How to Create Your Own Gallery Wall!

by Blake Davies September 18, 2020

Moving into a new flat this month? Do you have artworks just laying around? Perhaps you just want to spruce up your space as we head into a new season? One of the best ways to personalise your place is to create your very own gallery wall!

Gallery walls are an easy and budget-friendly way to decorate your flat, showcasing all of your favourite photos, art prints, or even those masterpiece paintings you’ve created from the Brush and Bubbles step by step painting tutorials! Do you have a mixture of all of the above? Even better! Gallery walls are meant to be unique! So, throw in some memories of your past adventures to really make it your own.

Photo by Annette McGee on Unsplash

Now before you get started, there a few steps you want to consider so that this little DIY project goes smoothly:

Choose the space you want to design.

This is the first step because you really want to understand the space you have to work with for your gallery wall. Some places you might want to try could be that lonely looking wall in the living room, the unused space above your bed, that awkwardly-shaped area along your stairway, or hey, even your bathroom! Wherever you think needs a little extra love, let’s get cracking on making it magical!

Photo by Deborah Diem on Unsplash

Make a collection of all the works you want to display.

This may seem daunting but it’s actually the funnest part of the process! It gives you a chance to scavenge around your storage and do a little inventory of your creativity. Gather everything you have lying around - photos, paintings, posters, prints, postcards (wow that’s a lot of P’s). Maybe you’re one for nostalgia and have some concert tickets, maybe old movie tickets, even an old CD or scratched vinyl that’s really never used these days - the sky is really the limit and the more unique to you the better!

Photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash

Decide on a layout style and plan it out.

Once you’ve got all your fun and fabulous pieces out and organised, it’s time to make this dream come to reality! There are a few different trends you could follow for your gallery wall but like mentioned before, this project is all about your personal preference so go wild!

Select any pieces you’d like to frame. As always, you have options with this - you could go for a sleek and uniformed look with the same colour frames or make it eclectic with different colour frames for that cosy look. You can also experiment with different size frames or perhaps you want to continue that uniform grid aesthetic and make them all the same sized pieces - this really depends on the works you want to display!

Photo by Jo Szczepanska on Unsplash

If you want to make sure it looks good on the wall beforehand, I recommended taking the time to mock it up! Grab some paper - craft paper, tissue paper, newspaper - whatever you have to measure out your pieces on, cut to size and tape to your wall.

Have a play around with the layout - a good tip is to space the pieces about 2 inches to 4 inches apart so they don’t appear too crowded. Once you’re happy with the look, it’s time to bring this project to fruition!

Hang your works and enjoy!

Now, this final step can seem quite nerve-wracking but you’ve taken all the steps to make sure it goes smoothly, so do not worry - you’ve got this! If you’re confident with putting nails into the wall, be sure to understand the wall you’re displaying on! If you don’t want to risk it, a great cheap and easy tip is to use command strips to avoid the time you’ll spend covering up those pesky holes.

Once your pieces are all hung up and placed where you want them, make yourself a tasty drink and celebrate because you’ve just created your very own DIY Art Gallery - YAY! It’s time to enjoy.