What's Your Wall Gallery Personality?
Eclectic, ambitious, inspired, dreamer? Find out the wall-art style that has you written all over it
Natalie Myers
8 February 2015
It seems like a lot of designers have rules about how to create a good gallery wall. Some will even come to your house and consult on which pieces to hang in what composition. You can even buy frame kits to create your own gallery wall at home.
I believe the more organically created a gallery wall is, the more I want to look at it. Instead of rules, let’s look at many different ways to go about arranging your small art in gallery-like configurations.
I believe the more organically created a gallery wall is, the more I want to look at it. Instead of rules, let’s look at many different ways to go about arranging your small art in gallery-like configurations.
Eclectic. When I think of most gallery walls, I think of an eclectic mix of modern art, old photographs, small prints and random items. Our personalities are so multi-faceted that the gallery wall becomes a reflection of everything we like and want to share with our visitors. Anything and everything can make the cut in a colourful and mixed collection of interesting images and objects.
Split personality. Not content with one gallery wall? Two smaller groupings of eclectic finds does the trick, too.
Ambitious. A good gallery wall should be able to grow and grow without anyone being able to tell where it started. If you are keen on starting one, make sure you picked a large wall so you aren't limited in your search for small and beautiful framed images.
Inspired. Gallery walls do inspire. You can start one above a desk/work area and centre it around a framed memo board. The memo board becomes a constantly changing mini-gallery that fits in with the larger composition.
Dreamer. A gallery wall looks great above a sofa. The horizontal furniture piece begs for large horizontal art above. A gallery wall allows you to create a large display out of smaller images for a fraction of the cost of one giant and expensive piece. Note the clean horizontal edge along the bottom that unifies and contains the collection.
Sailor. Themed walls can be appropriate in certain contexts. A nautical inspired art wall in a beach house incorporates found objects such as oars and decorative fish hangings in a blue and white colour scheme.
Ballerina. Speaking of colour schemes, sticking to one colour can look very nice. A delicate pink is found in each image in this girl’s room gallery wall.
Lover. Do you have one shape you just love that you keep seeing again and again? A circle? A leaf? A rainbow or a heart? Think about how arranging images of one shape can look together.
Proud mum. I remember constantly asking my mother to frame every single one of my childhood paintings that I brought home for her. There was no way she could have indulged me, and not all of my paintings were THAT good, but a mum can certainly pick one wall for displaying only children’s artwork. It will make them feel like a million bucks.
Stylish ways to display your children’s art
Stylish ways to display your children’s art
Fan. You can devote a gallery wall to mostly one favourite artist, art movement or style.
Serious art buyer. It turns out you actually do have one large-format piece of art to display above your sofa, but you still yearn for a gallery wall for some of your smaller images. Here is a nice example of how that can be achieved with a balanced and symmetrical arrangement.
The perks of owning an original painting
The perks of owning an original painting
Architect. Achieve a controlled look with two horizontal rows of identically sized frames. This approach is less organic and more architecturally minded.
Commitment-phobe. I have always liked picture rails as a way of displaying a collections of small images or photos. You get the effect of the gallery wall without committing to one composition and many nail holes. You can easily rotate images by swapping out the frames only.
Nester. A combination of picture rails, mirrors, and typography make for a nice arrangement that feels very personal to this family.
SHOW US
Upload a picture of your wall gallery in the comments and tell us what you think it says about you.
MORE GALLERY IDEAS
10 Artful Gallery Ideas That’ll Wake Up Your Walls
Curate Your Own Art Gallery at Home
Work of Art: How to Rustle Up a Masterpiece
SHOW US
Upload a picture of your wall gallery in the comments and tell us what you think it says about you.
MORE GALLERY IDEAS
10 Artful Gallery Ideas That’ll Wake Up Your Walls
Curate Your Own Art Gallery at Home
Work of Art: How to Rustle Up a Masterpiece
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Only plant hydrangeas on the southern side, preferably in a sheltered position. We have ours between a 6ft colourbond fence and house. Don't forget to mulch, mulch & mulch. When planting we always use Seasol to water them - to stop stress on the plant. You can grow hydrangeas from cuttings, just dip the stem into a hormone powder. Don't give up as the results are worth it - they make gorgeous floral arrangements for inside that last for weeks!
I'm not sure what my style would be. I love photos, especially of people, not so much art. My gallery wall is nothing but black and white photos of beautiful actresses and singers from the 1930s-60s (mostly the '40s, and Deanna Durbin and Veronica Lake are in it multiple times), and I plan on eventually having a gallery wall for each of my favorite things: an astronomy themed gallery wall, an architect styled gallery wall for all of the presidents, one for 1950s pinups (mostly Gil Elvgren--I collect a lot of them! Maybe strange for a straight woman, but they just fit my tastes of style, art style, and decor so perfectly), and then a more miscellaneous one with things that make me happy, like pictures of family, dances, FDR, maybe some beautiful fabric framed.
So I guess I go from themed to eclectic! I can look at photos all day (which is why you'll have a hard time getting me out of a history museum!) and pretty much no decor makes me happier, so I'll gladly sacrifice nearly any sort of knick knack for about a million photos and posters. :) Here's my current gallery wall in my bedroom.