Sharing my best Tips to Create a Picture Gallery Wall. This post is sponsored by mpix and all opinions are my own.
Tips to Create a Picture Gallery Wall
I am beyond thrilled with how my picture gallery wall turned out. I’ve tried doing a picture gallery wall with different size frames and images and it just never does come together for me well. I’m never pleased with it the outcome. So this time I decided that I’m such a symmetrical person that I had to choose the same frame, the same size images and the images needed to be from the same family photo session. I’m thrilled that I went this route! I’m a picture snob as it is so pleasing myself through this was a task!!!
So today I’m here to share with you my tried and true tips…my failures as well as how I made this dream gallery wall come to life! Thanks to mpix for making this dream a reality.
Update to blog post: Before we go any further I’ve gotten many messages and emails asking what size pictures and frames I went with. These pictures are 11×14 and then when mpix frames them, it’s a custom fit with my two inch mat and skinny frame it comes shy of being a 16×20 in final size. I hope that helps you all!
You will need to spend some time prepping before you make your final decisions. This is where I’ve failed in every other picture gallery wall I’ve attempted. I always felt like I didn’t have time to spend prepping to decide what to order.
What you need:
- Cardboard
- Tape
- Scissors
- Measuring Tape
#1 Decide what you *think* you want.
You have to start somewhere and every time I’ve thought I know what I want it always gets tweaked but that’s ok. The only way I knew it needed to be tweaked is because I started with a drawing point.
Tips:
Consider the size of your wall – if it’s a small wall or large wall will determine how many frames and what size will suite you best.
I have a large wall I wanted to “fill up”. I knew the bigger the better so I started out large…well I actually ended up going larger than what I thought – but again I had to have a starting point.
Once you think you know what size picture/frame you want this is where you need to actually cut out the size frame you have determined to go with. Cut out a piece of cardboard for every picture you want to hang on your wall.
I know this takes time…but I promise you it will be well worth it in the end. Your picture gallery wall is an investment and one that you shouldn’t take lightly.
#2 Placement on your wall.
Once your cardboard is cut out place it on the wall where you want it to hang. We didn’t measure the wall placement at this point, rather just “eyed” it. We used painters tape and placed our “pictures” on the wall to visualize our gallery wall.
As you can see, I thought I wanted three rows and we played with that and we played with sizes.
In the end I decided I wanted two rows (because of the way the lighting falls on the top portion of the wall) and I wanted my pictures to be bigger than what I thought from the beginning.
Now with this piece of the work finished you should have a better idea of what you like or dislike. Maybe even what you want or don’t want. If you need to tweak and start over, I promise you it’s worth it – take the extra time and do it!
#3 Decide and Order.
When I first set out to do my picture gallery wall I thought I wanted images from all different sessions from the past few years. I began to pick and choose images and nothing was cohesive and nothing was coming together. I soon asked myself – what is it that I don’t like about all of these random images? I felt like the lighting, the colors, the style was different from each session and it wasn’t as cohesive as I had dreamed. So we had a family photo session scheduled anyway and so I decided to write down how many images I *needed* from this session as well as make sure they were all vertical images.
Picky, picky…right?!
Fast forward…we had our photo session and I got all of the images I needed to order for my wall gallery. I was over the top excited as this was coming together just as I had dreamed!
My poor husband was a trooper through this huge decision…I asked him numerous times as I questioned myself and he yet confirmed again and again…it was going to look just how I wanted it!
I went with the mpix framed pictures – I had them custom frame the images and wow they came perfect. You have so many options to choose from with prints – you could do canvas art, framed images, wood frames, metal frames etc. The list goes on! Choose what fits your style and home the best!
I can’t brag on the quality of the mpix framed pictures. They were so well made and placed together, the prints all were amazing in color and I seriously can’t rave enough about them!
#4 How to Hang Your Gallery Wall Pictures
Can I insert right here…this is where I’m forever grateful I married an engineer. Mister numbers guy came through yet again….
So how did we hang the gallery wall…
I set out the pictures that were framed in two rows on the ground…I began to just use my eye to balance the pictures themselves. I didn’t want all of the pictures of our little one in a row or anything like that so I just placed them how I thought they’d look best.
While I did the hard job – *wink*
My husband was over at the wall measuring and multiplying and adding and subtracting!
What you will need:
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Nails
- Level
- Ladder (most likely!)
- First, measure the wall and find the center of the wall and mark it with a pencil.
- He found the dimension of the 4 frames on the top row along with the spacing we wanted to add in between the frames.
- Center total spacing to the center of the wall.
- Keeping the center of the wall as your measuring point…locate the center of each picture/frame from that point.
- Mark a leveled line across the wall so that the pictures/nails will line up.
- Place nails into the wall at each measured point (step 4)
- Hang your pictures, and adjust to be level/straight.
I will say that mpix has some amazing resources to help you along the way as well. They have picture wall gallery configurations you can view and see online. They have tools and tips for hanging the wall gallery collage display you choose. You simply can’t go wrong with using their resources and their image quality is superb.
I love how they are in the background of these pictures of my daughter – filling my wall with memories and precious moments.
A recent post I’ve shared is our Family Wall Art – that we have focused on using pictures from our travels and everyday life! Check out this Gallery Wall Art and be inspired for your own home!
Leave a Reply