How to Build a Gallery Wall Without Regretting It

A gallery wall is either the best thing in a room or a mess of holes and regret. The difference is entirely in the preparation, and the preparation happens on the floor rather than on the wall.

Step one: gather more than you need

Collect everything you might include. Prints, photographs, small objects, a mirror, anything framed. Aim for about a third more pieces than you think you will use, because editing down is easier than filling gaps.

Mixing sizes is what makes a gallery wall look collected rather than bought as a set. A wall of nine identical frames is a grid, which is a different and also good thing, but it is not a gallery wall.

Step two: find the unifying thread

A gallery wall needs one thing in common or it reads as chaos. Pick one:

• All the same frame colour, with varied art
• All the same art style or palette, with varied frames
• All the same subject, such as black and white photography

Two threads is safer than none. Three and you have made a set.

Step three: lay it out on the floor

Measure your wall area and mark the same area on the floor with tape. Then arrange.

Working principles:

• Start with the largest piece, slightly off centre, and build outward from it.
• Keep the outer edge roughly rectangular. Ragged outer edges are what make an arrangement look accidental.
• Distribute visually heavy pieces, meaning dark or dense ones, rather than clustering them on one side.
• Keep gaps consistent. 1.5 to 2.5 inches between frame edges. Consistency here does more than anything else.

Photograph the layout when you like it. You will need the photo later and you will not remember the arrangement.

Step four: paper templates

This is the step people skip and it is the one that saves the wall.

Trace each frame onto paper, cut it out, and mark where the hook or wire sits on each one. Tape the paper shapes to the wall in your arrangement using low tack tape.

Live with it for a day. Look at it in daylight and at night. Adjust freely, because moving paper costs nothing and moving nails does not.

When you are happy, drive the fixing straight through the paper at the marked point, then tear the paper away.

Height and position

Treat the whole arrangement as one piece. Its combined centre should sit at 57 to 62 inches from the floor. Above a sofa or sideboard, use the furniture instead: 6 to 12 inches of gap, and keep the total width to roughly two thirds of the furniture below.

Practical notes

• Use a level. Eyes are unreliable and a gallery wall magnifies a tilt.
• Check the wall type before drilling. Plasterboard needs anchors.
• Leave room to grow if you plan to add pieces. Building outward later is much easier than rebuilding.

Browse frames and wall pieces in our home decor range.