How to Create a Gallery Wall

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Start by laying out all the pieces you are planning to use in the gallery wall, on the floor.  Once you find an arrangement you like, measure the overall height and width of the grouping to make sure it will fit on the wall where you plan to hang it.  If it is too large, make adjustments as needed.  

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Brown craft paper can be a great tool for hanging gallery walls. You can use it in a couple of ways:

1. Roll out the paper on the floor and place your pieces on top.  Arrange the pieces in whatever way you want them to hang on the wall.  Then outline the pieces on the paper.  Once you have your outlines drawn, remove the pieces from the paper and hang the paper on the wall.  This will show you if you need to adjust any spacing between pieces OR if you need to adjust the group’s placement on the wall. 

2. You can trace the outline of each piece you are including in the gallery wall on the craft paper.  Then cut out the shape and tape to the wall.  You are then free to move the shapes around as much as you like until you land on an arrangement that pleases you.  If you want to take it a step further, you can mark on the paper shape where the hanging mechanism is located.  That allows you to nail right through the paper and eliminates the possibility of placing the nail in the wrong place.

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As a rule of thumb, start with 2” between pieces in a gallery wall.  Depending on the size of the pieces, you may need to adjust this to be more or less than 2”. Hang smaller items close together, while spacing out larger pieces. This offers good balance.  

The center of an art piece, or a gallery wall should fall around 60” from the floor.  Again, this may be adjusted if your ceilings are exceptionally high, or if your family members are tall.  Start at 60” and adjust based on what looks right with the scale of your room.

Your design aesthetic will dictate the style of your gallery wall.  A minimalist may prefer black and white photos in black frames with white mats arranged in neat rows.  Someone with an eclectic style may hang oil paintings in ornate frames next to abstract prints in simple frames.  The most important thing to remember is that the wall should reflect YOU and your style.  What do you want the space to say about you?  That should be what guides your choices for the grouping.

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