Gallery walls can be quick and affordable
And yes, if you were wondering, gallery walls are still a thing in 2022. Not only are gallery walls still in style, but they can also be surprisingly affordable and easy to create with the tips I am going to share with you in this post.
I’m lazy and cheap when it comes to this sort of thing, so I set out to discover the quickest, easiest, most budget-friendly way to put my gallery together. I didn’t measure anything besides the size of the frame. I didn’t measure, use a paper template, or anything that required extra time and patience… and you won’t need to either!
Plus, I have a pro-tip for getting FREE (yes, free) famous artwork.
Read on to find out, step-by-step how to make the easiest, most cohesive, gallery wall of your life.
The step-by-step video tutorial is at the end of this article.
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hanging supplies you’ll need:
–Hanging Kit (If some of your frames don’t have a place for a nail)
–Small Screwdriver (To move the existing hanger to a different part of the frame)
–Hot glue (yes, I said what I said)
Gather art, frames, and inspiration
If you are undecided on what style you want your art display to be, check out some ideas below:
Gallery Wall Inspiration
THRIFTED | ECLECTIC | PHOTOGRAPHY | NEON
Frames:
The very first step in creating a gallery wall is to get your frames to create your layout.
Trust me, it is much easier to start with frames than to begin with art and work backward, so spend some time getting this right. Decide how cohesive you want your frames to be. A good rule of thumb is to use the same material or finish on all your frames, but if you don’t care about everything looking super unified, just pick up some interesting frames that look good to you. For my frames, I mixed gold with walnut.
As you can see in the picture, they all have wood, gold tones, or both, but they have different textures. I like this because it keeps everything looking effortless, while still maintaining that uniform look I wanted.
It also looks nice when you have a couple of frames that are exactly the same, so that you can create a diptych, or have similar pieces side by side, which gives the viewer’s eye a place to rest beside the largest piece.
The most affordable way to purchase frames is to get them from a thrift store, which is what I did. I even found a few pieces of art framed and ready to hang. Like I said before, this post is meant to teach you how to make a gallery wall the easy and budget-friendly way.
If you just want to order frames and be done with it, I’ve linked some options below.
Frames for a gallery wall
How to create a gallery wall template without measuring
Now that you have your frames, map out the area you are placing them on the wall with tape. This could be any shape, but if you have a piece of furniture underneath the wall, it usually looks best to make the gallery just a little larger. You do not need to measure anything.
Tape off wall
I knew I wanted my art to be hung in a rectangle shape, so I placed a long, horizontal piece of tape on the wall where I wanted the bottom of my frames to touch. I then placed a vertical piece of tape on the wall to mark the height of my gallery. This doesn’t have to be perfectly straight; you just want the general size so that you can plan your frame layout on the floor.
Move tape to the floor to create a layout for your gallery wall
Next, take off the tape and place it the same way on the floor. If you are making a rectangle gallery, it should look like a giant “L’.
Now, go ahead and create the whole rectangle on the floor, by tearing a piece of tape the same size as the horizontal one and use that for the top of your rectangle. Tear another vertical one for the side that’s missing.
Place frames inside the tape on the floor
Okay, so boom. The hardest part is over. Now pick up your biggest frame and decide where you want it. I like to have my largest piece of art on a corner, so nothing looks too symmetrical. Line this frame up on the tape so it’s straight. Now try adding your second largest piece on the opposite side and see how you like it. Make sure the edge touches the tape.
After you decide on the first two pieces, it should be fairly easy to lay the rest of the frames out. If you want the edges of your gallery to be straight, (I did) then your next step should be lining up your bottom row on the part of the tape that makes the rectangle.
You don’t need the tops of the frames on the bottom row to be in a line, but if you want your gallery in a defined shape, then you do need to make sure the bottoms are lined up on that strip of tape.
Work your way around the tape, making sure the edges of the outside pieces of the art touch the tape.
Now, sometimes this is a little difficult when you get to the top, but if the bottom and sides are straight, you don’t have to worry about the top too much, since it will be the farthest away from the viewer.
Notice how all edges are on the tape line in the left photo:
Keep in mind that you need both horizontal and vertical frames. It’s easy to adjust the hanger on the back if you need to. Also, consider putting in some 3-D objects or unframed art in any empty areas you may have. More on this in a minute.
Note the size of each frame in your layout
Use a dry-erase marker to write the size of each frame on the glass, as you see here. This will make it super easy to order the type and correct size of each print for each frame.
Keep in mind that you can always get a mat cut if you have a piece of art that won’t fit into any of your frame sizes. You can also spray paint any mats you already have, which is what I ended up doing with the portrait of my mother, which had a country blue mat at first.
Now, pick out everything you want to include and put it in the frames before you think about hanging them. You may need to move some stuff around before we get to the last step…
What can you hang in a gallery wall?
Your gallery wall needs to feel like a piece of you. Think about things you like and how you could incorporate pieces that tell the story of your personality through art. Sure, you can buy a pre-made gallery, but it’s much more sentimental if you don’t just include a bunch of mass-produced art.
We want this space to have a soul.
Art and Photos
The key to keeping gallery walls fresh in 2022 is to think beyond family photos. Now if this is your thing, I say go for it. However, I wanted my gallery wall space to feel a little more collected. Whether you are collecting art or using photos, I’d say an important tip is to somewhat stick to the same color palette throughout the process of choosing items to hang on your wall.
Prints: There are several inexpensive options if you want to order prints online. I love purchasing digital downloads from Etsy, then printing them on matte cardstock. I got the Amsterdam drawing and vintage landscape for around $3. (The two little drawings under the big portrait.)
Side note: this cute little hippo sculpture was a Mother’s Day gift from my sister.
If you don’t have a color printer you can have them printed for super cheap at places like UPS or Office Depot.
I also like to use allposters.com to order famous art prints. I ordered the Vincent Van Gogh, Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, print already framed and ready to go.
Shop art I like
Where can you find famous artwork to print for free?
I have a really great hack to find free artwork for your home that I’m surprised more people don’t know about. Did you know that you can actually download art for free from several online galleries?
It’s true.
All you have to do is Google Public Domain Art.
In fact, this picture I used (Crouching Nude in Shoes and Black Stockings Egon Schiele) was from the Met Public Domain. You can even search the subject or medium you are looking for, which makes it super easy to get all the art your little heart desires, download it, then send it to UPS or somewhere to have it printed in the exact size that you want.
Here are some places I’ve found that offer Public Access Art:
Also, you are welcome to download any of this Public Domain famous artwork that I found while browsing:
Free art dowloads
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Make your own art
Even if you aren’t particularly artsy, DIY wall art can be super easy to make. Anyone could do the Rorschach paintings as I did, or YouTube has plenty of great step-by-step painting tutorials. Black and white line art always looks good and takes like 2 minutes to make.
Here is a tutorial to the white clay relief sculpture I made for my living room gallery wall.
Also, what’s not to love about this Anthropologie Gleaming Primrose Mirror that you can make yourself?
Find some art you like, and instead of buying it, try to make it. I bet it will turn out better than you think. I made my own cloud painting, but it’s pretty pricy (albeit gorgeous) at Anthropologie.
Throw in some 3-D pieces to make your 2022 feel current
Nothing will keep your art wall decor fresh for 2022 like adding three-dimensional art to your gallery. I’ve seen a few interior designers use neon signs in a gallery wall as a 3-dimensional addition and they look STUNNING.
Speaking of neon lights, I have a blog post here that gives directions on how to make a custom neon light sign like the one I made for our wedding.
If that’s not your thing, think about little mementos that could be hung, such as this biscuit cutter I inherited.
Below are some options I like as well, including the gold snake I got from Amazon.
shop 3-d art
Move your framed art from the template to the wall
After you have all of your art in the frames and any additional 3-D pieces added in, your floor layout should look exactly the way you want it placed on the wall.
Below is a picture of what mine looked like as I was moving frames around and framing different prints.
When everything is ready, move the tape rectangle (or whatever shape you made) from the floor back to the wall. You could use a laser level, (I didn’t) but if you step back and make sure everything is even it should be fine.
Next, you are going to hang your largest piece of art using the tape as a guide.
To do this, put a piece of tape horizontally on the back of the frame, right over where the hanger is. Mark a dot on the tape where the nail should go.
Now, put a piece of tape vertically on the back that is the same length of the frame.
This should make a “cross” on the back of the frame that’s the length and width. This is an easy way to gauge your placement on the wall before nailing anything.
Move the cross to the wall and adjust it until it’s spaced how you like it.
Nail right through the nail mark you made on the tape, then remove the tape. Hang your frame on the now perfectly aligned nail.
Continue this process with every picture until your gallery wall is complete.
Art Hanging Tips:
Look, I know it sounds crazy, but you just have to trust me: You can hang lightweight objects with hot glue. Yep, I said it. Hot glue.
This is especially useful for small 3-D objects. And nope, it doesn’t even damage your paint! (In my experience at least) If it does, it can’t be much more than a nail hole would make. Right?
I also find it useful to put 3M sticky pads on the bottom of each frame to keep them from shifting. There’s nothing worse than crooked art hanging over your head, glaring at you from across the room.
other DIY home decor posts:
How to Make a Floating Glitter Tumbler
Summary of hanging a gallery wall without measuring for cheap:
- Find thrifted frames.
- Create the shape of your gallery on the wall with tape.
- Move tape to the floor.
- Layout frames with edges touching the tape.
- Download FREE famous art in the sizes you need. (Tutorial Included)
- Throw in some DIY or 3D art
- Use the no-measure tape method to easily hang art.
- Admire your budget-friendly, easy-to-make, gallery wall.
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