20+ Gallery Wall Ideas: Bringing together photography, family, and art (2024)

20+ Gallery Wall Ideas: Bringing together photography, family, and art (1)Have you been dreaming of a gallery wall ideas for your home? Stop pinning "inspiration" and make this vision a reality.

Check out the collection of 20+ gallery wall ideas below and get started on your own!

I have always loved the idea of a staircase wall filled with framed family photos. But these three roadblocks always stopped me from creating a gallery wall:

1. I AM FRUGAL
Before we dive into chatting about ideas, let me just say that I am frugal. Ok, I lied. I am cheap. There is no point in sugar coating it. Quality frames are expensive.

2. I GET BORED.
If something in my home is static, my mind stops noticing it. In other words, what's the point in paying for a gallery if after 6-months I stop noticing it?

3. I AM BUSY.
Convince my husband to hang a gallery? Well, he'll do it, but he'd rather not. Updating photos once it is up? I hate getting out the butter knife to push back metal tabs to change photos in picture frames. Who has time for this?

Can you relate? Don't let these things stop you! Last year I finally overcame these three roadblocks and I absolutely LOVE my staircase gallery wall.

Let me give you a little display inspiration, and then I'll share my story below.

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Gallery Wall Displays via Easy Gallery

WHY I HAVE A STAIRCASE WALL GALLERY IN MY HOME TODAY

Despite my frugality, I was completely suckered in by sentiment. I was visiting a friend's house and she showed me her daughter's birthday wall. Each time someone in the family has a birthday, she dedicates the ENTIRE WALL of photos to that special person. I told her that I was too lazy to follow through with something like that, then she grabbed a frame from the wall and showed me the easy slide-pocket in the back of her matted frame. I hit her with another excuse, "My husband would never hang these for me." She explained how she set-up her 13-frame travel gallery on her own in less than an hour last year. I had almost run out of excuses.

There is always the money factor. When I talk to my friend about my Easy Gallery, I explain it as a family investment. Yeah, it will cost a pretty penny, but it is a purchase that keeps on giving back. I adore the rotating photos every time I walk down the stairs.

Mixing Art & Photography On Your Gallery Wall

I had the honor of chatting with the CEO ofEasy Gallery on the phone. Her vision for creating these 5-second frames revolves around the love of family and art. That was the missing piece of the equation for me... art.

Having a dynamic wall gallery can allow you to showcase family and art with ease.

Sometimes we shop for local art, sometimes I buy on Etsy, and other times I shop prints on minted.

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Shop Foil-pressed Art on minted

This is what I specifically like about shopping through minted:

Minted's community of independent artists and designers are located in 48 states and 43 countries. They are illustrators and textile designers, painters and packaging designers, marketers and stay-at-home moms. They believe that great design lives and thrives in the hands of indie designers that people may not have access to through traditional retailers. Their goal is to use technology to allow their community to discover the work of great designers from all over the world.

I am particularly enticed by their latest foil-pressed art line (showcased above), because I can also order personalized foil-pressed photos. This allows me to create a visual consistency between the art and the pictures in my gallery. Love it.

Where should I put my Gallery Wall?

There are so many options...

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Gallery Wall Displays via Easy Gallery

I've slowly been adding more galleries to our house. We currently have a stair gallery, a fireplace gallery, and a wall gallery above our piano. The fireplace gallery is strictly art. The piano gallery is full of black and white lifestyle portraits of our family. And the stairway gallery... well, that is where I like to play!

Entryways, living rooms, and dining rooms are also great places for a wall gallery. I personally love the idea of a wall gallery in the kitchen. I strongly believe in the power of the family meal. The kitchen is a wonderful place to share photos and inspire togetherness. I've also seen a lot of adorable kitchen prints on Etsy by Paper Canoe.

Wall Gallery Theme Ideas

I've already mentioned showcasing a birthday wall gallery, a vacation wall gallery, and even a "fun in the snow" gallery based around the Baby, it's cold outside print. In the past, we've done a Santa themed gallery for Christmas. However, this year we are doing a gallery welcoming the holiday season using this It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year print as the main piece of art.

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Shop Foil-pressed Typography

Holiday Prints For Your Wall Gallery

As we head into the holidays, I've been checking out the foil-pressed typography prints on minted for wall gallery ideas. These are lovely for Christmas, but I also like the idea of mixing a Baby, it's cold outside print with photos of the kids playing in the snow after the holidays. Here in Wisconsin we get a lot of snow.

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Again, I love that I can order photography prints with whimsical foil-pressed photo patterns to match the typography print.

The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety.
W. Somerset Maugham

One last tip before I sign-off here: Don't be afraid to get playful. Keep an eye out at ModCloth for funky clocks, circle mirrors or random inspirational pieces. This is YOUR project. Make it unique.

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Gallery Wall Displays via Easy Gallery

Do you have additional holiday (or everyday) gallery ideas? Let's chat in the comments.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Minted provided free sample prints to ensure I felt comfortable sharing the product. I have done sponsored posts with Easy Gallery in the past. However, the Easy Gallery links in this post are not affiliated. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsem*nts and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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20+ Gallery Wall Ideas: Bringing together photography, family, and art (2024)

FAQs

How do you make a gallery wall with art and pictures? ›

Use a ruler to guide your placement. Aim for 3–6 inches between each piece of wall art and around all sides of the frames. Arrange larger art with more space between frames, and group smaller artwork closer together. Also, leave plenty of space between the frames, trim, and molding, so the gallery has room to breathe.

How many pictures should go on a gallery wall? ›

As a general rule, if a wall is 3×4 feet, you can fit seven photos on the wall. Kassel suggests a mix of sizes to create visual variety: One 16×16 frame containing a 12×12 photo, with a 2-inch mat. Three 8×10 frames containing 4x 6 photos, with a 2-inch mat.

How do you match art for a gallery wall? ›

Spread out pieces of similar sizes, colors or art styles.

Space them out throughout the wall. If you have a few pieces that are the exact same size and look good next to each other, you can frame those next to each other and create a mini triptych or grid within your gallery wall.

Can you mix photos and art on a gallery wall? ›

This type of gallery wall is my favorite for living rooms, if you don't want to add a bunch of family pictures but instead keep it more subtle you can mix a few of your favorite candid family pictures and add to the mix some of your favorite art pieces, even better if the art also represents your family.

How to unify a gallery wall? ›

Strike a Balance: Cohesiveness is key. We suggest sticking to two or three frame styles and colors for a unified look (even if your display is less structured). You can also repeat a type of artwork, like a sketch or painted landscape, so the curation doesn't appear too random.

What is the best wall for family photos? ›

Placing family photos on the Western wall promotes a sense of understanding and stability within your household. This direction symbolizes the settling sun, signifying the culmination of the day. By positioning photos here, you're creating an atmosphere of peace and unity among family members.

What room should family pictures be hung? ›

Main Rooms

Gathering places in your home are where your family makes memories. This is perhaps the living room, dining room and game room where you laugh, love and play together. It makes perfect sense to enhance these special places with pictures of the people who make the house a home.

What is the rule of thumb for gallery walls? ›

Here's our take: If your gallery wall will hang above a piece of furniture, plan for the bottom of your lowest frame to hang 7-10 inches above the top of your furniture. If your gallery wall is hanging on an empty wall, aim for the center of your whole layout to hang about 57 inches above the floor.

What is the best way to arrange art on a wall? ›

A precise grid gives a formal look, while a group of pictures hung within a set square or rectangle feels instantly more casual. Whether you're working with a grouping of pictures or just one, artwork should generally be centered horizontally between two points, which makes a room feel balanced.

How far apart should art be on a gallery wall? ›

When hanging multiple works of art, treat each work in the collection as if it were one work of art. Anchoring multiple works around the 57-inch focal point will help the collection appear balanced. The ideal spacing between multiple artworks is 3 to 6 inches.

How do you display art pictures on the wall? ›

How to arrange pictures on a wall. As a rule of thumb, hanging pictures at eye level is a safe option. This generally means positioning the picture so its midpoint is 57-60 inches from the floor, depending on the ceiling height of the room – and your height, of course.

How do I make my own art gallery? ›

How To Open an Art Gallery Business
  1. Know the art community. Your first step in knowing how to open an art business is to research the art community. ...
  2. Meet the artists. ...
  3. Buy or rent space. ...
  4. Finesse your opening night. ...
  5. Go Virtual. ...
  6. Utilize social media. ...
  7. Plan your art display.
Sep 4, 2023

How do you put art prints on the wall? ›

For unframed prints you might want to hang them on the wall with clips, to avoid damaging the paper. Or use adhesive tack to fix them to the wall. Use two clips and maybe some adhesive tack to stabilize the print. Or use only adhesive tack if you feel the clips are distracting from the art.

How to display multiple photos on a wall? ›

I would mix black frames, wood frames, and a pop of brass or gold frames. Use black and white photos AND color photos. Maybe throw in some abstract art with your family photos. Mix larger frames with small frames, rectangular frames with square ones, and old and new photos.

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