When my girl, Amanda, was in my neck of the woods for the holiday season, we decided to get together and do some type of project. You know, because that is what bloggers do right?
Amanda's sister was looking for a bit of help with a gallery wall in her bedroom. So that's where we focused our time. And I was beyond excited about this since I really need help in the gallery wall department and Amanda is a pro!
Wait. What? For someone who has a love for both photography and her home, you would think that I would have seventeen gallery walls. But nope, my OCD "even" self, tried a gallery wall a couple of years ago and I ended up with something uniform and simple....
And I have longed for something grand and random. Maybe something down the stairs? Down the hall? Something in the playroom? Or maybe above the sofa in our future lower level family room?
I have even played with a variety of old and thrift store frames that I have been saving over the years, laying them out in random patterns on the floor. And you know what happens every single time? It turns into a perfect square or rectangle. For some reason, this gal has a hard time making randomness.... I needed a lesson!
We started out with a bare wall, as most would.
Amanda and her sister had already framed some pieces of art and had a number of pieces to select from. They all had something in common, although, this isn't always necessary when doing a gallery wall. Just select pieces that you love and that make you happy!
The first thing Amanda did, was clear an area in front of the wall on the floor, and start laying out the frames in a random pattern. She made this look so easy. She also mentioned you could take another approach of tracing each frame onto paper and taping the templates randomly on the wall until you get the desired look. We didn't do that this time, but it is totally another option.
Once she had her desired look on the floor, she just started picking up each frame from the floor and hanging it in the same spot on the wall.
Here were the tips I had learned as she worked her gallery wall magic:
- Don't leave too much space between the frames. 1-2 inches is about perfect.
- Make sure you get a pattern figured out that you love before putting holes in your walls. Do this by either laying it out on the floor or taping templates to you walls.
- It's not always necessary {we didn't this time but you will barely notice the frames of a different color since the artwork matches so wonderfully}, but you may like to use frames that are uniform in color. Different shapes and sizes and detailing to the frames are great for visual interest, it's the color that keeps a uniform look.
- Add matting to your art. Even if it's just a scribbled watercolor painting from your two year old, matting it will make it look like a priceless piece of wall art!
As I watched at how easy and natural this whole process for her was, I was in complete awe watching the transformation take place in such a short amount of time. In less than an hour {even with some stops to listen to my excessive chatting}, she went from this:
To this!
When playing with her perfectly imperfect pattern, she started with the boldest frame in the middle, and worked her way out from there.
Most of the art is either abstract or nature related. All of the pieces carry similar tones which really brought the whole display together. My heart smiled!
I am so inspired now to tackle my own gallery wall. For realz this time. And it will be random. I am thinking lots and lots of random thoughts....
So stay tuned as I share the outcome of my tutorial with Amanda. {As soon as our weather allows me to whip out the spray paint that is}. I have the perfect spot just waiting for some gallery wall lovin'.
What other gallery wall tips and tricks have worked well for you? Am I the only gal that can't seem to do random things like this because of an "even disorder"? Anyone have any great Etsy shop recommendations as I begin searching for some perfect art pieces?
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