Creating a gallery wall is a fantastic way to display your favourite family photos. One of the great things about gallery walls are their versatility; you can create a beautiful display using just a couple of photos or several, filling your space perfectly simply by choosing the right print size. And by printing on different mediums—be it canvas, metal, or even wood—gallery walls can also be easily adapted to suit any decor style.
If you think you want to build a gallery wall of family photos, here are five tips to help get you started.
1. Plan The Space
You may already have a space in mind for where you want to build your gallery wall or, perhaps, you know you want to create one but haven’t yet thought of the perfect spot. Whether you have a huge, empty wall in your family room or a little space beside your front door, planning ahead will save you a lot of time and effort in the future. To help plan this space, ask yourself:
- Do you want to add to your gallery wall as time goes on? If you want to build up your gallery wall down the road, be sure to chose a space that will allow for the future additions.
- Do you want to swap out photos for new ones in the future? Knowing this will be helpful when choosing your prints; you may want to consider prints that can be displayed without leaving holes in the walls or damaging paint, like Posterjack Peel & Stick Prints (these are also great for renters and students in dorms).
There are plenty of spaces in your home that can accommodate a gallery wall of family photos. As we mentioned previously, you can fill a huge wall with several smaller prints or two very large ones. Likewise, you can create a gallery wall in a small space simply by choosing smaller prints. Posterjack Canvas Minis are great for this purpose.
2. Decide on Photos
You already know you want your gallery wall to display family photos, which is a great start, but for the space to look its best, you should consider sticking to a theme to help connect the photos in the gallery as though they are all one larger piece of art. The options are endless, but a few ideas include:
- Photos that were all captured at the same photoshoot or event
- Wedding photos from different weddings
- Candid photos
- Family photos that are all captured outdoors
- A variety of photos from different times, even if they span over fifty years, pulled together by printing them all in black and white.
[Image Source: Staircase Wall Art: Ideas for Arranging Pictures in Your Stairway]
3. Pick The Perfect Prints
If you can’t decide on a theme for your photos or simply want to display photos that don’t coordinate, you can also pull them together by choosing to display them all in matching frames, which can be all the same size or a variety of sizes.
If the family photos you’re printing do coordinate, you can get creative with the products you print them on, mixing and matching Canvas Prints with HD Metal Prints, or whatever else you fall in love with. Posterjack offers a large variety of photo art products, making it easy to find the perfect prints for your space.
4. Create Balance
When planning a gallery wall, imagine two things:
1. Your collection of art is one large piece.
2. There's a vertical line going down the center of the wall.
Now, position your art equally on either side of the vertical line to create visual balance.
If your gallery wall includes different print sizes, position the largest piece of art on the bottom-left of the gallery wall arrangement. If the arrangement is symmetrical, position this piece in the middle.
[Image source: How to Display Your Artwork Infographic]
5. Do a Trial Run
Once you’ve planned your space and have decided on the family photos and prints you want to build your gallery wall with, do a trial run to make sure you’re happy with it. Cut craft paper to the size of your artwork and then use painter’s tape to position the paper on the wall where you plan to hang your photos. If you don’t have paper large enough to do this, you can also create a “frame” by just using painter’s tape. Leave it on the wall for a while and revisit it a couple of hours later to ensure you still like your creation.
Add a Personal Touch to Your Home
Whether it’s a large collection of photos displayed in your stairway or three small prints displayed vertically along a narrow wall in your kitchen, building a gallery wall of family photos is a wonderful way to add a personal touch to your home and to show off photos of your favourite people.
Need Some Inspiration?
Want to see photos of gallery walls that our fans have created? We have the best community and feature customer photos all the time right on our homepage! Here are a few examples to help get your creative juices flowing.
