In case you missed these earlier posts:
I’m so happy to say that I finally have pictures of our family and friends on our walls. I believe that our homes should tell our stories. I want my home to be an extension of our personalities and the things we love.
And it’s hard to tell the story without any pictures on the walls. Am I right?!?
I picked this one wall that is between my living room and kitchen. I can’t put a large piece of furniture on this wall because it’s a main traffic-way in the flow of the house. So, I knew I wanted to put a bunch of pictures there some day. I’ve been playing around with this idea since we moved in. I considered shelves, but in the end I decided a gallery wall would be the best option.
But … big but … I had to wait until we did the board and batten treatment before I could hang the pictures. It only took me a whole year to get that done. Whew, thankfully it’s done!!
I had quite a few picture frames I’d gathered over the years. The good news about a gallery wall, or really anything in your home, is that you can create whatever variation that you want to create. Some people have gallery walls with the frames all the same color. Or all of the pictures are black and white or sepia tone.
Mine is much less uniform than any of those, because I used any and all pictures frames I had on hand: black, brown, white, green, you name it.
And I know some people like to incorporate non-photo items in their gallery walls, but I really didn’t have anything like that on hand. So, I just used what I had. This project is the best kind: free!
I did create two printables to go on our walls. They represent mine and my husband’s home states.
I’m from Tennessee, so I made this to make sure people know my blood runs orange. Go Vols!! 🙂 I’m kinda proud of my heritage. “Rocky Top you’ll always be, home sweet home to me.”
And then I made this one for Alabama, which is where we live and my husband’s home state. “Sweet Home Alabama.”
I love them! I like having something up there that’s not just a picture.
OK, so let’s get down to how I put this thing together. There are tons of tutorials out there about how to create a gallery wall, but this is how I made mine.
I first gathered my tools:
1. Level (I also have a laser level in the pic, but I didn’t end up using it.)
2. Hammer
3. Nails
4. Pencil (not pictured … I forgot I needed a pencil and you definitely need one of those!)
I measured the wall and then placed painter’s tape on the floor in the exact dimensions of my wall. That way I could place all of my pictures where I wanted them to go without putting a ton of holes in the wall.
Once I got everything in place, I started hanging them on the wall. I started with the large picture on the middle bottom. And if I had it to do over again I would have made sure it was centered in the space on the floor before I centered it on the wall.
And since I centered it on the wall, I had too much space on the left side, and not so much space on the right side. I have a feeling this wall will evolve over time, so I’m sure I’ll fix it at some point. Just not today. 🙂
And I just continued to fill the wall in with pictures until everything was in place.
And finally I filled the empty picture frames with some of my favorite pics. I used a new geometric fabric I found online to fill one of my 8×10 frames up at the top. I had all of my favorite colors in it, so I had to buy a yard. Of course! 🙂
Now I just need to find some more pictures to go on some of the other walls in my living room. They look really bare now next to this wall!
Have you ever done a gallery wall in your home?
I love the personality it brings to my space!
The rest of the Living Room Makeover posts:
Part 6: Super Easy Throw Pillows
Don’t miss out on the behind-the-scenes fun!
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Allison says
August 12, 2013 at 3:31 pmYour gallery wall looks AMAZING!
I’ve been arranging frames on the floor and taping wrapping paper cut outs to the wall for a month and I can’t seem to just DO it! You’ve inspired me 🙂
Allison {aplaceofgratitude.blogspot.com}
Laura says
August 12, 2013 at 3:58 pmYay!! I’d love to see it when it’s done! … be sure to leave a link when you’ve posted it. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Mike says
July 26, 2013 at 10:46 amHanging picture & mural walls are more and more popular. Personally, I prefer that in a home over artwork (unless of course the artworks is your child’s masterpiece)! Nice job!
Stacey says
May 27, 2013 at 9:21 pmGorgeous gallery wall – very lovely – very helpful post too! Featuring it tonight!
Thanks for sharing –
Stacey :o)
Jan says
May 27, 2013 at 6:15 pmHi, I’m visiting from The Shabby Nest. You did a beautiful gallery wall. Do you smile every time you pass by? I do at mine. Lived here nearly 23 years; back in 2007 I put a small assortment of photos of friends and from vacations on the wall leading up the stairs, but I took it down in 2009 when I put the house up for sale. Didn’t sell but I didn’t put the pics back up, always intending to hang them somewhere else and in a more organized fashion. Well, finally this year I started hanging pictures on the wall in the dinette area between open kitchen and open family room. I see it all the time and diners can admire the pics from the table. I wasn’t organized like you, though. Yep, I’d read about how to do it the right way so my wall wouldn’t end up filled with nail holes and then filled nail holes, LOL. Didn’t do it anyway. Just went at it, although the second attempt I did make a layout of the arrangement I wanted on the family room floor before putting the pics up. I kept most of that arrangement but it ended up being top heavy (all the larger frames somehow ended up at the top and smaller ones on the bottom). So I tweaked here and tweaked there, making yet more holes in my wall. My lawn should be so thoroughly aerated! Now it’s just about right, I’ve got a few blank spaces to plug with some small frames, but I’m otherwise really happy with the arrangement. Mine was a little messed up because of a light switch and thermostat on the wall that I had to work around, but I finally got a good balance of small and larger pics and frames. It’s not as nicely aligned as yours though 🙂 I did like you, though, I went with the frames I’ve gathered over the years, and it’s a real mish-mash. Ended up buying some more too, to balance out and fill in here and there. My original thought had been to put up 9 pics in matching frames, had the frames, but then I couldn’t narrow down the pics to ONLY 9, LOL! I’ve got a lifetime of pics and being a geneaology nut, some old family photos that I wanted to also include in honor of my grandma and grandpa. You are SO right that we need to surround ourselves in our own homes with things that make us happy and remind us of the love we have for others and that they have for us. Particularly in today’s crazy world, our homes are our sanctuaries, and we should decorate them to please ourselves and nobody else, and not according to any trends, but putting in it what nurtures and restores us. Goddess bless!
Krista @thehappyhousie says
May 27, 2013 at 12:09 amLooks amazing! I did one of these photo gallery walls in our basement family room. I really love the little personal touches you added like your home state picture. Cute!!
Krista
Mandy Hank says
May 25, 2013 at 9:40 amThis is awesome! I want to create one over summer break 🙂 Thanks for the tips!
Mandy @ The Hankful House
[email protected] says
May 21, 2013 at 3:43 pmSo pretty, this wall gallery! 🙂 I really like it the mix and match frames! I used to have one in my living room, removed it because we had a main floor renovation and never put it back! Love yours, thank you for the inspiration Ingrid
Kayla Janachovsky says
May 21, 2013 at 1:23 pmIt looks great!
Abby @ Just a Girl and Her Blog says
May 20, 2013 at 9:38 pmLOVE IT! I would love to do a gallery wall, but I always get nervous because I’m such a “straight lines and right angles” person that I don’t know if I could break out of it to not put things in rows, lol! Yours looks amazing. The mix and match frames are perfect and those printables are so completely awesome! I popped over from Home Stories A to Z… thanks for sharing!
~Abby =)
DesignGeek says
May 20, 2013 at 2:29 pmI love the mix and match frames. I have been pondering this very dilemma at my house…to match or not to match…
Holly says
May 20, 2013 at 1:05 pmHi Laura – I’m laughing to myself… we are in the process of making a gallery wall in the hallway and I am literally just grabbing the hammer and nail and putting up the pictures without any rhyme or reason. Yours looks so beautiful! And PS – although I grew up in Pennsylvania, Rocky Top is one of my all time favorite songs. Hugs, Holly
A Lived in Home says
May 20, 2013 at 12:07 pmGreat gallery wall! I’m obsessed with them!
Simsim says
May 20, 2013 at 10:24 amI have wanted to do this for ages but all my picture frames are VERY random – I love your idea of planning it out on the floor first!!
marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says
May 20, 2013 at 9:03 amLove your collage, it looks amazing and your tutorial is great. Hugs, Marty
~Lavender Dreamer~ says
May 9, 2013 at 7:46 pmI’ve always wanted to do this on a wall in my home. We live in Florida and buy local art and take lots of photos that could be enlarged. I think yours looks amazing!
Laura says
May 14, 2013 at 4:06 pmThank you! You should definitely go for it!!
VMG206 says
April 26, 2013 at 12:21 pmGreat gallery wall! I love having photos of the family, friends, pets, vacations, etc. out for all to see.
I’m visiting you today from By Stephanie Lynn. I hope you get a chance to stop by my blog and leave a comment, too!
~ Megin of VMG206
Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. says
April 14, 2013 at 9:02 pmWhat a pretty gallery wall!
Laura says
May 14, 2013 at 4:12 pmThank you!
Jen @ de Jong Dream House says
April 9, 2013 at 8:52 pmLooks great! I LOVE photo galleries and totally agree that photos are a great way to tell our stories.