I get asked all of the time how to create a gallery wall. Today I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite ways to style a gallery wall. You guys know how much I love re-designing my entryway… so I’ve included some of my absolute favorites for you guys! I have said this a lot, but your entryway should quickly showcase anything from antique finds & collected treasures to family photos & prints… item that help define you and your style. Here are 7 unique styles to help you get started with your gallery wall!
Antique Gallery Wall [HERE]
Balancing out a gallery wall is always a fun challenge, but doing it on a staircase wall makes it just that much more interesting. We wanted to really accent the size of some of our panoramic photos length, and create an ascending design to one of the smaller photos we have in our collection. Still looking a little bare and empty in some space, we filled the voids with other little decor collectibles that fit along with the frames and color tone of the paper and print.
Farmhouse Style Staircase [HERE]
You can try to do all the prep work on the ground or drawn in a notepad… When it comes to hanging I almost always have to adjust something, and rarely get it right the first time. My biggest advice for doing gallery walls is to use 3M strips when necessary because it’s easy to move things around in the gallery wall when there are no nail holes to fill. Of course I use nails and screws when necessary, but I love 3M strips for the lighter & smaller objects.
Farmhouse Style Plate Wall [HERE]
Wanting to learn a trick to hanging a gallery wall the easy way when you are dealing with simple shapes like plates? I created the layout we wanted by laying them on the floor. After that, we laid down some craft paper on the floor and then did the layout of the plates on top of the craft paper. After we had the final layout of the plates on the craft paper, we traced the plates on the craft paper, took the plates off the craft paper, & then hung the craft paper with all of the plate outlines on it on the wall. We use these plate hangers [here] so we hammered in the hangers at the top of each plate outline & then we were ready to rip the craft paper down & hang the plates… Super easy & the plates were exactly where they needed to be!
Entryway Bathroom [HERE]
So you want a gallery wall, but are having a tough time finding items to use… Find inspiration in a current collection or piece. You can also think of a favorite time period and place. For example, a bulletin board that you would have seen in a salon. Almost like you would walk in the door & turn to look at a bulletin board to find houses for rent, hairstyle inspiration, & any upcoming events. Or farm goods for sale by a small family farm… Once you have your item(s) determine where you’d like the eye to catch that piece and fill in from there.
Simple Entryway [HERE]
The church pew, while not on the wall… is an equally important aspect to the gallery wall. It creates an anchor to the composition of the gallery wall. Ensuring it has the right size and visual weight is important when placing furniture alongside the gallery wall. I still love the space like this which is pretty good for me who changes everything around.
Farmhouse Entryway [HERE]
I am obsessed with frameless mirrors. I’ve started little collections and have scattered them around the house. I came across this beauty while I was in Waco, at Linen and Cake and knew exactly where it was going when I bought it & did it turn out (rarely happens). I have been loving the pops of wood tones from the shoe forms.
DIY Corner Gallery [HERE]
Just getting started with a gallery wall? Start with one piece (typically your largest) to establish the height of the gallery wall & where it starts by that piece. Use 3M strips to hang your pieces. This makes it easy to adjust the height of the frame without creating new holes. Check out this beauty from our first home we shared here on the blog!
Bonus: Farmhouse Gallery Wall[HERE]
This wall was inspired by the lovely vintage prints in antique frames. I just had to have these for our cottage style farmhouse. Since the card catalog is the focal point of this entryway, it was a little difficult to make the gallery wall shine. But I think with all the charming antique pieces like that tiny cottage mirror, the chippy large frame, & those cute little antique antlers.
I hope you guys feel inspired by these gallery walls, there are SO many different ways to style a wall. I love moving things around until it gets the right look, it’s such a fun process to create. For even MORE inspiration check out my blog posts, The Best Staircase Gallery Walls & How To Decorate Around a TV. As always, thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and every other day! Xx Liz Marie
Your plate and silhouette gallery walls are really calling my name today. I love the variety in not only what you hang on the wall but also the sizing. I have been wanting to jump into a gallery wall but feel apprehensive. I am going to give it another go with your tips. Thanks
I have a lot of older pieces as well, and love the chippy distressed paint look. However, I have small children too. Do you have any tips when dealing with lead paint or how do you coat your items to make them safe? Thx!
Your gallery walls are epic!! Thank you for sharing!
I am wondering how best to hang large platter type plates on a wall? I have hung smaller plates but not sure what would work for the larger and heavier pieces. Thank you for any tips!
I have used these to hang plates [here] and they worked really well for me!
I hope this helped inspire you, I’d love to see a photo of your wall once you finish it!
I get lead paint test kits from Home Depot!
I’m so glad you like them, thank you for your comment Melissa!
Great! I didn’t realize you could get them for large platter types. Thank you!
These gallery walls are gorgeous! The troop photos are my favorite! We have some of my grandfather and great grandfather’s unit from World War 1 & 2
Thank you so much for your sweet comments on the blog today! That is one of my favorite gallery walls too .. I can only imagine how special & sentimental it must be to have those photos of your family.
These are lovely ideas. I love clean look, matching picture frames but of different sizes