Gallery walls have been big news over the last few years. The explosion of affordable art print companies on Instagram means that there has never been more art to choose from and with a gallery wall you can mix up all of your fabulous choices into one big display.

Galllery wall by the Queen of gallery walls @_Lisa_Dawson_

But how do I curate my gallery wall like Lisa’s without it looking like a giant mash up I hear you ask? Well, there are a few considerations but this should also be balanced with not overthinking it too much either.

Step 1

Only choose art that you really, really love. Look at Lisa’s gallery wall above. She’s mixed family photos with oil paintings, typography and posters and it works for four reasons.

She loves every piece and each one is part of her personality.
She’s chosen only black, white or wood frames. This gives the gallery wall some cohesion.
She’s pulled out some of the colours in the gallery wall with the colours of the cushions on the sofa which creates harmony.
The pictures are hung so that together they form a rough landscape but, Lisa being Lisa, a couple of are slightly off. This ‘quirk’ works though because she likes quirky things and this makes her feel happy at home.

Step 2

Know your core style. Lisa is the queen of the ECLECTIC interior - she’s a natural at mixing the old with the new and this makes her very happy in her home. However, your core style may not be the same. Ask yourself how you want to FEEL at home and this is how you start to work out your core style. I love old and new too but I also like to feel very calm at home and my first love is Scandinavian inspired light coloured rooms.

My muted gallery wall in the dining room.

My gallery wall therefore is much more pared back than Lisa’s. I’ve stuck to a colour palette of black, white and mustard and all the frames are black. I’ve introduced a little bit of quirk with the random wall plate and by using yellow washi tape to hang some of the prints but again these elements are firmly within the colour palette. This keeps the gallery wall looking calm and harmonious. The whole gallery wall forms roughtly a portrait shape but not quite - again the elements of quirk in my gallery wall allow this.

So what is your core style? Do you favour a traditional interior, .a mid century interior, a shabby chic interior or a contemporary interior? Are you a minimalist or a maximalist? There are loads of interior styles of course and it’s likely that you like different elements of several of them (I know I do!) but let’s just look at a couple of them and how they might influence how you arrange your gallery wall.

Traditional.

If you like traditiional interiors then you will favour symetry and muted colours like beige and navy. You will like everything to match and you will like the room to feel ordered. If this is the case then this sort of gallery wall will be for you:

This gallery wall works as all of the frames are the same colour and size, the images are all the same size and the whole gallery forms an orderly grid. This sort of gallery wall is very easy to achieve and is very easy to live with. Although it is traditional, it would look great in a Scandi interior, a minimalist interior or a comtemporary grey interior. It is an excellent ‘starter’ gallery wall if you’re nervous about tryiing one. You could also adapt this to suit you if you like some elements of the traditional style but not all of it. Think about using just the grid arrangement, or just the black and white art, or just the black frames as the element that pulls your gallery wall together.

Contemporary

If you favour a contemporary style then you will like a lot of the mid century modern furniture around at the moment - low profile sofas and chairs and, again, muted colours but more towards the whites, greys, and blushes. If this is the case then you may prefer this sort of gallery wall:

This gallery wall works as all the frames are the same colour - pale wood - and all the images are within a grey white and pink colour palette. The gallery wall arrangement is less formal but because all the colours are harmonious then it still looks very cohesive. Also, if you look at the arrangement, there is always one line per piece that is at the same level as it’s neighbour. This gallery wall would work very well in a traditional, contemporary, Scandi or mid century interior. Again, you can adapt it to suit your own taste - think about using frames that pick up on the colour of the wood you already have in the room (I like to stick to one wood shade in a room) or think about using some metal frames if you have gold or chrome accessories in the room (again, I prefer one or the other, not both coloured metals).

Step 3

Do you want your gallery wall to dominate or blend in with the room? Again, this goes back to your core style and how you want to feel in the room. If you want it to dominate then think about using a few of the tricks mentioned above - clashing colours, genres of art or mixed frame colours. The more you mix these elements up, the more eclectic and maximalist your gallery wall will look and the more it will dominate a room. If you want it to blend in and not ‘fight’ with other furniture or colours in your room then think about what you already have in that room and use materials and colours that match. The more minimalist you are, the more pared back your art colours and frame choices should be. I personally don’t think it matters about the genres as long as there is a frame or colour linking each of the images in your gallery wall.

An electic gallery wall that is still cohesive as it uses matching frame colours and themed images (female faces). The addition of a guitar and skull are quirky but it still doesn’t dominate the room because of the neutral colour palette. Source: Pi… — An electic gallery wall that is still cohesive as it uses matching frame colours and themed images (female faces). The addition of a guitar and skull are quirky but it still doesn’t dominate the room because of the neutral colour palette. Source: Pinterest.

Step 4

Do you want to add to or draw attention to the height or width to your room? If you have a tall, skinny room then think about arranging your gallery wall in a landscape arrangement as this will make the room seem wider. If you have a short, wide wall then think about arranging your gallery wall in a portrait style as this will make the room seem taller.

This portrait arrangement of art shows off the scale and height of this room and the darkest colour and biggest picture at the top also draws your eye up. Source: Pinterest.

So, it’s a bit of a minefield and as I said, you don’t really want to overthink your gallery wall as you’ll get paralysed! However, if you:

Choose art that you love.
Frame it according to your core style and existing room colours and materials.
Arrange it according to your core style - formal or minimal to eclectic or maximalist and all the nuances in between.
Think a little about what your room needs in lines and scales.

Then you can’t go far wrong! Mostly, though, just go for it, be brave and give it a try. Hooks and nails can be moved and filled or you can use Command picture hangers if you’re worried about knocking nails into the wall.

Practice makes perfect and it’s not until you actually try these things that you’ll know what you like. Good luck!