Add interest to your home with a gallery wall
Interior designers talk a lot about creating a gallery wall in your home. But what is it, and how do you go about making one?
According to Stephanie Gouthro, a gallery wall is a unique way to hang art, photographs, or items in a collection of several pieces all on one wall to add visual interest. They are a great way to incorporate all your favourite art pieces together, much like a collage.
Gouthro knows all about design. She operates 3R Design Studio, a business that focuses on design, renovations and decorating in Sydney.
Gallery walls have been around for a while, so they aren't necessarily a new trend, she says. Trends, however, can develop depending on the composition and style of images you group together.
When it comes to creating your gallery wall, Gouthro offers the following advice to get started.
Before you start, gather the materials you will need, including a hammer and nails.
"Picture-hanging kits can be a lifesaver, as they come with hooks, nails, wire for backing," she says. "You will also need a level, art, a blank wall and, of course, your creativity."
If you have a previous hole in the wall, fill it with toothpaste, then paint, and the hole should disappear. It's a quick fix but doesn't replace proper putty and sanding, she says.
You really need two people to create a gallery wall, she adds.
"One person is needed to hold up the picture and one to stand back and see if the placement is good," says Gouthro.
DESIGNING YOUR WALL
First, decide where you want your gallery wall to go. It can go over the couch, in the dining room, or any place you want to have a grouping with photographs and art.
Collect all the pictures you want to hang. Look at the overall composition of the subjects and landscapes you have selected. You can make the overall look as one colour throughout or provide a mixture. Gouthro recommends choosing pieces that complement each other.
Look for good composition and colour in your prints and artwork that are similar in tone or feeling. Also, try to blend and match similar colour frames that mix well together.
"Above all, put things on display that you love and that give you joy when you look at them," she says.
Flea markets, second-hand stores and thrift places will always have lots of frames, even if you don't like the photo in them, says Gouthro. Scoop them up for the frames and replace the picture.
If you have objects from your travels, like a long mask or a decorative piece, use them in your overall composition, she suggests. They will add dimension and interest to your overall look.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
Think of a gallery wall as a picture within a picture, says Gouthro.
"If you are creating one over your couch, the whole outline should be about onethird the length of the couch," she says.
The easiest way to begin is by laying your pictures/items/ art on the floor and spacing them according to how big you want the overall picture to be. See how they could all fit together like a puzzle.
When you are making a gallery wall you want to think of the overall dimensions of the grouping as a whole.
You can mix and match frames. That's the beauty of making a gallery wall, she says. You can either have all different frames and styles or go for a uniform look that are all the same colour and thickness.
As a rule of thumb, Gouthro advises leaving about three to four inches between pictures, but this increases or decreases depending on the overall space that you are filling.
Always use the floor, if possible, to lay out the pictures beforehand, says Gouthro. You can use painter's tape and map out the overall dimensions — first on the floor, then on the wall.
Start with the largest picture as your anchor. Then fill in the corners, adding, subtracting, and re-arranging when needed.
Once you have some pictures arranged, stand back, and access the open space. What size and dimension of the next picture will fit your gallery wall?
Keep filling in the open spaces with pieces that are equally spaced and fit in the remaining blank spaces. See how all the pictures together make one big piece of art.
"Again, have the layout on the floor first, then hang on the wall," she advises.
TIPS FOR HANGING ART
When hanging pictures, Gouthro says it's important to start by marking where you will hang the picture, then apply a piece of scotch tape to the wall where you marked, and finally put the nail on the tape.
"This trick saves your paint if you have to take out the nail and or rehang a picture," she says.
Go online: Learn more at https://3rdesignstudio.ca/