A step-by-step guide to hanging a gallery wall

Arleigh Wood’s eclectic collection of art over a long banquette in the dining room

I do love a good gallery wall. In fact I’m kind of obsessed with them. I’ve hung a ton of them and each one has its own personality.

What I love about gallery walls is that they are so unique and actually very easy to put together.

Are you nervous about putting up a gallery wall? Are you thinking about the hundred holes you’ll have to put in the wall to get the hanging right? Or maybe you don’t think you have enough interesting pieces to make a gallery wall.

Well fear not, my friend, if you have a bit of a plan and some of your favourite pieces to ready you’ll be good to go!

Let me know show you how…

Step 1 - The vision

Sharon Kemble’s sweet pad shows a great mix of work in mostly black, white and cool colours

Pick the space you want to decorate. It can be anywhere - your bedroom, an entryway, living room or home office. Any place you want to add some personality and colour.

Step 2 - The details

Measure the space and note it on your phone or in a notebook.

Step 3 - The artwork

Assemble your favourite pieces. You might need to pull out those prints you bought on your travels and get them in frames. Or maybe order an enlargement of a cool travel photo. You can even frame a memento like a train ticket, baby bootie or party invitation. Treat yourself to that artwork from a local artist that you’ve been wanting for a long time. An easy way to keep a cohesive look is to choose the same colour frame for most of the pieces. I usually go for white to allow for the artwork to shine and to keep a clean modern look. You may prefer natural wood frames or a selection of vintage frames would look amazing. Another way to pull it all together is too choose a colour scheme. You could go all black and white, or bright colours or natural tones. You don’t need to be super rigid here as its a gallery wall and meant to be ecclectic and fun but choosing the colours might help you narrow down your choices.

Step 4 - The install

Now that you have your artwork you are ready to map out the size of the wall on the floor

Step 5 - Start on the floor

Lay out the pieces on the floor within the confines of your measurements.

Start with the larger works as anchor pieces and work the smaller ones around the larger pieces. Think asymmetrical to allow the eye to travel around.

I find it easier to start with a large piece in the centre and then make balanced pairings on either side in progressively smaller sizes until the smallest works are on the edges.

This way you can add a few over time to fill in the wall as you collect more of your favourite things.

That said you can also go for a grid pattern if you prefer to keep things more symmetrical.

Take a reference photo when you are happy with your configuration (unicorn socks optional).

Step 6 - Get out the scissors

Cut out paper templates for each artwork and make a note of their title. I just traced the artwork with a pencil and then cut it them out but you can get out that long ruler if you like!

Step 7 - Tape it up