Meaningful Gallery Walls
Gallery walls are one of our favourite design elements to add visual interest and some personality to a space. As moms, we especially love having spaces in our homes that showcase family memories; however photo gallery walls are just one of many types of gallery walls that can bring a space to life. There are many schools of thought and approaches to creating a great gallery wall, but we recognize that preferences come into play when deciding which design “rules” to follow...or not. Given this, we’ve come up with our favourite gallery wall creating tips and tricks no matter your personal preferences:
Weight and height. One of the “rules” is to hang your largest and heaviest piece on the bottom left corner of your gallery wall. While we do recommend keeping the weight low, left doesn’t always make sense depending on what else is going on in the space and what other elements you are trying to balance. Laying it out on the floor or taping it out with painter’s tape right on the wall are safe ways to play around a bit before committing to holes in the wall. Again, height depends on the height of your ceilings, as well as furniture it is hanging above or near (and what is placed on the furniture). As a rule of thumb, the bottom of a gallery should be about six to twelve inches if above a piece of furniture and if you are hanging above something like a sofa or bed, ensure there is enough head clearance when sitting on the furniture.
Mixed mediums. Don’t shy away from mixing other types of pictures and design elements into a gallery wall. A photo ledge or other decor items, such as a wall clock or a potted plant are a great way to add depth and visual interest. For example, in this family travel gallery wall below, far left, we have included a map of home as the focal point, with family travel photos surrounding (a few on a photo ledge next to an indoor plant), as well as a wall clock to break up all the corners. Some gallery walls can even have no pictures at all!
Different...but the same. Frames don’t all have to be the same, and in fact mixing frames can give an eclectic vibe if that’s your jam, however keeping to the same colour and/or material will allow for a more calming, cohesive feel. For example, we personally like to stick to either light or dark frames within the same wall, depending on the photos or art itself to enhance or balance out its features. Similarly, we generally like to decide on either matted or not and stick to either colour or black and white photos or art within one gallery wall. Oh and keeping the space between pieces consistent (we like a one and a half to two inch gap) certainly adds to a cleaner look.
Regardless of the look you love, we believe that the best gallery walls are the ones that are meaningful to you. Whether it’s photos that remind you of happy days gone by or art that you just plain love, make sure that it deserves to be the centrepiece of your space.
