How To Create the Perfect Gallery Wall

Happy Friday y’all! I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for this weekend! Not going to lie, this week kicked my booty, and I’m ready to relax a bit.

For the last few weeks (and for the next several weeks, I’m sure) I have been working on some major decorating projects around the house. It has me remembering some of my past decorating projects, specifically my gallery walls. So I decided to write a blog post all about how to design your perfect gallery wall!

I do want to add that your home should feel like you, so any way that you decorate it should be according to your preferences. Pinterest and blog posts like this are great for inspiration, but ultimately you’re the one seeing your home every day. So don’t worry if your friend or someone on the internet doesn’t like the way you decorate. It’s not their house.

Okay, rant over (lol). Let’s dive in!

A couple kissing in an outdoor setting, holding a series of black and white photo strips, with trees in the background.

A couple walking hand in hand through a wooded area, with the woman holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing a floral dress.

Design

Don’t Rush

As with everything that you bring into your home, take your time and be intentional when planning your gallery wall. Honestly, one of my gallery walls has been in progress for about two years now. It’s one of my favorite walls in the whole house – a gallery of photos I’ve taken of our immediate families – and I look at it every day, but it doesn’t bother me that it isn’t done. It’s a subtle reminder that there are still memories to be made and photos to be taken, and I kind of love that.

Variety

When choosing the pieces to include in your gallery wall, don’t be afraid to include a variety of mediums and textures. Photographs, paintings, art prints, mirrors, dried flowers, baskets, vintage brass, postcards, sheet music, maps, trivets, clocks, pottery, books, and neon signs are just a few examples of things that could be part of your gallery wall.

A couple holding a series of black and white ultrasound photographs outdoors, with the woman wearing a floral dress and displaying a ring on her finger.

A couple embracing outdoors, the man gently kissing the woman's forehead. The woman is smiling and wearing a floral dress, while the man is dressed in a light blue shirt.

A pregnant woman in a floral dress walking on a dirt path, holding a bouquet of flowers, surrounded by trees in sepia tone.

A smiling pregnant woman in a floral dress sitting on dry grass, holding a bouquet of flowers.

A smiling pregnant woman with curly hair sits on dry grass, wearing a floral dress, in a natural outdoor setting.

A couple stands outdoors, with one hand on the pregnant woman's belly, showcasing a moment of affection. The woman is wearing a white lace top with a light cover and jeans, while the man is in a white t-shirt and jeans.

Coordinate

I am definitely not one to tell you that all the pieces of your gallery wall should be the same size or in the same frame (or even the same color frame). I also don’t really care for gallery walls that are all photos from the same photo session (although that’s my personal preference and if you like it, go for it!). That being said, I do think that there should be something tying all the pieces of your gallery wall together.

For example, I wouldn’t put a neon sign, a vintage mirror, a few unframed polaroid photos (a vibe in the right setting), a piece of Native American pottery, and three photos from the same photo session in gold, silver, and black metal frames all in the same gallery. There’s nothing tying the pieces together visually. Here’s how I’d style each of those pieces instead:

Neon Sign

I’ve been really obsessed with neon signs lately, and while they don’t fit the vibe of how I’m decorating my home, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting one and possibly putting it in the garage? I don’t know. But anyways, I think they can be really cool in a gallery wall. I would have the neon sign be the center piece of the gallery, and surround it with a bunch of black and white photos printed on matte photo paper.

Vintage Mirror

I love a good mirror. I think they can be a beautiful addition to any gallery wall. With a vintage mirror specifically (I’m picturing a gold metal frame), I would pair it with other vintage inspired elements. Wood frames. A basket of dried flowers. A quote from your favorite book.

Unframed Polaroid Photos

I’m not a huge fan of putting tack holes in your walls. Most of the things on the walls of my home are hung with command strips. So I would personally hang a huge cork board to tack the Polaroid photos to. These can easily be rearranged or exchanged, creating a living gallery wall. Your own version of collage art. Mix it up with a few quotes scribbled on notebook paper or doodles on sticky notes.

A couple stands on a wooden bridge in a forested area with trees and rocks surrounding them.

A pregnant person lying on straw, gently cradling their baby bump with both hands, wearing a floral-patterned dress.

A pregnant woman standing in a sunlit field, wearing a lace top and distressed jeans, gently touching her belly while holding a bouquet of flowers.

Native American Pottery

This would be a beautiful addition to a gallery wall, especially if you have a southwestern aesthetic throughout your home. I’d hang a sturdy floating shelf, drape a piece of southwestern woven textile on it, and place the bowl alongside a print or painting of the Moab, UT area and a potted cactus. The floating shelf would ensure that no animals or kids had access to the cactus (just be sure to hang it in a sunny spot!).

Matching Photos

Like I said above, I’m not a huge fan of entire gallery walls featuring photos from one single photo session. But if you are dead set on it, I would recommend three fairly large prints (odd numbers seem to work the best in my opinion, and five is too many!) at least 20×30 inches in matching frames (or at least frames of the same material). I have a hard time getting behind mixing metals in decor, and for framed photos I actually prefer wood. Anyways, then I would hang those photos at the same height and evenly spaced over a couch, in an entryway or hallway, or over your bed. They could also be hung by the stairs and staggered to correlate with the slope of the stairs.

Balance

When choosing which pieces to include in your gallery wall, always try to keep a balance of large and small pieces. This makes it easier to create a loose symmetry (exact symmetry is by no means necessary!) and add visual interest.

Personality

I believe you should infuse your personality into every aspect of your home. Having a gallery wall full of art prints but no personal photos or meaningful touches isn’t going to evoke any emotion. And emotion is what turns a house into a home.

The main gallery wall in our home is a floating shelf with a huge photo from our wedding, an original painting of Hawksbill Crag by a local artist (one of the most famous locations in Arkansas and a place we’ve hiked to several times), an original painting of bluebonnets (the state flower of Texas where I grew up) that hung in my parents home when I was younger, and a print of one of our favorite paintings hanging in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (our local art museum and where Keith took me on one of our first dates). Not only are the pieces stunning, but they all have sentimental value to us.

A smiling woman holds ultrasound images while a man has his arm around her shoulder, both standing in a natural outdoor setting.

A pregnant woman and a man walk hand in hand in a grassy field, surrounded by trees. The woman is holding a bouquet of flowers, and both are smiling at each other.

Execution

Quality

This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: you should only be hanging high quality photos and prints on your walls. Miss me with that iPhone screenshot print. Always download the high quality photos from the gallery your photographer sends you. Splurge on the numbered print from your favorite artist’s online shop. Thrift a vintage piece of original art instead of buying something generic from Target. And if you need high quality prints, you can order prints through me (even if I didn’t take the photos!).

Layout

I always recommend creating your gallery wall on the floor so that you can see what it will all look like before (potentially) putting any holes in your wall. Try to balance the sizes of the pieces to create a loose symmetry.

Location

The location of your gallery wall is just as important as the pieces you choose to include. Depending on the aesthetic of your home, I would usually recommend a more polished look for the main living spaces. A chaotic gallery wall could be really fun in a bedroom or office (I’ve been slowly creating a very chaotic gallery wall in my office with pieces ranging from our wedding flowers in a shadow box to a t-shirt stretched over a canvas to a caricature of Keith and I from my cousin’s wedding to a cork board full of photos of all my favorite people).

A close-up image of a pregnant woman's belly with ultrasound photos held in front, showcasing multiple stages of fetal development.

A pregnant woman with curly hair smiles as she looks down at her baby bump, wearing a floral-patterned dress in a sepia-toned outdoor setting.

Pregnant woman standing in a natural setting, wearing a lace bralette and distressed jeans, holding a bouquet of flowers.

A couple embracing in a natural setting, with the man kissing the woman's forehead. The woman, who is pregnant, smiles while holding her baby bump.

Hanging

Please, if you take any advice from me today, use a level when hanging anything on your walls! I hate a crooked frame. I also recommend using command strips not only to avoid putting holes in your wall, but also so that you can easily fix it if it’s slightly crooked the first time. I also always use a measuring tape to help me with spacing.

And as I’ve mentioned a few times, straight up hanging pieces on the wall isn’t the only way to create a gallery wall. You can also utilize shelves and layer the pieces leaning against the wall. This makes it extremely easy to switch out pieces to keep your gallery fresh.

Lighting

Always keep lighting in mind when choosing the location for your gallery wall. Not all colors look the way you want them to look in every lighting – if you’re planning a gallery wall in a room that has little or no natural light be sure to test what the colors are like with the overhead light on and possibly even with different light bulbs (cool vs warm light). Another factor to consider is that sunlight can sometimes fade photos or textiles, so keep that in mind when planning a gallery wall that gets full afternoon sun.

A pregnant woman in a lace bralette holds ultrasound images in front of her belly, while her partner stands beside her, gently placing a hand on her waist.

A pregnant individual holding hands with a partner, showcasing a baby bump and stretch marks in a natural outdoor setting.

Final Thoughts

I hope this post inspired you to create your own gallery wall! I feel like when people hear the term “gallery wall” they immediately think of the cringy 2012 version of a gallery wall with multiple inspirational quotes, a clock shaped like a pirate ship steering wheel, and that one shade of teal (I know you know what I’m talking about). But gallery walls can be a really tasteful addition to any home. Just don’t overdo it – definitely don’t do more than one in any room, and not every room or space needs one. And a great way to keep them fresh is to update the pieces occasionally, whether that means switching out photos or adding seasonal touches like dried flowers or wreaths.

Thanks for reading! Now I want to hear your gallery wall ideas down in the comments!

A pregnant couple stands together in a natural setting, with the man gently placing his hand on the woman's belly. The woman looks down with a smile, dressed in a light top and jeans, while the man is casually dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. The image is in sepia tone, adding a warm and intimate atmosphere.

Close-up of a pregnant woman's belly being gently cradled by two hands, showcasing a moment of affection and anticipation.

A couple sharing an intimate moment outdoors, with one partner gently kissing the pregnant partner's belly, surrounded by trees in a soft-focus sepia tone.

*All my blog posts contain a selection of images that I’ve taken. If you are interested in booking a wedding or session with me, I am more than happy to send you a full gallery upon request!

I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a portraits/elopements/branding photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook and sign up for my monthly newsletter to get exclusive wedding planning advice and access to all of my new (and old) freebies! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!

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How To Create the Perfect Gallery Wall