Style and Design

12 Gallery Wall Ideas to Dress Up Your Walls

An instant way to elevate even the most humbly decorated rooms is by designing a well-thought-out gallery wall. Be it in the living room, dining room, entryway, or kids' room, walls that come clad with a curated mix of art and print bring in a major dose of personality and life.

1. Pick a Theme

Eclectic gallery wall in dining room

Design your gallery wall by a theme. It is an easy way to ensure the overall cohesiveness of the decorative layout without having to overestimate the placement. In this dining room design, we did just that by opting for an abstract motif, which in turn fit right in with the room's overall eclectic aesthetic. 

Art Featured in This Design

Society 6 art print Elements- Society6Society Print Art A Warm Feeling- Society6

Society 6 Art Prints

Dandelions- Society6

Society 6

The line to Universe- Society6

West Elm Art Print

Kate Arends- West Elm

Society 6 Art Print

Arch Art- Society6

Society6 Art print

Living vases- Society6

 Society6

Line Art- Society6

2. Mix Illustrations and Calligraphy

The dining room decor can typically err on the snoozy side if you don't pay attention. The fix? A combination statement piece on one side balanced by a gallery wall on the other complements the room’s aesthetic. 

Art Featured in This Design

Anthropologie Art

XOXO- Anthropologie

Gust- Anthropologie

Anthropologie Bluehead art

Blue Head- Anthropologie

 

Pretty Thing- Anthropologie

3. Use Oversized Art On The Floor

Step up your gallery wall game. Instead of hanging all your frames on the wall, opt for a lower display for some frames. This setup offers a more dramatic finish. Layer the oversized prints on the floor and filter in smaller decorative objects to break up the continuous flow of art.

Art Featured in This Design

Optima- Anthropologie

One Day- Anthropologie

Palm- Anthropologie

Tied Finger- Anthropologie

4. Channel Museum Vibes With a White Wall

The white walls add to the dining room's fresh and airy vibe, but it runs the risk of looking whitewashed. If you would like to maintain a clean and minimal vibe, build a gallery wall with a hint of color that elevates the entire room’s look too lively chic.

Art Featured in This Design

Abstract Art- Target

La Mirada- Anthropologie

Balancing- Society6

Arch Art- Society6

5. Create a Staircase Gallery Wall

When working with a space that's architecturally limiting -Stairways, build the gallery wall along the path of the eye. In this entryway design, the gallery wall leads you upwards. Space is left with a dynamic element of interest.

Art Featured in This Design

CB2 Gallery Frame

West Elm Gallery Frame

CB2 Gallery Frame

West Elm Gallery Frame

6. Turn Your Gallery Wall Design Into Your Headboard

A gallery wall in the bedroom calls for delicate art hung slightly above the head resting area. And if you're pressed for inspiration, turn to abstract art. Also, utilize the wall art to bring in a healthy dose of color to the room. 

Art Featured in This Design

Kate Arends- West Elm

Morning art- Anthropologie

Picasso Art- Wayfair

Joss and Mainframes

Abstract Graphic- Joss & Main

Etsy- Modern Art

Black&White- Joss & Main

Kate Arends- West Elm

7. Follow The Wall’s Design

When you have an entryway that doesn't allow for traditional decor elements because of architectural constraints, put up a gallery wall. This entryway gallery wall featured in the design emulates the shape of the staircase by using frames of different sizes. 

Art Featured in This Design

Floating Frames- West Elm

Rice Paper- Houzz

Perigold Frame

Zoe Frame- Anthropologie

8. Combine Vintage and Modern Art Pieces

For the gallery wall that comes to add a touch of vintage, French chic is apt. And that's precisely what we did with this room by adding the collage above the sofa. 

Art Featured in This Design

Head - Anthropologie

Etsy Vintage Poster Art

Portrait of a Woman 

African Botanicals 

Uzbek art- Anthropologie

Weathered Pattern- Ballard

Apple Tree- Anthropologie

Gilded Heron Anthropologie

9. Use Frames to Update Your Gallery Wall

Swap your existing gallery wall or create a brand new one to embrace the seasonal changes. We designed this gallery wall to boast no shortage of color, which we think is vital in achieving the spring look. In this design, furnishing and furniture are earthy. However, the gallery wall saturates the wall and adds vibrant pops of yellows, reds, and green, which complement the living room’s overall Spring aesthetic.

Art Featured in This Design

Exotic Wood - Store 1x

Mid Century Art - Etsy

Abstract Art - Wayfair

Take a Ride - Pottery Barn

Bullseye - Anthropologie

Vintage Dots - Anthropologie

Pastel Sunrise - Minted

Pretzel - Anthropologie

10. Take Up All The Wall

gallery walls ideas

Dress up an otherwise empty wall with this gallery wall idea. For this game center and living room space, our designers used a combination of photo frames in blacks and bronze hues to turn this wall into a statement piece in the room. The framed pictures can be updated easily, which means you can have a new gallery wall design every season if you wish. 

Art Featured in This Design

Apple Tree 1 Wall Art - Anthropologie

Apple Tree 1 Wall Art - Anthropologie

Brushed Antique Bronze Picture Frame - Crate and Barrel

Brushed Antique Bronze Picture Frame - Crate and Barrel

Gallery Black Frame - CB2

Gallery Black Frame - CB2

11. Keep It Symmetrical

symmetrical gallery wall

If you don’ feel comfortable playing with different sizes and alignments, try this gallery wall design idea instead. For this mid-century living room, we choose a set number of posters that would be easy to add to the back of the couch. The symmetrical gallery wall will always look pleasant to the eye, and you can choose any theme, style, and motif to achieve the same effect. 

Art Featured in This Design

robotic space poster

Voyager Historic Robotic Space Poster - Chop Shop Store

Historic Robotic Space Poster - Chop Shop Store

Cassini Historic Robotic Space Poster - Chop Shop Store

Historic Robotic Space Poster - Chop Shop Store

Curiosity Historic Robotic Space Poster - Chop Shop Store

12. Pick a Center Piece

boho gallery wall idea

Another gallery wall idea is to start from a central piece of art. Usually, this would be your most prominent piece. Sometimes you can choose a mirror if you want to maximize the use of this wall. In any case, pick a centerpiece and add supplementing artwork around it in smaller sizes. This will give you more flexibility. Take the gallery wall we design for this boho-eclectic dining room. For example, everything is centered around that calming blue artwork. 

Art Featured in This Design

See Beyond Floater Framed Print

Marmont Hill - See Beyond Floater Framed Print - Overstock

Black and White Print Framed Art Print

You are my bucket list - Black and White Print Framed Art Print - Society6

Sentiment Painting

Sentiment Painting - CB2

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make my gallery wall look good?

To make your gallery wall look good, start with your favorite images. This could be photos, drawings, or art. Then, add the things you cherish, things like postcards from vacations, family heirlooms, jewelry, and other pieces to the wall. The possibilities are really endless. 

How do you layout a gallery wall?

Before you hang everything, plan the gallery wall on the floor. Spread out pieces of similar sizes, colors, and styles. If you have pieces that are the exact same size, they can look good next to each other. Play with a symmetrical grid or an asymmetrical layout on the floor, and then try to replicate that layout on the wall. 

What do you put on a gallery wall?

There’s no limit as to what you can put on a gallery wall. Besides art and photos, you can use typography prints, vintage maps, framed trinkets, preserved butterflies or flowers, children’s art, empty frames, dishes, mirrors, and silhouettes, to name a few. 

Need Help With Your Gallery Wall Design?

If you like these ideas and want to bring them to life in your home, or design your own perfect living space, start a project with Spacejoy. You will receive access to an expert online interior design team who can translate your vision and guide you to your perfect room design. Our unique 3D technology allows you to view your room design in 3D, interact with your design - Move and Swap the products with a touch of a finger to see the unlimited possibilities. Our team will also curate a shopping list for you with products handpicked to suit your budget and your style that you can shop right away on our platform. Your dream living room design is now one click away. See pricing plans

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