5 Steps to Create a Gallery Wall

I love Gallery Walls.

My favorite gallery walls are made up of eclectic frames and interesting art.

After months of collecting and creating our entryway, I love our Gallery Wall.

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Creating a Gallery Wall can be a little intimidating at first. The first one I finished is in our son’s nursery (nope, I haven’t shared his room yet… this is just a little teaser!).

Both of my Gallery Walls have an eclectic mix of frames and plenty of color. However, I can totally appreciate a very clean, simple Gallery Wall (like this one… ooo la la).

I think the first step, before you start collecting the frames, art and photos is choosing the look that you want.

STEP #1: Decide on the Style of your Gallery Wall.

For our entryway, I wanted (1)  it to feel “collected” and (2) to have lots of colors.

Once you’ve chosen a style for your Gallery Wall, start shopping! If you’ve read our blog long, you know Erica and I love to thrift. However, thrifting does require some patience because you won’t find everything overnight.

Some of my first purchases were a vintage floral print in a gold frame, mirrors in a metallic finish, and some empty metallic frames.

 STEP #2: Start shopping for items that fit the Style of your Gallery Wall.

All these metallic frames and my vintage print definitely were creating that “collected” feel I was going after, but didn’t amount to lots of color. I was also getting a smidge worried my “collected” Gallery Wall might turn into just an old Gallery Wall. It needed some color and some modern touches.

STEP #3: Evaluate what you’ve purchased. Ask yourself “what is my Gallery Wall missing?”

So next I picked out a brightly colored painting, some embroidery hoop art and quirky bird art.

The Gallery Wall was starting to feel more modern — but it was still lacking some color. So it was time to tackle some DIY projects to bring in more (the tutorials are here and here).

I also like DIY projects for a Gallery Wall because it makes it more personal.

Adding some family photos makes it personal too. As “collected” as I want my art to be, I still want it to feel like our home — and not a museum.

STEP #4: Make the Gallery Wall personal with DIY art and family photos.

Most likely, you’ll need to tweak it a bit. I added some details like the wooden plate and those cute little vintage paintings after I got the rest of the Gallery Wall hung. The faux bamboo mirror actually replaced a piece of art that just wasn’t fitting in.

STEP #5: Tweak your Gallery Wall to get that finished look!

I’m sure I’ll tweak some more as time goes by but I just love how bright and happy this Gallery Wall is in our entryway. In case you are interested, I’ve included a Source List with all the details.

Source List (from top left)

Faux Bamboo Mirror, thrifted
Hot Air Ballon Print, by Sloe Gin Fizz
“Life is a Great Big Canvas…” Quote, free printable
Vintage Paintings, thrifted
Vintage Floral Print, thrifted
Colorful Wooden Plate, thrifted
“Be Still & Know” Watercolor, DIY {tutorial}
Square Mirror, thrifted
Canvas Portrait, Canvas on Demand
Typing Bluebird Print, thrifted
Horseshoe, thrifted
“Cafe Du Monde” Print, a souvenir from New Orleans {tutorial}
Painting in Gold Frame, painted by an Art Therapy student
“Out of the Dust” Art, DIY {tutorial}

Have you been hesitant to tackle a Gallery Wall? What are you waiting for? Go for it! I’d love for you to share what you create!