the pieces that you use. Illustrations, paintings, book pages, photos, items you have collected, drawings, artwork, you just need to keep it eclectic and visually interesting. Later you can tie it all together with theme, frame colour, style, or image colour palette. We recommend that you lay all your pieces down in the layout that you would like them initially, take a picture and then move things around. Complete this process a number of times and you will find a layout that looks gorgeous and showcases everything perfectly.

You now have the perfect arrangement, but you're not sure what it would look like on your wall? Before you go knocking holes in the wall, we recommend cutting brown paper to size, and blue tacking them to the wall. This will allow you to get a visual understanding of placement, space and feel of your Gallery Wall.

Do not rush, be sure to take your time and marinate in the glory of what you have created. We have found that the best arrangements look and feel as if everything has been collected over time, and not just lumped together.

Framing is the key

You've selected the pieces that you would like, you know the layout and where this masterpiece will be showcased, but something is missing? This brings us to the final stage of your journey.

Gallery walls are not only about the artwork/pieces, it all needs to be framed and not just any old frame laying around. We strongly that all frames are the same colour, shape, and style. By having consistency in the framing finish, you create visual unity in the grouping. However, there must be a variety of frame sizes to help create the unique feel and experience that you desire.

Enjoy your journey!

Sunshine Coast Art and Framing Gallery have a team of framing experts that can help you through your unique journey of framing the art and prints that are special to you. No frame is too big or small, we will help you get the perfect result for your artwork.