60 Gallery Wall Ideas To Make The Most Of Your Space

There’s no rulebook in the gallery wall game, but some guidance can be helpful.

A blank wall in your home is a world of opportunity just waiting to be filled. Deciding how exactly to fill that space is the tricky part. Might we suggest a gallery wall? No matter which room in your house you’re looking to spruce up, a gallery wall will do the trick. From bedrooms to dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens, and even bathrooms, a gallery wall is a stellar way to instantly add character. This bit of decor always hits a charming home run. We've rounded up our favorite gallery wall ideas to inspire your blank wall upgrade.

Related: 5 Designer Solutions For That Large Blank Wall In Your House

Gallery Wall Guidelines

One thing we love about a gallery wall is that there are virtually no rules. If you’re displaying more than a couple bits of wall decor in a cluster together, then you’ve already met the minimum quota. From there, the decorating potential is near limitless. Cater your gallery wall to your space and personality by choosing what decor you plan to hang and arranging it accordingly. The most abstract of gallery walls may be art of mixed subjects and mediums displayed in mismatched frames in a seemingly random yet artful composition. A more orderly gallery wall might be a single, coordinated style of art displayed in a neat, linear fashion. Another gallery wall may mix family photos with gorgeous paintings and have sculptural art thrown in there to boot. There’s no rulebook in the gallery wall game, but some guidance can be helpful. Look to the following ideas for inspiration.

Play with Scale

A mix of finds in various sizes transformed the hallway of Catherine Branstetter's Nashville Tudor into a place worth lingering.

Make It Meaningful

In her Greenville, South Carolina, bungalow, Dorothy Shain hung some pieces of her own, but largely prioritized those from artist friends, along with those she and her husband found or chose together.

Pull Out the Plates

Homeowner Cristina Lynch's love of ceramics informed the decor in her Dallas breakfast nook, where her collection adds a big burst of personality to the bitty space.

Skip the Symmetry

Designer Ashley Hanley played up the whimsical nature of her girls' attic-like Richmond playroom by hanging a gallery wall that's balanced but not perfectly symmetrical.

Take It Upstairs

Walls covered in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White (OC-117) allow the homeowners' art collection—many of which are by Charleston artists, a nod to the home's location—to build character in the entry stairwell of this James Island, South Carolina, renovation.

Rethink the Traditional Gallery Wall

Who says yours can't include a life-size catch? In this West Palm Beach guesthouse, they leaned into the surroundings when making their artful selections.

Create the Effect with Shelving

In the kitchen of our 2022 Idea House, designer Charlotte Lucas used built-in shelving to give the layered appearance of a gallery wall, filling them with a collection of plates and small pieces of art.

Pair With Shiplap

Like gallery walls, shiplap has boomed into popularity over the last few years. We've found that paired together, the two make for a stunning display. Arranging a gallery wall on top of shiplap guarantees that interesting shapes will emerge from the art intersecting with the paneling.

Go Whimsical

Create a fun and funky display with fantasy-inspired art. Bright colors and eccentric subjects can create whimsy but also be balanced out by more serious or moody motifs depending on the overall effect you seek.

Hang Plates

Ditch the art completely and take this opportunity to show off some of your prized china. Decorate your wall with spare dishes or dinnerware that's just too precious to eat off of. Here's how.

Climb The Stairs

Take cues from the space when arranging your art. Gallery walls look especially darling when slanted to suit a staircase. This way, those climbing to the next level can do so with a view.

Consider Cluttercore

With a cluttercore philosophy, more is more. Take a maximalist approach and fill the space with as much as you can that suits your fancy.

Focus On Single Subject

Cater your gallery wall to match your interests by choosing a subject to span across all the art. This bird lover's gallery is as lovely as can be and adds a hefty dose of personality.

Create A Display

Rather than installing frames with a nail into the wall, take a different hanging approach and let your art dangle at different, intentional heights. A hanging strategy like this one can be renter-friendly with the help of peel-and-stick hooks.

Round A Corner

Don't let the wall ending determine your gallery's borders. Cut corners and create continuity by making your gallery wall from two connected walls.

Frame Family Photos

Having family photos around turns a house into a home by instilling the personality of those who live there. Surround yourself with such tender moments in a stylish way by organizing them into a stunning gallery.

Form A Grid

Rather than an assortment of art hung in no particular order, create an orderly figuration. A grid arrangement like this one is clean and sophisticated while still enabling you to show off as much art as you please.

Form A Chain

Work in additional interest with small but meaningful details. The elegant rod and chains connecting these portraits take the whole look to the next level.

Make It Personal

Start your gallery wall by hanging art and photographs with sentimental value, then add to it with meaningful pieces you pick up through the years. A gallery wall doesn't have to be a one and done.

Work A Blank Space

Play with the white space of your gallery wall composition by placing some pieces closer to others. It's much easier to hang this way and the effect will be interesting on the eyes.

Get A Little Matchy

Install a series of matching pieces for a more coordinated look. These all feature the same subject and style though vary slightly for a compelling overall display.

Use Fun Frames

In addition to the subject and style of the art, get creative with a variety of frames. Mix and match some classic, simple frames with more decorative, ornamental ones.

Fit The Space

Arrange your artwork in a way that's complementary to your space. Even though there are no laws in the gallery wall playbook, the intention is to accentuate and flatter your home, so taking cues from the architecture is always a good rule of thumb. Consider paneling, molding, and any other structures as guides for your art alignment.

Mix And Match

From photos to illustrations, clocks to frames, and round pieces to angular ones, use a variety of shapes, colors, and features in your gallery wall. Put together, it's sure to unite gorgeously.

Showcase Pressed Botanicals

A pressed botanical gallery wall is a stunning way to embrace natural beauty in the home. Designer Ashley Gilbreath shows us how to create the look.

Frame To Frame

Position frames close together, or even touching, to create the illusion of one large piece of art. In reality, you've got a stunning gallery wall you'll love.

Create A Nook

Small spaces can have gallery walls too. Add different sized art to fit any given wall, instantly adding character to even your most compact nooks and crannies.

Go Monotone

For a more cohesive gallery wall, stick to a strict color scheme when choosing your art. Don't just pull a color out of a hat, though. Take care that your chosen color works with the overall palette of the room.

Lean On The Landscapes

Landscapes are always a beautiful choice for artwork. Choose a mountain view, sandy beach, rolling plain, or sweeping cityscape depending on what kind of scenery brings you joy.

Highlight Vintage

This attractive gallery wall includes old-timey mementos that make it more sentimental. Here, you can see old postcards and vintage memorabilia framed among larger pieces of art.

Sneak In A TV

This strategy works especially well if you have a Frame TV. One of those will be able to blend into the gallery wall and can add to the art display with the screen saver of your choosing.

Be A Little Different

Rather than numerous prints of the same exact piece of art, hang a set that includes slight variation from piece to piece. This way, your gallery wall will be complementary and cohesive without being stagnant.

Mix With Other Art In The Room

Although it's sure to be dazzling, your gallery wall needs to not be the only piece of art in the room. Include works of similar styles on other walls to complete the look.

Get In Formation

Choose an arrangement for your gallery wall that is more connected than a scattered display but less rigid than a grid. This stunning diamond shape plays with frames of different dimensions.

Match Frames

Matching frames across the wall is a way to tie all the art together. Using this approach, art with different subjects or mediums suddenly becomes cohesive. Take this opportunity also to match with other materials in the room. For example, if you want wooden frames, match the stain color to other wood tones in the space.

Opt For Black And White

If when gathering family photos to create a gallery wall you feel like all of the contrasting colors are just too chaotic for you, a black-and-white filter is an easy fix. Printing all of your photos in grayscale makes them instantly more cohesive and upscale.

Work The Bathroom

There are no limitations about where gallery walls can be hung stylishly. We even adore them in the bathroom.

Make A Statement

Hang a gallery to light up a brightly painted statement wall. This addition will help the wall make even more of an impression in the room.

Be Whimsical

Create a gallery wall as a fashionable way to exhibit artwork for your tots. A display like this one in a children's bedroom or playroom can include cheerful pieces and inspiring quotes, in addition to their best original crayon art.

Show Off Antiques

We love having antiques in our homes, and the walls are no exception. Hang an assortment of heirlooms or antiques to bring character and charm to the whole room.

Don't Forget Over The Sofa

When in doubt, above the couch is a stellar spot for a gallery wall. Use this location to show off your favorite decor rather than just a single stand-alone piece.

Be Bright And Colorful

Embrace color in your gallery wall and don't stop at just one hue. Choose a bold palette like pastels or primary colors so that each piece of art is playfully bright yet they all work together.

Set A Focal Point

Organize your gallery wall around one main piece meant to catch the eye. Here, coordinated art frames an opulent mirror.

Choose Panels

Rather than a wide-reaching display, create a gallery panel out of just a few pieces of art. You can even have multiple art columns throughout the room.

Take Cues From The Coast

No matter your proximity to the beach, decor with coastal inspiration like seashells or nautical motifs will always be lovely. Here, coastal imagery is mixed with abstract art in neutral, earthy color schemes.

Celebrate Symmetry

Arrange your gallery to be a mirror image of itself—either in art or in formation. While asymmetry can be interesting, symmetry will always be pleasing to the eyes.

Give It A Shelf Life

Instead of hanging your art, let it rest on a shelf. We love this method because there's no need to bother with a level tool!

Show Off A Collection

If you have a collection that you're proud of, a gallery wall is an ideal way to show it off. Rather than keeping their oyster plates stowed away, this homeowner turned their collection into wall art.

Combine Materials

Don't stop at framed art. Think outside the box and hang other attractive bits of decor too. This will enhance the overall display by incorporating texture and new, intriguing shapes.

Make It Tiny

A gallery wall does not need to be the centerpiece of your decorations. Instead of taking up the whole room, a gallery wall can be just as lovely as a minuscule display. It's the details that really make a space, after all.

Match Metals

When choosing frames for your gallery art, we love taking inspiration from other metallics in the room like hardware. By matching your metals, you're tying in multiple elements of the space.

Be Reflective

We can't get enough of this exhibit wall made with mirrors. Skip traditional art altogether and hang a selection of mirrors for a gorgeous gallery.

Play With Size

Use pieces big and small for a dynamic, catered display. Be sure to plan out your arrangement with these assorted-sized pieces of art before fastening them to the wall.

Remember Anything Can Be Art

Take a cue from Erin and Ben Napier and swap out traditional, framed art for a unique set of whatever you please. Here, the gallery wall delivers big on texture while forgoing the expected route.

Remind Yourself Of Travels

Decorate your home with reminders of your happy places or souvenirs from your travels. A gallery wall is an ideal spot to display these meaningful landscapes or bits of memorabilia.

Dress Up A Dark Wall

In addition to dressing up plain, white spaces, a gallery can be just as good-looking on a darkly painted wall. The trick here is choosing art in colors that will complement the shade of paint.

Mix Media

The beauty of a gallery wall is often in its disorder. There's no rule against mixing photographs with paintings, illustrations, or sculptural art. In fact, it's encouraged.

Play With Pattern

Create fun patterns with details on the plates and their arrangement on the wall. The edges of this china form a checkerboard-like pattern. Alternate two different sets of objects for a similar effect.

Frame A Mirror

Come home to a welcoming entry full of interesting details. Tiles and plates frame an oversized entryway mirror and continue the color scheme of the ginger jar collection.

Framed Collage

Use a room’s architectural details to display a collection of plates, art, or other objects. Wall moulding provides a canvas to work within and frames the complete collage.

For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Southern Living.