Create your own gallery wall

The inspiration for my gallery wall was this large painting of Neyo and Nala that I had done by a local St. Louis artist – Cbabi. When I first brought this painting home, I hung it by itself on a huge wall in our great room.  It just didn’t work.  After watching a few online tutorials and reading up on gallery wall tips, I decided to put a gallery wall together featuring this painting. While it was intimidating at first, the project turned out to be fun, and I love the results.  Here is my process and what I learned.   

​The first thing I did was gather up art that was meaningful to me.  In addition to the painting of Neyo and Nala, I knew I wanted to use a painting we had done of my Mom’s house in DC. I also was drawn to the idea of having a number as part of the wall, so I bought an inexpensive “27” off Etsy.com for $6 or so.  Omba and I were married on the 27th of August ? I liked the style of the font and the vintage look.  I also included some original art by Neyo and Nala and some family photos.  Once I had my collection of meaningful items, I added to things I already had, keeping in mind that I wanted an array of shapes, colors and sizes.  One tip is that it’s helpful to have at least one oversized piece to anchor the group.

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I laid out all the art on the floor first in a room we don’t use, and for me, that was a helpful first step.  I placed the largest piece to the right of center and built out from there. For about two weeks, I played with the collection, thought about what frames would look best, and moved things around.  I think that if I had rushed the process, I might not have been as happy with the result.  It helped me to look at things with fresh eyes and make changes here and there.  Because I wanted a more modern look, I opted for frames that were 1” or thinner.  I think wide frames tend to look a bit more rustic and that’s not the vibe I was going for.  I also selected frames that were white, black, and sprinkled in wood tones for a more modern, but eclectic look.  I spaced the frames at least 3” from each other but tried to keep them close enough to look cohesive.

​When it came to actually hang the art, I used quite a few command strips, so there aren’t too many holes in the wall.  This made it easy to change spacing or add/take away art.  If you are intimidated by a gallery wall, you don’t have to be!  I hope my story inspires you to get creative with art in your home.

Here are a few resources and links

1. Great video tutorial by Studio McGee - https://youtu.be/fs2nhtvpXI4
2. Helpful post by Emily Henderson - https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/the-guide-to-a-hanging-a-good-gallery-wall
3. Cbabi’s website - http://cbabibayoc.com/
4. Command strips I used (They come in different sizes; I bought a variety) - Amazon