8 Tips for Creating a Gorgeous Gallery Wall
Despite being a designer and a very visual person, hanging wall art has been a point of paralysis. My general assumptions of uniformity (e.g., frame type) and centered hanging have left me with walls that haven’t felt quite right. Over the last year while we’ve been redesigning our home, I’ve been studying and collecting nuggets of wisdom regarding gallery walls. I’m thrilled today to partner with Minted -- where I’ve recently procured some gorgeous art -- to share some tips and inspiration to cozy up your home via art.
To back up briefly, you may already know about Minted's beautiful holiday cards. Minted features the work of independent designers (I've been honored to have a few designs represented in their collection) and over the summer they rolled out their art marketplace. SO. BRILLIANT. The marketplace offers a wide range of styles (close to 1,800 pieces!) with a variety of frame options (hanging hardware pre-installed -- HOORAY!). Here are 8 tips for creating a beautiful gallery wall that will feel truly yours, including some of my favorite picks from Minted.
1. Evaluate what you have (and what you don't). Walk around your home and collect favorite existing art, photos, and small wall hangings so you can map out a wall and identify what you need. If you have frames that are due for a fresh image, grab those too. I ended up having a lot of frames with photos that were ready to swap out; I ordered several pieces of Minted art unframed, which makes for very affordable procurement!
2. Anchor your wall. Use 2-4 pieces to anchor the center of your gallery. We have a vibrant Heather Pilchard landscape as one of our anchors. Something like this gorgeous Summering Forever piece by Emily Jeffords or Lindsay Megahed’s Summer Clouds (which I ordered for our reading nook) would make for gorgeous, vibrant anchors.
3. Vary frames. I used to think everything needed to be in a black matte frame. Not so! Mixing black and white frames creates a modern, minimal aesthetic. We're adding gold or natural frames in to a largely black and white mix to add warmth. To make for a more eclectic collection, include vintage or weathered frames.
4. Mix frame/art elements. Add visual interest by mixing paintings, photos, frame styles, and sizes. I love Minted's recommendation of contrasting within pieces; meaning, pair vintage frames with modern art or photography and modern frames for old oils or high art pieces. For example, pair this Hello Zebra! print with a distressed frame or Almond Milk with a natural French farmhouse frame.
5. Create harmony via color. One way to create harmony with a gallery wall (while still mixing elements) is via color. For our wall, I'm creating harmony with neutrals and then adding pops of color. I like the double impact of neutral and nature, such as through this Leaf print by Anna Yarm and Serene Forest by Hooray Creative. I ordered both of these pieces and they are so soothing!
6. Create a story. Be sure to include items that have meaning to you; for example, art collected on a vacation or favorite family photos. For personal photos Minted recommends including candid, non-staged photography for a more elevated look. I ordered this African drum print given that I wanted a musical element in our gallery and also as a nod to my trip to Ethiopia.
7. Don’t worry about exact linearity! Gallery walls can be a little intimidating if you’re trying to make everything matchy matchy and lined up perfectly. The good news? It will look more artful if it's not matchy matchy and lined up perfectly! You can plan it out easily in advance by using paper templates (and find plenty of inspiration for arrangement on Pinterest). Break up lines with 3D or nonlinear objects. Or incorporate round art such as R Studio's Surround Me, Paper Dahlia's Sunrise Sunset, or Kelly Ventura's Soma.
8. Avoid overwhelm by narrowing your search. As I mentioned, the Minted art collection is huge, with nearly 1,800 items. As you evaluate what you have (tip #1), narrow your search to balance out your collection. For example, we have a lot of landscape pieces and so I narrowed my search for abstract neutral pieces (such as The Rapids) to counterbalance. I’m also hoping that at some point Minted builds in the ability to search artists by state so I can support local designers!
So gorgeous right? I hope you have fun browsing the Minted collection and sprucing up your walls!
Image credits: Minted