How To Create A Gallery Wall In 9 Easy Steps

Looking to learn how to create a gallery wall in your home? Here are 9 easy steps to help you get started and inspire you today!

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A great way to add inspiration and personality to your home is with a gallery art wall. In the Airbnb design, I already shared the vinyl inspiration wall and how to DIY that.

Today I’m sharing the other wall in the Airbnb which is a gallery wall. My original thought for that wall was one large piece of artwork. Since this was for an Airbnb I needed to keep the costs down. As a result, I had to get creative.

After checking the local HomeGoods and NOT finding what I envisioned I decided to do the gallery wall instead. Above all, I knew it would make a big impact on a lower budget.

Since I already had a few pieces they became the jumping-off point to create the design around.

In this post, I’ll share my process and what I learned while creating the gallery art wall.

This post is all about How To Create A Gallery Wall.

Table of Contents

Gallery Wall Inspiration

Before we start I wanted to share some inspiration that will help you get started.

When it comes to creating a gallery wall there are many different design styles. The one above is a modern gallery that uses different size prints and frames.

Similarly, this design features all gold frames for a clean glam inspired vibe. I love this idea for my future cloffice space.

You can also create a boho eclectic gallery wall using art and other decor items. This is a great example of showing your personality in a design.

In addition, if you want to create a bold look you can layer artwork on floating shelves and create an original design.

Create a dramatic gallery wall on a dark painted wall like the above inspiration. I don’t know about you but I’m totally a fan of black walls!

OK, last one I sware! If you love nostalgic black and white photos you can create a similar version to the one above.

CB2 makes it super easy with their wide variety of prints in multiple sizes.

shop cb2

How To Create A Gallery Wall Steps

In addition to the inspiration above here is my finished gallery wall.

As you can see there is a mix of sizes, frames, and colors.

So are you wondering how to create a gallery wall in your home?

OK, my friends, let’s show you how!

The Steps

Decide the color palette
Determine your space
Add personality
Mix up the gallery wall frames
Plan your layout
Create a gallery wall template
Tape template to the wall
Use a level
Hang the Art

1. Decide the color palette

Firstly, you will want to decide on the color palette. Will you go monochromatic, eclectic, or modern? Just to name a few ideas.

The pieces I already had were “YOU GOT THIS”, the black chalkboard tile, and “THE WiFi PASSWORD IS”. So from this, the color palette I was going for was gold, black, and white.

I decided not to have a pop color because I was going for a clean contemporary vibe.

The additional pieces I added were from three different HomeGoods and I spent about $100 for those. Most importantly, I really wanted the gallery wall to inspire future guests especially women.

When creating the color palette and theme you should start with a larger piece and then work the other pieces around that.

To create this style gallery wall you will want to have a mix of vertical and horizontal pieces in varied finishes and sizes. Above all, this helps create visual interest and move your eye through the design.

For this gallery wall, I started off with all the pieces I wanted to use.

There was one I decided to nix through the process. In addition, I do suggest having a few extras that you can return or use in another room.

2. Determine your space

After that, you will want to determine the amount of space you want your gallery wall to fill. I created one large sheet of paper (using craft paper) but you can use blue tape also.

I wasn’t sure how far to the right I wanted to go so I extended the paper across the majority of the wall.

3. Add personality

When shopping for artwork look for pieces that add your personality. For instance, I loved this piece I saw in HomeGoods and added the quote to the chalkboard tile.

Sometimes I can have a bit of a potty mouth so it spoke to me. It came out super cute!

My chalkboard tile is from Pottery Barn but it is sold out. However, they have a new version with a frame around it that would also work in a gallery art wall.

4. Mix up the gallery wall frames

In addition, to add interest you can mix a combo of frame finishes. For instance, I have gold, black, and canvas frames in the mix.

Likewise, if you are creating a modern gallery wall you can purchase a set of frames to add your own prints in.

For example, West Elm has this Build a Gallery Wall Sets available in up to 15 pieces.

shop west elm

5. Plan your layout

Once I had the size of the area I started playing around with the pieces to get the best visual look.

I noticed that I had enough of a mix of both black and gold pieces so I balanced those by alternating the black frame artwork.

The starting point was the “New York” and the “She believed she could so she did” artwork. Since I wanted those in the center I started there and worked my way out on each side.

As a result, I wound up with the layout shown above.

So by playing with the layout on the floor you can decide what looks good together without damaging your wall. For instance, you can move things around and even get an opinion if you are undecided.

For example, post a picture to Instagram of the possible options and ask for comments. Everyone loves to give their opinion!

After that, you can move forward with confidence in your layout.

6. Create a gallery wall template

Once I determined the layout I cut craft paper the size of each piece. You can number the pieces or draw what they are for a visual.

I am a visual girl so I like doing a quick sketch of the art.

7. Tape template to the wall

After that the next step was to tape the gallery wall template to the wall.

The center of this gallery wall art is about 60” off the floor which is a good starting point when you are hanging art at eye level. Above all, I tend to hang art in my home about 60″- 62″ from the center to the floor.

8. Use a level

Subsequently, I used a level to hang my first piece of art.

A great tip I learned was to use painter’s tape across the back of the piece of art. Mark off where your nails need to go and then place the piece of tape on the wall.

You can also mark on the template the nail placement. Above all, either method will work to hang the artwork.

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Use the level to make sure the tape is straight. Use a nail and hammer to mark the holes on the wall.

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To hang the art I used the OOK wall hooks. I love them because they are so easy to use and install art with.

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In addition, the other tools you will want to have for this project are:

25ft tape measure
hammer
drill
step ladder (2-3 steps)

9. Hang the Art

Once you hang the first piece work your way out from there. After that, you will want to evenly measure and center the pieces as you go.

I wanted the bottom edge of each piece to be lined up across the bottom. To double-check I used the level as I hung the artwork.

Related Post: How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets Yourself

During the process stand back and look at how your wall gallery looks from a distance. This way you can make tweaks as you go and not at the end when it’s finished.

DIY Art Gallery Reveal

Once all the pieces are hung you will see the true impact of your gallery wall. I love how the gallery wall layout in the Airbnb came out.

It is super inspiring and motivational. If anyone is in for a business trip it is a constant reminder that you can do anything you set your mind to.

The ONLY limit is YOU! Dream big and go after those goals.

Have an amazing day full of Unicorns & Rainbows!

xo Nicole

This post is all about how to create a gallery wall.

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Gallery Wall Inspiration