The most effective way of injecting personality to your blank walls is with a curated display of prints and photographs. And whilst it looks relatively simple from afar, in truth, creating a gallery wall takes a touch of preparation that we'll outline in this article.
Find your space.
A gallery wall invokes visions of huge sprawling walls filled with art touching the high ceilings but in reality, they don't require vast amounts of space and often the most interesting gallery walls occupy small areas such as, above a door or in a corner over your favourite chair. Any forgotten area of your home that you'd like to accentuate would be the ideal location for your gallery wall. Less than ideal locations would be spaces in direct sunlight or near a heat source. This is because our giclée prints use pigments rather than dyes (to increase longevity) and therefore, they’re susceptible to fading and discolouration if exposed to such conditions.
How does it measure up?
Starting your gallery wall can be quite daunting and different approaches are taken. Some like to start slowly, hanging one piece and working from there and others, have curated and collated, eager to finish the task in one afternoon. If you fall into the second camp, don't start with the hammering until you try this trick. Measure the wall, then lay out the prints on the floor in the positions you intended to hang. Balancing on a chair, take an aerial photo on your phone and hold the image next to the wall to get a better understanding of how the composition will look.
Be experimental.
Different media, textures and frames creates an interesting mix and brings more depth to the space. The same goes for creating asymmetry and misalignment when positioning the pieces. There's perfection to be found in taking more of a mismatched approach.
The technicalities of hanging.
Be sure to have a pencil on hand to gently mark your nail spots. Nails are perfect for lighter prints but heaver ones may require drill anchors. For rented properties, it's never been easier to hang thanks to the invention of these command picture hanging strips. A spirit level is also useful in ensuring you're not left looking at a wonky display.
Nothing is fixed forever.
One of the beauties of a gallery wall is that they are easily interchangeable and can adapt should tastes change or even with the seasonal changes.
So should you find yourself on the fence when it comes to starting your own gallery wall, just know that aside from being aesthetically pleasing, the art you hang on your wall can have a positive impact on your wellbeing, with different studies showing it can boost drive, focus and even self-esteem. Read more about this here
