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How to Create a Unique Gallery Wall

Always wanted to create an amazing gallery wall but didn’t know where to start? Chicago lifestyle blogger Lauren Wendt Bremer of Foxtail + Moss showed us how to make an amazing art wall – check out her tips! 

Gallery walls are hard, you guys. I mean, selecting art for your home in general is hard. But when you’re setting out to hang a bunch of random pieces of art together to create a cohesive grouping, things can go horribly wrong pretty quickly. Curating an art collection should be about pulling together pieces you love to create a larger aesthetically pleasing whole – not stressing about the design process.

Here are five simple steps to make curating the perfect gallery wall a breeze.

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1. Choose art that you love. Duh!

It’s important to pick pieces that speak to you. Does a print make you smile? Remind you of a vacation? Do the colors make you feel happy/calm/excited? When curating a gallery wall, it’s tempting to want to pick a theme and stick to it. But in the end, you have to live with, and look at, the artwork everyday. So make sure you truly enjoy each and every piece.Foxtail+MossGalleryWall8

Dream On” by Mathiole

That being said…

2. Keep it cohesive. But not too matchy matchy.

Choosing artwork that carries a similar color palette throughout is the easiest way to make your collection feel united. But if all the pieces are too similar, your gallery wall can get kind of boring. Look for patterns, textures, and colors that echo one another (neons, jewel tones, bold black and white graphics, typeface, etc) without getting too repetitive.

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From left to right: “Dream On” by Mathiole, “Flamenco” by Aneesh Kumar T.K, “Above Sea Level” by Ross Zietz, “Ban&a” by Brent Schoepf, “Unscrewed Owl” by Montt, and “Good Times” by Jaco Haasbroek.

3. Chose frames from the same family.

Framing your artwork in one type or color of frame (wood, white, gold gilded) instantly makes a random grouping look like an intentional collection. Vary the sizes of your pieces and frames for a more organic look. Mix it up with vertical,
horizontal, and square shapes.

4. Or think outside the frame, entirely!

Get creative and ditch the frame altogether. Mix in a few pieces hung with clips – I absolutely love the casual vibe this gives off. Or try a colorful or patterned washi tape. These non-traditional alternatives add interest to the wall and make switching out artwork way easier than re-framing.

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Good Times” by Jaco Haasbroek.

5. Work in odd numbers.

Even numbers create symmetry, but odd numbers create interest. There’s a design guideline to live and die by: the Rule of Threes. It states that our brains register a grouping of three or more as a pattern, and when we see an odd number of things, our eyes are forced to move around more, creating a more visually interesting experience. So anchor your wall with one large statement piece and add in smaller pieces as you go, always keeping that Rule of Threes in mind.

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From left to right: “Dream On” by Mathiole, “Flamenco” by Aneesh Kumar T.K, “Above Sea Level” by Ross Zietz, “Ban&a” by Brent Schoepf, “Unscrewed Owl” by Montt, and “Good Times” by Jaco Haasbroek.

6. Bonus Tip: When in doubt, add a plant!

So your gallery wall is hung but it still feels like it’s lacking. You can’t go wrong with a little something green! Throw in a hanging or mounted plant (I’m all about mounted stag horn ferns right now!) for some added interest and texture. Contemplate a small shelf full of loved tchotchkes. Mix in some photography, a band poster, a weaving, or some vintage taxidermy. Or use your gallery wall as a way to camouflage your tv. The point is, gallery walls don’t have to be limited to just art work and should reflect your personality and space as whole. So have fun with it!

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A note on hanging:

So let’s talk about how to actually get your gallery wall up there. There are twomethods that I recommend. One that willappeal to all you Type A personalities out there and the other that’s geared toward the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants crowd. I typically employ a mixture of both because patience is not always my strong suit.

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From left to right: “Dream On” by Mathiole, “Flamenco” by Aneesh Kumar T.K, “Above Sea Level” by Ross Zietz, “Ban&a” by Brent Schoepf, “Unscrewed Owl” by Montt

The almost completely fail-proof way to hang a gallery wall involves making a template of each frame (ie. tracing the frame on paper and cutting out an exact size replica) and taping them up to make sure you dig your composition and spacing before committing to any holes in the wall. One by one, replace the templates with your artwork and voila! You have yourself a gallery wall.

The second method is a bit more impulsive and will most likely require a little patching of holes here and there. Lay out the frames on the floor in front of the wall to get a rough idea of where each piece is going to hang. And then just go for it! Often I’ll end up flip flopping a piece or two, but I like that the placement of the artwork happens very organically this way. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this method if you don’t trust your design-inclined gut. Cause let’s be honest, you’re never going to get around to patching those holes anyway!

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For more lifestyle tips and articles, check out Foxtail + Moss’s website!

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Lauren Wendt Bremer

Hi! My name is Lauren and I write the lifestyle blog Foxtail + Moss. A Southern girl at heart, I've happily called Chicago home for 10 years now. Most days you can find me hanging out with my handsome husband, our sweet frenchie/boston terrier pup, Olive, and our grumpy and darling cat we call Bittermelon. I'm all about long wandering road trips, thrift store exploring, late night bike rides, and throwing dinner parties that devolve into impromptu dance parties. I spend an embarrassing amount of time drinking way too much coffee and obsessively rearranging the furniture in my apartment.