How to Arrange the Perfect Gallery Wall

Whether you have just moved home, or you feel as though your living room is missing that little extra something, a gallery wall could well be the answer. An ever-popular choice, a gallery wall can transform an otherwise dull wall into something captivating for visitors, or add a personal touch to your home to make it really feel like, well, home.

Gallery walls are flexible too; they can be easily adjusted to fit the parameters of your chosen space. And, as long as you stick to an overarching theme and colour scheme for your gallery wall, you will be able to create a unique and cohesive showcase which doesn’t cost the earth. So, if you want to learn how to arrange the perfect gallery wall in your home, read on!

Plan!

Gallery walls are complicated and, as such, you shouldn’t just try and organise one on the fly – planning is paramount. Before you begin, make sure you consider the content, colours and positioning of your gallery wall, this will ensure it all comes together in the end.

The artwork

When it comes to picking your artwork, your central consideration should be trying to create a running theme, and not straying too far from this. Although, ultimately, the artwork you choose is up to you, your gallery will be a lot less confusing if your pieces are connected.

The place

Where you hang your art will largely depend on where you have space, and also where you feel it will make the biggest impact. Your living room is an obvious choice. However, having a gallery wall running parallel to your staircase can also make for an interesting visual feature.

The frames

Whether your picture frames sit in the foreground or background of your gallery will ultimately depend on your choice of artwork. If your chosen pieces are a little disparate, then tying them together with frames of a similar design is a good idea. Alternatively, if your gallery is already uniform, you could use your frames as an opportunity to create something a little more textured.

The height

Ideally, you want your centre piece to sit at eye level, which is normally around 150cm from the floor. To ensure you do this accurately, use a spirit level and a pencil to mark the holes before you begin drilling.

Balance, balance, balance

Something to keep in mind throughout the arrangement process is balance. When trying to create a gallery, it can be easy for your pieces to become diffuse. This is why it’s so important to anchor your gallery with themes, colours and frames, ensuring your gallery makes visual sense.What to Remember When Hanging Your Art

• For larger, standalone pieces, be sure to hang them at eye level, that is, around 150cm from floor to centre. This will keep them focal, and provides a platform to position further pieces.
• When arranging artwork of different sizes, make sure that each piece is aligned through the centre. This way, your gallery forms a pattern.
• When choosing artwork to go on your wall, matching the shape of the piece with the intended space is an important consideration. For example, match a horizontal piece with a horizontal wall, and so on. However, if you want to achieve the same effect, you can use multiple pieces together.
• Similarly, on a vertical wall, you can stack two landscape pieces on top of each other to create a flowing arrangement.
• If your assortment of artwork is all of a similar size, you can’t go wrong with a grid format. The consistency of the look is pleasing to the eye and can be accentuated with thematic frames.
• When making a complex arrangement, always use an anchor piece which sits at eye level. From there, you can arrange offshoot pieces differing in shape and size, while still keeping your gallery grounded.