While some homeowners want to decorate their houses to match the latest interior design trends, others prefer timeless decorations because they don’t want to spend time and resources too frequently on changing the look of their home. If you’re part of the second category, then you will be delighted to read an article that tells you how to use photos to decorate your house in a way that will enhance the interior’s aesthetics and look great years from now.
Alongside marble accents and hardwood floors, gallery walls are listed as timeless decorations, making them a great addition if you’re looking for a design solution that will never go out of style. However, if this is the first time you have to create a gallery wall, you might stare at the blank space, wondering how you are supposed to fill it with several photos. Which one should you use? Should it match with the overall design of the room? Should you also consider the design of the house? Most importantly, can you afford to create an art gallery? Artwork tends to be pricey, and you don’t know where to source the pieces for your gallery wall to prevent breaking the bank.
This article will help you find some peace of mind and enjoy the process of decorating your house with artwork.
Decide if the gallery wall will become the focal point of the room
The first thing you have to decide is the place of the gallery. Where do you want to hang the collection of photos? Do you have a particular room in place? Is the wall empty? Is there any other item that takes space against the wall? You don’t need an empty wall to create a beautiful gallery; you can also display a collection of photos above the sofa or a piece of furniture in the hallway. However, you must ensure that the underneath element won’t obstruct the view of the gallery.
It helps to decide ahead if you want the gallery wall to play a central role in the room design or solely to become a complementary decoration. It enables you to decide upon the size of the gallery and type of photos you pick for the collection.
Create the layout for the gallery art before hanging the photos
Before you take the hammer and start pinning frames on the wall, you need to measure the wall to know for sure the amount of space available for the gallery. If you neglect this step, you might end up with a bunch of holes in the wall and a clutter of photos that make the space look overwhelming. Clear the floor and recreate the wall right there with a few strips of art paper. Place all the frames within the designed area and play with them to see what combination looks best. Here, you can move the elements around without fearing that you will destroy the wall. Make sure there are at least 3 inches between the frames.
Pick a color palette than makes the room feel harmonious
Starting from the idea that you want to create a timeless interior design, you want to curate the photos in such a way that they make sense within the room’s overall design. The easiest way to achieve your goal is to identify the space’s color palette and stick to it when you choose photography for the wall collection. For example, you might prefer a neutral color palette that contains gold, blue, and nude colors. In this case, you could choose vintage photography for sale because it often features the color palette you’re looking for and goes well with almost any kind of interior design.
Search for inspiration
You have reached the most interesting part of the process when you have to browse through collections of photos and pick the ones that will make your gallery stand out. Your personal style should decide the kind of photography you prefer for the gallery wall because all house adornments should reflect your style and preferences. You can also look for inspiration on websites like Pinterest, which provides tons of creative examples of gallery walls. You only have to use keywords that include the design style you picked for the house and find some examples of interiors that resemble yours. Once you click on a photo, the platform will provide you with countless similar ideas, and you will definitely find a combination that speaks to you.
Use a large photo as the anchor for the collection
Designers often use this trick to create a collection that stands out. Gallery walls usually include frames of different sizes, so you most likely relied on the same strategy when you selected photography for your collection. Make sure the biggest photo is also the most striking, and from there, you can select smaller canvases that complement it. You can obtain an interesting effect if you place the most significant piece in one of the outer corners of the gallery or the center. Make sure you arrange all elements on the floor and take a picture of the collection with your phone so have an idea of how it will look once you hang the frames on the wall.
Mix the frames
Suppose you have a large wall to display your photo collection; you will pick multiple photos. So why not also mix more frame models to obtain an intriguing effect and ensure that each frame matches the canvas? If you want to ensure the collection won’t look too eclectic for your overall home design, you could limit yourself to three models of frames. You can also take it a step further and combine photos with paintings, strips from a clip, textiles, and sculptures. You decide the visual effect you want, so let your creativity and imagination do the play.
Ultimately, you can mix and match elements as long as they are in some degree of harmony.
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