Do you have a wall in your home that you think could use a makeover? Maybe you love the look of gallery walls, or you’ve seen the perfect design on Pinterest, and you have to try it.
Creating a picture wall isn’t difficult, but there are ways to make your focal wall more cohesive to make a bigger impact. Here’s how you can make an eye-catching gallery wall in your home.
1. Decide On A Theme
Whether you plan to use your own pictures or artwork that you’ve collected over the years, it’s important to have a theme. Establishing a theme helps tie all your pictures together, so your image wall makes a statement.
The theme can be anything, such as a location or city, a collection of movie posters or album covers, landscapes, or a particular color. Do you want your picture wall to contain photographs of your family? Make family the theme and choose photos of different sizes.
2. Choose The Right Frame
The photographs themselves should be the focal points. While it isn’t necessarily wrong to choose bulky, decorative picture frames, you’re usually detracting from the image inside.
If you want your wall to blend together well, choose thinner frames in neutral colors. Natural wood, black, or white makes good neutral choices that fit any home. If you want a little variety, you can pick a simple color like black for most of the frames and add an occasional pop of color, such as gold.
3. Avoid Busy Backgrounds
Before you create your picture wall, you should consider the background. Is the wall painted in a neutral color, or does it have wallpaper? Walls painted in bright, neon colors or with patterned wallpaper might distract people from the artwork. It can be easy to overwhelm when there’s too much going on.
Walls in lighter colors or earthy tones are usually the best choices. However, walls in a darker color, like navy blue or black, can provide a dramatic pop of contrast that looks phenomenal in the right space.
4. Resize Images For Variety
You can go for a more uniform look and have all your photographs one size, but you can also choose pictures in different sizes. It depends on your preferences and how you want your statement wall to look.
If you do want to mix it up and choose different sizes, you can use an online image size converter to make digital pictures smaller, horizontal, or vertical. This way, you can adjust the look of your photographs before printing them and putting them on the wall.
5. Avoid Inconsistent Spacing
A common mistake people make when creating a gallery wall is inconsistent spacing. Pictures that are clumped too close together can look cluttered, while photographs that are too far apart create an awkward blank space.
Three inches apart maximum is a good rule of thumb. Whatever you choose, make sure you’re consistent with your spacing. Plan your layout to get an idea of how it’ll look on the wall.
Decorate Your Picture Wall
These five steps should help you create the perfect picture wall for your home. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little, and plan in advance to see if you like the layout.
For more home decorating advice and much more, check out some of our other articles.