How to Design the Perfect Photo Gallery Wall

Do you have family photos just lying around or stuck on a USB, waiting to be displayed in a beautiful way? Gallery walls are the perfect way to show off your favorite memories and add some style to your home and boost your kiddos confidence! Say what? It’s true! Studies have shown that children who grow up with family photos displayed are  more likely to feel a sense of belonging and connection within their family. As an adult, I can certainly attest to this! Looking at photos of my childhood brings back all the feels. Now that I’m a mama, I find myself revisiting our family photos to relive all of the wonderful fleeting moments and milestones. Having my favorite images on the walls in our home makes me smile every single day. I hope I can help you do the same.

If you’re thinking of creating a gallery wall in your home but have been overwhelmed with indecision, keep reading for tips on how to design the perfect gallery wall for your space or contact us to do it all for you.

In this post, I will walk you through each of these steps to design your dream gallery wall:

• Decide on a wall
• Choose a focal point
• Choose a layout or Select one from our Gallery Wall Design Guide
• Select your Favorite Images and Frames
• Measure and install
• Enjoy for years to come!

Decide which wall to display the gallery on.

Deciding on a wall is the first step in designing your gallery wall. You’ll want to consider the amount of space you have, the natural light in the room, and what furniture or other items will be nearby. If you have a large blank wall, that’s great! But if you’re working with a smaller space, don’t worry, you can still create a beautiful gallery wall. Just be mindful of the other elements in the room and make sure your gallery doesn’t overwhelm the space.

Some things to keep in mind as you’re deciding:

• How much natural light does the space get? If it’s a sunny spot, your photos may fade over time if they’re hanging in direct sunlight.
• What is the function of the room? Do you spend a lot of time in the space? A gallery wall in your living room looks great and allows you and your family to enjoy it often.
• Do you want to add on to the gallery wall as your family grows? Hallways and staircases are great because you can add onto it for the entire length of the space.
• My personal favorite spots for gallery wall displays are prominent or offset walls that are seen often but are not in direct sunlight. I love creating a backdrop or framing my gallery wall by painting it a different color – y’all know my love for black paint – it can really transform a space and make your photos pop. By choosing an offset wall, you can easily create a stand alone gallery that is a piece of art in itself.
• There are a few places I avoid when it comes to gallery displays: Skip kitchens and bathrooms where condensation and humidity can damage frames, mats, and photographs. All of our wall art is printed on premium, museum quality cotton paper. These cotton fibers soak up pigment like a dream and render the most stunning fine art prints. The detail is preserved so well in these prints that they almost look 3D – can you tell I’m obsessed? I promise you will be too, once you see them.

Choose a focal point for your gallery wall.

Choosing a focal point is the second step. This is where you decide what will be the center of attention in your gallery wall. This will be the largest piece in your gallery and will help to anchor your wall. Once you have selected your focal point, you can begin planning the rest of your gallery around it.

Decide on the layout of your frames.

Do you prefer a more uniform symmetrical aesthetic or an eclectic blend of sizes and finishes?   If you are looking for a symmetrical gallery wall, all of your frames will be identical in size and shape. When deciding on how many frames to include in your gallery wall, always go with an odd number to create visual interest.

For a more relaxed, eclectic look, choose a variety of frame sizes and finishes.  Just be sure to maintain some sort of order, or common thread, so that your gallery doesn’t look too chaotic. When it comes to deciding how many frames to include, again, odd numbers are your friend.

Don’t know which style to go with?

If neither options screams a big fat yes to you, I recommend the following a quick visual scan of your room:

• Is it formal, neat, orderly? Does it have a lot of rectangles and clean lines? If your space has a lot of rectangles and symmetrical objects and arrangements, try an eclectic gallery. This will balance out your space and create visual interest since it’s relatively unexpected. Eyes will immediately gravitate to your photo wall.
• Is your room already eclectic and sorta chaotic? Switch it up and go with a symmetrical wall. The orderly grid pattern will balance out your room nicely and draw attention to the photo display.

{Click here to view our gallery wall design inspiration guide} or contact us to help you make it happen!

Select your photos & artwork.

What makes a great gallery wall? One key element is choosing the right images. The photos you select should be unified by a common theme or visual element. For example, you might choose to showcase black-and-white portraits, or punchy bright colored images from your family and milestone sessions. Whatever you decide, make sure to keep at least one common thread that ties everything together. For example, if you choose to display bold colorful images, you can pair them with the same sleep black frame in different sizes.

For a calming effect, stick to a color story that pairs with the existing hues in the room, like the walls, window treatments, rugs, pillows, and throws. For a more arresting affect, use complementary colors – we are hardwired to stop and notice contrast so use this approach when you want a show stopper display.

If you’re not a person who naturally knows which colors blend well together, creating a black and white gallery wall will offer a classy and timeless statement. It’s always the safest option if you don’t know for sure!

Measure and hang your artwork.

Before you start hanging your framed photos, it’s important to take measurements of the wall space you have to work with. This will help you determine how many photos you can fit and how much spacing is needed in between each one. Arrange the center of the grouping at eye level (roughly 60″ from the floor). Generally speaking, you should allow for at least 3 inches of space between each image. Once you have your measurements, mark on the wall where each photo will go. Then, using nails or picture hangers, start hanging your photos in place. If you’re not happy with the results, don’t be afraid to adjust the spacing or rearrange the order of the photos until you get it just right. At Studio Eleven Eleven we create mock-ups for our clients so that they know exactly what their wall will look like with the framed images they have selected in place. We create “Grow with Me” gallery walls that clients can add to with each session and do custom installations so our clients don’t have to.

Enjoy your beautiful gallery wall.

Congrats! You have a beautiful photo gallery wall to enjoy for generations and can rest assured that your children will feel the love every time they stop to notice their images proudly displayed. On a personal note, this is what I imagine when I capture family photos; that the prints will be displayed on a wall or in an a {heirloom album} and that children will stop to admire the connections they see in the photographs. I imagine them gazing at an image of their parents laughing, dancing, or simply holding hands and realize just how beautiful that is.

Gallery walls can be a beautiful addition to any room in your home. By following the steps in this post, you can create your own custom gallery wall that is perfect for your space. If you need help designing or hanging your gallery wall, my team at Studio Eleven Eleven is happy to assist. Contact us today and let us help you create a stunning photo display that will be loved by all who see it!