The very first wall gallery I installed in our beach rental was in the living room. Except for the mirror in the middle of the gallery, the rest of it is photography. The original frames were a mix of finishes and material so to save money, I disassembled all of the frames, and spray painted them with Valspar’s glossy white.
or move the lining out a little….
You could also draw multiple lines, thick or thin and use a second mat for layered look.
The placement of the living room wall gallery was inspired by a post from Martha Stewart Living. I just love that the even line is in the middle of all the frames.
I did something similar by placing a strip of painter’s tape a little below eye level and hanging one row below the tape then filling in the rest of the wall.
Tip: Plan your lay out by laying all of your pictures on the floor and work from the center out when you start to hang them. It is important to center your single or multiple pictures at eye level or about 5’6″ from the floor. Never put more than a couple of inches between frames to prevent them from “floating” on the wall.
The rest of the gallery walls in our house were not as time consuming, like the watercolors and prints in our family room. Lay them out on the floor, work from the center out. Make sure you take a step back after each picture to make sure it is where you want. (You probably will have to try a couple of times for some of them!)
My daughter’s room was the easiest installment. The pictures were originally just hung on ribbon and then later tacked to the wall.
After my husband came home from deployment with 12 water colors, we had yet another gallery wall in our house. It makes such a lovely focal wall for our bedroom. Now I am a pro at eye-balling placement!
mesaridge says
March 14, 2013 at 2:33 amIn the museum world when we hang art we try to have 1/3 of the image above eye level and two thirds below eye level. Such a hanging keeps the eye balanced as it looks at the different objects.
Debbie johnson says
March 5, 2014 at 9:29 amKathy I love them all. I have family pictures I need to hang and get off the furniture so cleaning will be easier!! I will be using your framing tips! Thank you!
Kathy says
March 6, 2014 at 10:50 amGreat! Thanks for stopping by Debbie! 🙂
Kathryn Chisholm says
March 6, 2014 at 10:46 amThe photo of a woman up in a windmill against a blue sky with clouds is spectacular! Congratulations.
Kathy says
March 6, 2014 at 10:49 amIt’s my favorite!
mISS ROCKWELL says
March 8, 2014 at 9:16 amCURRENTLY WORKING ON GALLERIES FOR MY HOME. I NEVER KNEW JUST HOW TIME CONSUMING THEY WERE!
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Kathy says
March 8, 2014 at 10:14 amThat’s why I just grab a hammer and some nails and just “go for it”. I do end up with a couple of extra holes but with an extra set of eyes everything is hung straight! Good luck with yours and thanks so much for stopping by!
Linda McClung says
March 21, 2014 at 2:31 amKathy, inspiring ideas & great encouragement! I’m going to try those Command brand picture mounting stick ons to keep from nail holes in my rental house. And it warms my heart to see the little antique chest painted white & again loved♡that my friends gave me to use in my “commuter pad” before I retired. & Congratulations on your blog’s success! xo
Kathy says
March 22, 2014 at 5:24 pmThanks Linda for the sweet words!
Buff Blizzard says
September 30, 2018 at 5:04 pmWhen hanging pictures together, do the frames have to be in the same color family? I have various artwork from my childhood home, my dad loved collecting different prints, and they all have different frames. They are all so random but I want them hanging because they hold so many memories of my home growing up. My mother recently passed away so my sisters and I had so many random prints etc. she and my dad had collected over the years, and we all split them among us because they all held some type of memory…..the art isn’t necessarily worth a lot in money but worth much more…our memories and heart! So…. trying to get to my point…..I cannot bunch some together based on “theme” so is it tacky to do a wall with way different things with different frames? I need help! Thank you….you could come to my home and hang them with me! 🙂
Kathy says
October 8, 2018 at 8:46 amI think using different frames is very appealing! Just make sure to evenly space out the different types (or try to avoid putting two similar frames right next to each other.) Lay them all out on the floor and move them around until you are happy with the arrangement!
Buff Blizzard says
October 13, 2018 at 7:12 amThank you for getting back to me! XOXO