How to Build a Gallery Wall
- Abby Graf
- Mar 26, 2020
- 4 min read
Hi, hi, hi!
What a month it has been! I wanted to start off this post by saying that I hope you all are staying healthy and safe out there amidst the chaos. I also wanted to take a moment and say THANK YOU to those of you who have supported me and read my blog over the last two years. The Bleached Curl turned two just a few days ago and I am forever thankful for all of you.
But let's get into business... Professional photo hangers, say who? I wanna share with you how I built my gallery wall in the most DIY-fashion possible.
Gallery walls are a fun way to spruce up a room, blank wall, or bring life into a setting. I started with my gallery wall back in May of last year and spent about 8 months adding to it until I felt content with it. And then lo and behold, I moved. Ahhh, the timing.
So I had to take down the frames, photographs, and decor and start anew on a fresh blank canvas.
In total, I have about 20 or so frames/decor that make up the gallery wall that channels the inner me in a nutshell. It's a vast array of art and photos, some I was gifted, some I purchased myself, and it is so specifically tailored to me that anyone else who sees it may call it a bit cheesy. But it's me and I love it, so that's that.
The steps to building the wall are rather easy, it just depends on the technique you have. Most normal people choose to plan ahead, then get into hanging. That includes measuring, figuring out placements, etc. For me, I just choose to free-for-all it. Start with one frame and go from there. I have no set process to how I actually do it, and the two times I've created a mural of frames and photos, they've looked entirely different. I honestly wouldn't recommend the latter unless you have complete and total trust in yourself, but sometimes, you just gotta go with it.
So basically, step 1: measure, or don't measure. It's entirely up to you.
This leads us to step 2: to hammer or to adhere? Hmm...
Since I'm renting the place that I live in, I didn't really want to take a hammer and a nail and create 20+ small holes in the wall that I'll just have to replace come time I move out. And so I put my trust into that of 3M. Ahhh, the command strip. Who would've thought? What. A. Concept. I am a repeat-offender of pressing "purchase" on these bad boys one too many times. For every single photo or frame on my gallery wall, I've used the 16lb 3M command strips. They're the velcro to velcro ones (or plastic velcro...what even is it?!) so they are extremely durable. They come in a pack of 14 for only $10! But one time, they sent me 18. It's just called luck, ladies.
The heaviest frame on my gallery wall is probably 10-12 pounds, so my frames/photographs are almost guaranteed to stay hanging with the command strips I used. I typically use about one to two pairs per frame, but if it's extremely light, I'll stick to one. Before you start hanging, it's important to make sure the strips will actually stick to your wall, so an old fashioned trial run is always a good idea because I know we as humans like to jump to the gun and avoid any ounce of patience ;)
If you do choose to go the proper way (aka hammering in a nail and hook), I've used these hooks before for much heavier frames and mirrors. They work super well if you nail them into a stud, and the best way to make sure you're on a stud is with the godsend, a stud finder. I've used this one and it just beeps and blinks rapidly once you're on the stud. It's only $10!
Once you've got your materials gathered, it's time for step 3: place and hang.
Like I mentioned above, I tend to just free-for-all my gallery wall and hope for the best. No measuring is involved, I just place where I see fit and where I think something will look good.
A majority of my frames are black or white, with some monochrome and wood mixed in. I always find it important to have a theme for a gallery wall, as the whole point of one is to capture the attention in its direction. Whether you choose a colorful gallery wall, subtle gallery wall, fashion-themed, plant-themed--anything themed gallery wall-- my advice is to make sure it's cohesive. Sometimes one photo or piece of decor can throw the whole vibe off, so I always make sure my colors match.
After about an hour, here were my results.
And here's the order I placed them in--as you can tell, I am a little sporadic 🤣
I've hunted down some similars to the frames I have hanging on my wall so you can create one of your own. Shop everything below now!
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Xoxo,
Abby
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