2019 could well be the year of the gallery wall, a trend that shows no signs of slowing down as yet. Gallery walls are popular because they are easy to bring together with smaller, cheaper pieces of art (whether bought or home made or a combination thereof) and because you can freshen them up often by changing a few of your key pieces around, or by adding new.
Their popularity has grown 5x in the last two years. According to this Architectural Digest 2016 article the hashtag gallerywall had been used 130,000 times on Instagram whereas in January 2019 this hashtag already appears in 730,000 posts.
Gallery walls add visual interest in a room as well as depth (especially when you use photo prints like the ones below). they are Gallery walls are an original way to personalise your space. What’s so great about them? They offer infinite possibilities and can be adapted to pretty much any style and any budget. To get it right, simply respect a few principles.
PICK A THEME
It can be either the art theme or the frame but you need to get a bit of consistency around your project: choose a dominant colour, a style of picture and prints… Without coherence, your gallery wall can easily become heavy. Coordination is key!
ORGANISATION
The configuration of your gallery is really important, make some tests on the floor first or use masking tape to plan how you will display your prints and pictures.
Some elements have to be considered like the spacing between pieces or the alignment of the frames.
In fact, for me, the most important thing about them is not the layout but the distance between frames. This for me is the make or break.
For the record, I've only ever done a gallery wall once, and it was by using only black and white photography prints/art I already had available at home, so the result was not great.
I also did not nail the 'distance' between frames so I was not that pleased with myself, but hopefully you will do much better than me with the tips here! You can easily find some gallery wall layouts on the web if you need inspiration.
COLLECTION
By this I mean ensuring that your prints work well with each other. Successful gallery walls have a good mix of photography, typography and drawings.
Above and below: photo and prints: Norsu Home
The Traveller 2 - Wall Art Print Set Of 3This beautiful fine art print set would look perfect in any room! It is handmade in Britain and printed professionally in our London design studio. You will receive one A3 and 2 A4 prints. £50, via Abstract House as before.
Gallery walls with art propped against the wall? For sure! Photo via Abstract House as before.
Famous Instagram Walls
Are you a fan of gallery walls? Did you know you can also attach photos in your comments below? Want to share your gallery walls with us?
Our writers like to find the latest trends for fashion and interiors. We launched the award-winning Seasons in Colour in 2015 and the luxury property and interior decor blog www.alltheprettyhomes.com in 2024 to cover all your interior design, travel and lifestyle inspiration needs.