Gallery Walls | The Do's and Don'ts!

In this video, I go over my do's and don'ts of gallery walls! Gallery walls can be very tricky because on one hand they can look overcrowded, messy, busy and a hot mess, on the other hand they can look bare, disjointed from the space and confusing. So in the video I give you the do's and don'ts so you can design a beautiful gallery wall.

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⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 - Gallery Wall Do's and Don'ts
00:42 - Do plan your wall
01:17 - Don't make it up as you go
01:55 - Do consider size, shape and scale
03:10 - Don't overcrowd the gallery wall
05:05 - Do tie the room together with the gallery wall
07:28 - Don't hang the gallery wall to high
08:25 - Do consider adding textures and other art
09:25 - Don't add a lot of generic art
10:52 - Do show your personality
11:36 - Final Thoughts

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[tombuck]

I’m going to make a gallery wall that’s made up exclusively of “Live Laugh Love” art.

[avni]

I once saw this post where this girl found her dad's old engineering notes, and they were so pretty in great handwriting and diagrams so she put them in 4 frames and put them on a wall and I think that made such an awesome wall

[loriegabidel]

I haven't hung my gallery wall, but I measured the space and all my art pieces, created an Excel spreadsheet where 1 box = 1 inch, and then made boxes the size of the art and moved then around until they looked good. Now I just have to stop being scared and put it up lol.

[christophermyers]

Thanks for this informative video.

One more tip...
When placing all the paper cutouts on the wall to visualize all the art, carefully measure where the hanging hardware will go first, and nail them into the wall through the papers. That way you can tear off the papers and hang the art in the exact space the first time, without making additional holes, and messing up your wall.
🤔🤗

[Cornflake]

I've learnt that I'm very sentimental with items in my home and i like to have a connection or a story connected. Gallery walls of generic or art thats just up to fill a space doesn't speak to me at all. I'd rather an empty wall before a crowded wall of stuff. To me, it another extension of comodification.

[IExpectedBSJustNotThisMuchBS]

Most people seem to have no concept about scale when it comes to hanging art or photographs. This is never more obvious than when looking at homes for sale online.

[jumlee]

My favorite gallery wall that I’ve ever seen was a bunch of different old black and white photos of different shapes and sizes. All pictures of different people and places. I asked him who they were and he said “I have no idea, I bought them all at thrift stores because I liked the frames” 😂 This guys just had bunch of photos of other people’s family and it was amazing *chefs kiss*

[Nick_Lewis]

I know many of you have struggled with gallery walls, so I hope this video helps! Also, happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian folks! (yes it's earlier than American Thanksgiving...) 🦃🇨🇦

[clara_]

I am literally sitting in my new living room staring fearfully at my blank walls. Thank you for the video and the perfect timing, Nick!

[Wordbiker]

Nick, I am a professional carpenter that has had many occasions now to hang pictures for clients. Of course the technical skills of aligning many objects of differing dimensions according to eye level or sometimes top or bottom alignment of frames is within my skillset. What I appreciated so much about your video is on the composition of walls which is purely aesthetic and artistic. Many clients don't know how to express their ideas and may need help with their composition which can be very personal and subjective. As I said, I am a technical person and sometimes this creates a disconnect between what the clients want and what information I need to implement their vision. Your video gave me many tools and discussion points to bring up with potential clients in order to satisfy their gallery wall desires. Thank you for your exceptionally well-spoken and detailed presentation.

[catherinebruner]

I did an entire gallery staircase but only of gold mirrors (different sizes and shapes) and it looks spectacular! Everyone is obsessed. It was insanely expensive because I used antique and vintage mirrors.

[MarsVolta]

Hey Nick! You should consider a video series where your viewers send you pics/videos of their own homes and you rate our interior design skills, give us pointers, maybe even do a little light roasting. I'm really proud of my new space and I think you'd like it!

[bandilenzimande]

The 2nd "gallery wall" picture🤣💔 calling it minimal was so kind, bless you😭✋🏽

[mr.fluffypants]

I personally don’t prefer gallery walls, but your tips here definitely help make them look a lot less overwhelming for me

[AlexandriatheRed]

Dishonorable mention to those peel and stick wall decals that look like a Family Tree or Disneyland Castle with open spots for 5x7” frames. They’re a little too “live laugh love” for me 😅

[amyquinn]

Great tips, thank you! I completely agree about not using generic art. I have a gallery wall in my home office where every piece was purchased directly from an artist I love through Etsy, or their own artist website... places like that. And the wall makes me happy when I look at it because I love every piece and I know I supported independent artists in the process.

[politemenace]

I personally love the eclectic style of finding new pieces and sticking them wherever you want. I don't know what this says about me... but I actually loved the examples you showed at 1:27, 1:34. 3:01 wouldn't be my cup of tea, but I still appreciate whoever did it for their individualism.

[ninak]

I love gallery walls but have this overwhelming need for symmetry.
Omgosh yes vintage album covers! So cool.

[cynthiafialka]

I have two gallery walls in my house. One is our “travel wall” going up our stairs. It’s all photos or small paintings from places we’ve been. No matching frames, mattes etc.and very random. We love it. The other one is in our den and it’s all wildlife photos or paintings. Love that one too.

[royalfizzbin]

I think it's hilarious that some of the "bad" examples looked very cool to me. He would definitely think my place was too busy, lol