When you have a lot of art to display — or you just can’t decide which pieces to hang where — a salon-style gallery wall could be the answer.
“It creates so much interest,” said the interior designer Kelly Wearstler. “It creates a real focal point and warmth in a room, and it says so much about you, as an extension of your style.”
And whether you’re a seasoned collector or just choosing a few pieces to decorate a room, she added, a gallery wall “is sort of an artwork in itself.”
Of course, some gallery walls are better than others. To show us how the pros do it, Ms. Wearstler invited us into the family room of her house in Beverly Hills as she began planning a new gallery wall.
Find the Best Wall
How do you choose the best place for a gallery wall?
It’s largely “about choosing where you want to have your focal point,” Ms. Wearstler said.
Transitional spaces like entrance halls and living spaces like family rooms are fair game. But the ideal wall, she said, will already have a piece of furniture — a sofa, credenza or console table — pushed up against it.
What if that wall has paneling or wallpaper on it? No problem.
In Ms. Wearstler’s family room, she decided to hang art on a paneled wall above the sofa.
Consider the light in the room, too. Ideally, it should be bright enough to see the art, she said, but you should avoid hanging art in direct sunlight, to prevent fading.
Take Stock of What You Have
If you have a big collection of art to pull from, that’s great. If not, it’s fine to 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 about taking your time, and not rushing. All the pieces should be important to you or evoke a memory.”
If you have lots pieces vying for attention, try to choose a diverse array of media and sizes, she said, to make the composition dynamic: “I really like mixing it up. Photography, oil on canvas, sculptural elements, ceramics, mixed media” — they can all be installed together.
The frames don’t need to match, either — frames in various materials and sizes, she pointed out, will make the arrangement look more interesting.
Lay It Out
How do you even begin to think about creating a composition?
One way is to arrange the artwork by laying it out on the floor. Another (slightly more elaborate) method that Ms. Wearstler sometimes uses is to print out a photo of the wall along with scaled images of the artwork, which can be rearranged on top.
“It’s like paper dolls,” she said. (The same process can be completed digitally, using a program like Photoshop.)
There are no rules you absolutely have to follow, Ms. Wearstler said, but she thinks the easiest way to begin is by putting the largest piece in the center and then adding smaller works on either side, leaving a few inches of space in between.
In her family room, she didn’t worry about trying to be precise about maintaining equal space between the frames, which resulted in a casual look. But where the artwork meets your door and window trim, she noted, “it’s nice to leave 12 to 24 inches” of space, to give the art some breathing room.
Finish the Installation
Once you have a general idea of the layout you want, cut out full-size placeholders for each artwork from craft paper. Then tape them to the wall.
That way, you can make sure you’re happy with the placement of each piece before you get out the hammer and nails, and “you don’t puncture your wall with a lot of holes,” Ms. Wearstler said.
Then measure the space between the top of each artwork and the hardware it will hang from and use that measurement to place a nail or picture hanger on the wall, hammering it straight through the paper before your tear the paper away.
Finally, hang the art, using a level to ensure each piece is straight.
Complete the Room
Now that the art’s up, take a step back to examine the entire space.
“Look at what’s going on in the room,” Ms. Wearstler said. “Everything should speak to each other.”
In her family room, she initially placed a lamp with a bright white shade on a side table in front of the gallery wall. The color was too jarring, she decided, so she replaced it with a honey-hued alabaster lamp. “If you look, there’s a color story: amber, gold and terra-cotta,” she said.
Her advice for choosing art and accessories is the same. “Gather pieces you really love,” she said, “rather than just trying to fill space.”
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