Four things to consider when planning your gallery wall

Dec 06, 2022

As gallery walls become increasingly popular, it's fun to explore how to put one together. There are four important choices to make when deciding on how your gallery wall will be displayed. Ready for them? 


Sizing


This is one that many people like to have happen more organically, but it's still good to think about as it could change how you feel about your gallery. Are you going to look for pieces that are one size or will you have a variety of sizes? Personally, I like a little variety in a gallery wall, but I know some people who may not approve. They prefer to have all their pieces be the same size to make the wall feel cohesive. I like to keep my gallery walls more about the art. Life is chaotic, so I try to embrace it occasionally. 

Grouping of three "art pieces" that have different sizes. Grouping of three "art pieces" that have the same size.


Grouping


How your pieces are grouped offers a lot of options. Some people prefer to have their wall be centered around a specific theme. Maybe all the pieces are displaying the beach, lighthouses, or the night sky, for example. Another option includes all the pieces having a similar style. (Maybe they're all black and white.) Yet another possibility is to have pieces create a rainbow effect across the whole wall, or maybe all the pieces share some sort of common line that makes your eyes travel across the gallery. There are so many possibilities!

A group of three pieces with mostly blue and green. A grouping of four pieces with a nature theme.


Placement


Placement is another feature of gallery walls you can experiment with. For example, you can have your pieces, evenly spaced out in rows, forming a grid across the wall. If you're embracing the chaos of life like I try to, you may decide to have more random spacing or *gasp* no spacing! Whichever you choose, I'm sure it'll look great.

A more chaotic grouping of artwork shows one slightly further away from the others. This grouping of artwork shows one larger piece above a row of four smaller pieces that are evenly spaced.

Framing


Personally, I don't bother with frames for my stretched canvas art. I like being able to see the painted edges, but framing can add some elegance to a wall. Options here include: using matching frames, using a variety of different frames, using a few frames, or using no frames at all. Each option can drastically change how the wall is viewed. Imagine having a wall with black frames, but only one piece has a bright red frame. It would definitely draw attention to that particular piece. Is that piece the most important? Or is it the black (I mean, red) sheep of the wall? It could be a fun conversation starter. I know I'd ask why that one is framed in red. :D
A grouping of three art pieces that are each framed the same way. A group of three art pieces. One with a white frame, one with a gold frame, and one with no frame.