Here I am munching on some chips and Rancho Verde wishing I could share this delicious snack with all my salsa lovers out there! But since we can’t sit down to share snack, I decided to share some gallery wall tricks instead!
By this point we have probably all seen quite a few gallery walls, and wondered how to assemble and hang one ourselves! Well my friend, lets get you working on your first gallery wall today!
You may be asking: “Why a gallery wall, what is all the hype?” Gallery walls give you the opportunity to showcase many items that tell your story, or your family’s story. Where we once hung a huge picture or mirror on our big walls, we now can make that wall much more interesting by adding a few (or a lot) of interesting pieces.
Here are a few of my favorite gallery walls – and yes, 3 of these walls have that cute wooden “Hello” sign from Hobby Lobby. I must be a big fan ;).
1. Add Dimension – You gallery wall needs some depth. Look for items that stick off the wall a few (or more) inches. Baskets, greenery, a thick frame, a shelf, or a trinket all will add some visual interest to your wall. This wall from Liz Marie has so much great dimension! The clock, shelf, spool, greenery … I love it all!
2. Different Sizes and Shapes – This gallery wall features large artwork, as well as very small pieces. This adds interest and beauty to the wall. Notice that the smallest items have the darkest shades. This is a great way to help your small items get noticed and prevents them from being overwhelmed by the entire gallery.
3. Various Colors and/or Shades – This gallery wall features black, white, grey, gold, brown, tan … and it looks great! She stayed within a neutral hue without being monochromatic.
Whatever hue(s) you use, try to rein in your pops of color using this trick:
Choose your color. Then find a highlight and a lowlight. Also choose a complimentary accent color . For example – color: blue, highlight: navy blue, lowlight: light blue, accent: yellow.
In the image above her color was brown (wood tones). Her highlight: black, lowlight: white, accent: gold.
The Schmidt Home
4. Add Multiple Textures – Ideas for this may be wood, fur, greenery, detailed/beveled metal, or fabric.
This one hangs in my living room. The focal point is that fabulous fox. Every time my 3 year old daughter and I walked past that print at Hobby Lobby we would comment on how cute he was. This went on for about 6 months, when one day I walked by it and thought – man I am going to be sad when they stop carrying that! And that is when I knew he had to come home with me. I smile every time I look at that hipster fox. I built around the fox using different metals, greenery, wood, and glass.
The Schmidt Home
5. Use Meaningful Items – items that tell your story are awesome because it tells visitors a bit about you. They are also great conversation pieces. It is so fun to tell your guests your favorite stories as they ask about unique items that you have on your gallery wall (or any area of your house).
The picture above is one that I helped my friend assemble. These items all have meaning for her family and it tells visitors a bit about them.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about meaningful items you may have: frame your previous house keys in a shadow box, a vintage map of the town where you grew up, pictures (they do not need to be professional pictures, maybe a favorite picture of your favorite person that you just took with your phone), an item or image that represents your work/hobby, a favorite saying that you always use, or a memento.
You do not need to use all of these tips to make a fabulous gallery wall. These ideas are just meant to help give you some direction on where to start.
For more gallery wall ideas and inspiration, check out this post from Shutterfly!
