Getting the Gallery Wall

As a artist and collector I think a gallery wall is a great way to show off a grouping of art and objects. It also allows you to give a grouping of small pieces the feel of a large piece of art. Many people are a bit bewildered about where to begin and how to make the pieces work together. There is no one “right” way but I can give you a few ideas that will help make the process a little easier.

• It is easiest to start with your largest piece in the middle and radiate the other pieces around it. Remember don’t start too high, A good rule of thumb is to hang  art centered at eye level but, on a gallery wall this will mean you START at eye level and work your way around. The exception to this might be if you are hanging items over a piece of furniture like a sofa or desk you might even go a little lower so the items can relate..

  

• Practice your layout on the floor first that way you can rearrange until you find a good balance without pitting a bunch of holes in the wall. ***before you start hanging take a quick photo*** You are sure to forget what goes where once you start picking thing up to put them on the wall.

• Hang piece close together, an inch or two apart is usually plenty, and try to keep that spacing consistent. You want the pieces to work together to give the feeling of one solid work not a bunch of random pieces scattered around the wall.

• Try using matching frames or similar art. For my gallery over my desk I used only black and silver frames and all the art is black and white.

• Use a common color theme.

• Hang single size pieces in a grid.

• Don’t think a gallery wall is only about framed art, by combining any like item for your display you will create your very own sort of gallery.

•  Make sure to keep it balanced, this does not mean it has to be symmetrical. If a gallery wall is properly balanced you can keep adding pieces with out anyone every knowing where the gallery began. While the wall below looks random it does not feel lopsided and still allow plenty of space to add new pieces.

• Keep going! I never want to feel like their isn’t any more room to add a piece of art, so when all else fails hang you gallery wall floor to ceiling!