Oh no! not another gallery wall!....

A few years ago my sister bought a striped, blue very large roll arm sofa. In doing her pre - buying online research she got so overwhelmed by the amount of mid century style sofas on the market, that in the end she decided to go for the complete opposite. I totally understand. And at the same time, I also see why there are so many square, simple modern sofas in the market. They are nice, look good with everything and don't overwhelm a room.

The same goes for gallery walls. It seems like everyone must have a wall covered in a multitude of photos, art and even a display three dimensional objects. And again, I get why everyone- including myself - is fascinated with them. They are such a great tool for expression. Through them you can tell the story of who you are, were or want to be. What you want your home to say, what you want or need to be reminded of. Our history, our family,our future and our dreams can all be put in a frame and hang on the wall.

I have grandiose plans for my gallery walls. and more often than not, end up not executing them. There are a couple of places at home where three or four pictures hang, the ambitious beginnings of a gallery that never happened. Sometimes they are eclectic, sometimes minimal and rigorous.

This is one we actually completed and also of my favorites. Black wool hand embroidered animals on muslin. simple, square frames that echo the geometry of the hand made quilt. Charming and whimsical for a kid's room.

Below is another kid's room with a gallery wall. This one is a mix of sizes, mages and textures. It includes a paper mache animal head ( skunk?....) and a light wire as part of its composition. The color black is the unifying element.

We have been wanting to make a statement about family. The idea was to gather, parents, grand parents and even great grand parents in one wall. black and white prints and eclectic frames. Nice idea , right? well that was approximately 5 years ago. there are still a lot of empty frames. Fortunately they are pretty. Oh well, maybe in another 5 years!

So, for those of you who need some help putting a gallery wall together, here is a prefabricated gallery wall layout with visual instructions (or constructions, as my son used to say).

I have put it togehter using different sizes of RIBBA series frames from iIKEA. It includes:

4 - 9 "x 9" frames ($9.99 each)

2 - 16" x 20" frames ($ 9.99 each)

3 - 7 3/4" x 9 3/4 frames ($4.99 each)

2 - 12" x 16" frames ($6.99 each)

2 - 6" x 4" frames ($1.99 each)

This gallery will fit a space that is at least 6'3" by 5'. The outer corners of the gallery align to create a rectangle. Within it, they are arranged more loosely. Hopefully, the illustration below will give you a good indication of how to place them. if you click on it, you will get linked to IKEA RIBBA series

It will work best if all your frames are the same color - all black or all white. The uniformity of the frames means whatever you put in them will look good. Below are some great places to buy fantastic art:

Perla Anne Press

Stacey Bradley makes whimsical and charming hand cut linoleum and wood cuts, made in South Carolina. Mostly black on white. Each one is more beautiful than the next which makes it hard to choose. Luckily, these look great grouped together. 9x12 prints are $20.00

Photos by Perla Anne Press. Click image for link.

Kiki and Polly

Features prints of Lisa Golightly's amazing whimsical, touching art. She captures snapshots of life and half forgotten memories with spare lines and unexpected color. Prices range from $11 to $48. Photos by Kiki and Poly. Click image for link.

Melinda Wood Designs

is a printable modern artwork studio in California.They will send you a PDF of your selected artwork for $6.00. Some of teir designs include, Typeface, phrases, feathers and geometric shapes. Images by Melinda Wood Designs, Click image for link