Ideas For Gallery Wall Displays

Ideas for gallery wall displays

Whether it be artwork, family portraits, holiday shots, or landscapes – hanging the right pictures in your living space can help to give you that “home, sweet, home” feeling – no matter how long you have to spend there! But what is the best way to hang your prints and a1 frames to create the right atmosphere?

In this article we will talk about different methods for displaying prints on your walls, explain what impact these different methods may have on the atmosphere of your home, and tell you what to watch for if doing it yourself. 

There are lots of different ways you can display pictures in your home, and deciding which images you want to display on your walls is entirely up to you. The general rule goes, as long as you like it then anything goes! However, there are a few things you should keep in mind when creating your gallery wall.

Keep things connected

If you want your artwork to harmonize with the pieces of furniture in your room – then you need to keep proportion in mind. If you have large pieces of furniture then hanging a small print won’t work as it will just get lost, but if the picture is too large then it might feel overbearing. 

Don’t feel like you have to have white walls to hang art either – walls that are a different colour can really draw attention to the pieces you hang on them, especially if they are a similar hue to the existing furniture, carpet and accessories. If you have patterned wallpaper then this can take away from the prints you hang on there, but if you put your print in striking a1 picture frames or use a mat board behind him, this can help to draw the eye.

Arrangement is key

To ensure your pictures are the centre of attention and have the most possible impact on visitors, you need to make sure they are hung at eye level. Keep in mind though, that eye level will differ depending on whether people are standing or seated. So, your eye level in a hallway will be different to your usual eye level in a lounge, for example.

It is also usually advisable to hang pictures in lines, either to keep in line with existing contours within the room such as window ledges, door frames and so on, or an imaginary reference line that you decide on yourself.

If you decide to hang a picture to the side of a wall, rather than in the middle, then you will need to create a counter balance with another accessory or piece of furniture. Also, pictures that are arranged vertically will make your walls feel taller while horizontally placed pictures will make your room feel wider.

Some ideas for gallery arrangements

Idea 1: Hung in a row

Whether you chose to hang them horizontally or vertically, hanging them in a row is a classic arrangement. If you have pictures of various sizes then you can choose to either:

• Align them on one of the edges
• Arrange them so the centre of the images is lined up along an imaginary central line

Idea 2: Inside the lines

There doesn’t always have to be a plan for a gallery wall, sometimes they can look great even if there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the way they are laid out. Although it may be best to create some kind of harmony by keeping an imaginary geometric shape in mind, such as a circle or rectangle. Start hanging with the largest picture first, and then add smaller pictures around it.

Idea 3: On the edge

Another good tip is to line the pictures up along the top edge. This means it doesn’t matter what length or width the pictures are but the distance between them should always be the same. For best results, the pictures should all be laid out on the floor before you begin, so you can get the layout right. You might also want to use string or painters' tape to help you keep things level. 

Idea 4: Picture ledges

One good thing about picture ledges or leaning your pictures against the wall is that you don’t have to drill as many holes. It is a good way to give your room structure as well, and the bonus of ledges is that you can add other accessories as well – not just pictures. Perhaps the biggest benefit of this way of displaying is that you can move the pictures around easily, without having to fill in holes.

Idea 5: Salon style

People often think of a gallery wall as a form of organised chaos, where a numerous number of images cover the entire wall. The name “salon style” is derived from the Parisian Salons of the 18^th century and it was widely adopted by museums as a way of demonstrating overwhelming opulence. 

While this manner of hanging art may go against all traditional hanging layouts, there are still factors that connect the art. It could be that the pictures are stylistically the same, identical frames, or pictures of a similar size.

Idea 6: Split Image

If you really love the picture then don’t just display one, split it into four and make it bigger. A work of art which is split into more than one canvas is called a ‘split image’ or sometimes a ‘diptych’ or ‘triptych’ depending on how many pieces there are. To make sure the picture still makes sense, however, you should line up the separate pieces with as little space in between them as possible. 

Idea 7: Symmetrical displays

Symmetrical hanging is quite a popular trend as it makes us think that everything is in harmony. For a symmetrical display you will need at least three pictures and two of them should be the same size (at least). Think about whether you want the line of symmetry to be horizontal or vertical, and then measure and position the pictures carefully so that no irregularities are noticeable. 

Idea 8: The picture grid

Think checkerboard, and display your photos in a strict geometric pattern. Make sure all of the borders and frames are lined up along the edges and the distances between them all is the same in all directions. This trend tends to work best if all of the pictures are the same size, and using identical frames will also help to create a particularly strong overall effect. 

Idea 9: The statement piece

One picture on one wall. If you have one photo that you are really fond of then why not make it the focus of your room? It can be a small art print or a large canvas wrap, whatever you prefer, but the important thing is that is has the wall to itself, so that it becomes the centre of attention. Make sure you create a visual balance with your other furnishings. 

As you can see, there is no general formula which dictates what pictures you should hang in your home or how you should hang them, or even what you should combine them with. However, one thing is clear, before you put them up on your wall, you should lay them out on the floor and play around with them until you get the layout just right. When you’re ready, why not consider transforming your wall arrangements with a selection of our a1 poster frames?