If you have a lot of art to display—or just can't decide which pieces to hang where—a salon-style gallery wall might be the solution.
“It creates so much interest,” said interior designer Kelly Wearstler. “It creates a real focal point and warmth in a room and says so much about you, as an extension of your style.”
And whether you're an experienced collector or just picking out a few pieces to decorate a room, a gallery wall is “a kind of work of art in and of itself,” she added.
Of course, some gallery walls are better than others. To show us how the pros do it, Ms. Wearstler invited us into the living room of her Beverly Hills home as she began planning a new gallery wall.
Find the best wall
How to choose the best place for a gallery wall?
It’s essentially about “deciding where you want to focus your efforts,” said Ms. Wearstler.
Transitional areas such as entryways and living areas such as family rooms are allowed. But the ideal wall, she says, would already have a piece of furniture – a sofa, sideboard or console table – pushed up against it.
And if the wall is paneled or wallpapered? No problem.
In Mrs. Wearstler's living room, she decided to hang a piece of art on a paneled wall above the sofa.
Also consider the lighting in the room. Ideally, it should be bright enough to see the artwork, she said, but you should avoid hanging artwork in direct sunlight to prevent fading.
Take stock of what you have
If you have a large art collection to draw from, that's great, but if not, you can start with a few pieces and expand the display over time.
“If you have three pieces, you can start a gallery wall,” Ms. Wearstler said. “I'm all for taking your time and not rushing anything. All of the pieces should be important to you or evoke a memory.”
When there are many pieces vying for attention, try choosing a diverse range of media and sizes, she said, to add dynamism to the composition: “I really like to mix things up. Photography, oil on canvas, sculptural elements, ceramics, mixed media” – they can all be installed together.
The frames don't have to match either – frames made of different materials and in different sizes make the arrangement look more interesting, she emphasized.
Lay it out
How do you even begin to think about creating a composition?
One option is to spread the artwork out on the floor. Another (slightly more involved) method that Ms. Wearstler sometimes uses is to print out a photograph of the wall along with scaled images of the artwork, which can then be rearranged on it.
“It's like paper dolls,” she said. (The same process can be done digitally using a program like Photoshop.)
There are no rules you have to follow, Ms. Wearstler says, but she thinks it's easiest to start by putting the largest piece in the middle and then adding smaller pieces on either side, leaving a few inches of space between them.
In her living room, she didn't worry about keeping the same distance between frames, resulting in a casual look. But where the artwork meets the door and window trim, “it's good to leave 12 to 24 inches of space,” she noted, to give the artwork some room to breathe.
Finish the installation
Once you have a general idea of the layout you want, cut full-size placeholders for each piece of art out of construction paper. Then tape them to the wall.
This way, you can make sure you're happy with the placement of each piece before you break out the hammer and nails, and “you won't leave a lot of holes in your wall,” Ms. Wearstler says.
Then measure the distance between the top of each piece of art and the bracket it will be hung on, and use that measurement to place a nail or picture hanger on the wall. Drive it straight through the wallpaper before tearing the wallpaper off.
Finally, hang the artwork, using a spirit level to ensure each piece hangs straight.
Complete the room
Now that the artwork is hung, step back to look at the entire room.
“Look at what's going on in the room,” Ms. Wearstler said. “Everything should be in harmony with each other.”
In her living room, she began by placing a lamp with a bright white shade on a side table in front of the gallery wall. The color was too bright, she decided, so she replaced it with a honey-colored alabaster lamp. “If you look closely, you can see a color story: amber, gold and terracotta,” she said.
She also advises choosing artwork and accessories: “Collect pieces that you really like,” she says, “instead of just filling space.”
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