I am so excited to be working on my gallery wall to go in my living room, opposite my dining room table. I did not realise how much work would have to go into it so I thought I’d share some of my do’s and don’ts to help if you’re starting on a gallery wall.
DO pick a colour scheme
Even if it is only a rough idea of the colours you want to bring to the room or the ‘feel’ you want to give to a room. I want a really relaxed, positive and summery vibe to my gallery wall. So, I know that I will be involving lots of blues and pinks to hopefully bring our living room to life.

DON’T be afraid to mix textures, colours, and sizes of photo frames
You don’t have to purchase lots of the same photo frames and can include different styles. However, do this in 2 or 3’s so it doesn’t look overwhelming. Similarly, only include one statement piece and then the rest can compliment it. I spent so much time on Pinterest getting lots of inspiration from people’s gallery walls.

DO use cardboard templates to map out how it will look

Once you’ve got your prints and frames all ready, now it’s all about making sure it will look perfect on the wall. You can lay it down on the floor in front of the wall or do what I did and cut cardboard boxes to the size of the different frames. Then, you can stick it on the wall and see what it looks like which was better for me as I’m not very good at picturing things!
DON’T be afraid to let your personality come through

You can hang anything on your gallery wall – art, memorabilia, your favourite family photo, quotes, prints…the list goes on! It’s a good opportunity to play around with what you like and want to display. Let your personality shine on the wall! It’s your house and your stamp. I know some people have leopard themed gallery walls or nude art. They all look amazing!
Let me know any of your favourite gallery wall tips and I can’t wait to share a picture with you soon. Find out some of the plans for my living room here.
These are great tips. We’ve got a couple of gallery walls, and they’re quite tricky, aren’t they? I remember basically drawing it all out on a bit of paper before starting!
It actually gave me a bit of inspiration for a giant wall we have at home that is looking pretty bare! Just need to get the balance of quirkiness and symmetry right!
For my birthday back in August one of my close friends bought me a selection of frames which I intend to make into a gallery so this is super helpful. I want to great a gallery of photos of me with my friends and family to remind me of the good times we’ve had.
I never thought about using cardboard to test it
I love gallery walls like this. They look brilliant. I need to get started on one in my lounge.
Some really great tips and tricks here! I want to do my stairs so I will make sure to come back to this when I decide to do it!
Thanks again,
Ashleigh xx
https://www.ashleighsmoments.com/
I love a good gallery wall… and these are some brilliant tips! The most important part is, as you said, allowing your individual style and personality to shine through.
Cardboard templates is such a great idea. I’m adding this to my list of things to do!
https://arloriverrex.com/2020/11/02/here-we-go-again/
We have a gallery wall, and a half finished gallery wall needing attention though I didn’t know they were called that! Useful information thank you!
Oh I love this, I have always wanted to create a wall like this but never think I will be able to achieve it
I love a gallery wall. We have one in the living room and also one in the bathroom. The living room is a mish mash of frames but the bathroom is more uniform with all black frames. I think they make a great feature.
These look great, I would definitely try it when I move house!
The cardboard templates is a great idea. Me and wife have a wall in mind for this.
We were going to use frames of different sizes and different colours but your comments on sticking to a colour scheme makes sense!
What a great idea to use a cardboard cutout! I love gallery walls, especially when they’re full of happy, family memories.
I’m currently collecting/looking for images to create a gallery wall so thanks for these tips. Can’t wait to finalise a design and you’ve just helped me not mess it up!
I have been wanting to do a gallery wall for a while and this definitely has me planning out what I want to do!
Thank you, this is so helpful! We havent long moved house and we spent hours picking prints for around the home the other day. I wish I’d found this article sooner! I chose similar colours like you said so I’m on the right track, but when they get here I’m definitely going to use the cardboard trick