If these walls could talk...

...they'd say, "If you and your husband can put up a gallery wall together and are both still speaking by the end of the day, you've come out a winner." Truth. I mean...it could have been worse. Nothing was thrown and all of the frames made it out alive. But, I can't say that it was an amazing, cohesive "marital moment." I have to give kudos to the hubby though. He was certainly more patient than me. I think that doing the research about gallery walls beforehand and knowing all that goes into creating one, I mentally prepped myself for a stressful experience. That probably didn't help. Butttttt...it's done! And I'm thrilled with the outcome!

We had two blank walls in our living room that I've been thinking about how to fill for quite some time. They flank the back door to the house. I've always wanted to try a gallery wall, so I figured, why not make things more difficult for myself and do two!? So now that the entire living room has been painted with my absolute favorite Benjamin Moore color, Paper White, I knew it was time to take action. And let me just say a little bit about Paper White...it’s a perfect color in rooms with many windows and strong sunlight, as it appears to slightly change color at different times of the day. The soft shadow effect it has can seem lighter in the morning light and deepen slightly as the sun goes down. In the can – and upon first application – you may be fooled into thinking that this is white paint. But once it dries, and especially when it’s paired with crisp white trim, you will in fact see that it is the most beautiful, soft, almost creamy shade of dove gray.

View of the blank walls from above:

And with Murphy:

Let me start by saying that if you have some random pieces of art lying around and you attempt a gallery wall, it may not work. Be patient. The pieces that I chose are a mixture of things. It did take me a while to curate the plan, but this is not to discourage you – but instead to encourage you that it just takes a bit of time to curate the right collection. So have some patience and don’t just throw a bunch of random pieces on the wall. A really good gallery wall either takes a lot of money (art can be VERY expensive) or a lot of time scouring and collecting from different resources. It absolutely doesn’t need to be expensive. A great gallery wall can be just pictures, whether art or photos. It can also be much more than that. To make a great gallery wall, start with your favorite images like photographs, drawings, or art, and then start adding in the things you cherish. The possibilities are essentially endless.

First, you have to figure out if you would like your wall to follow a specific color scheme, or if you want your frames to look like they're family. Don't be afraid to mis materials - artwork, photos, unframed, sculptures, there's room for it all in the mix. For my gallery walls, I chose pieces that included personal photographs that I blew up and printed (family, trips, Murphy, wedding, honeymoon, etc.), my favorite quotes/sayings, a clock, a personalized sign that we received as a wedding gift (thanks, Kelley!), small round mirrors, a large letter "R," an arrow, and the Smithtown Declaration of Rights (Dennis loves history!). The color palette I chose was for the frames. I went with only black, white, and gold frames.

Trust me...planning out your creation prior to pulling out the hammers and nails is the wisest choice...and the most important step! I laid out the pieces for my gallery walls on the floor, starting with what I thought could be my centerpiece and building out. Balance and symmetry are key to creating a gallery wall that works, so I started with the largest piece and used it as the focal point, then worked from the center out.

Tip: I took the exact measurements of the space on the wall where I wanted to hang my pieces and recreated that space with masking tape on the floor. That way, I knew the outline I was working with. I tried a few different arrangements until I was happy with the effect.

The chaos before the storm...

The hanging begins (although some frames were still empty)...

I am so proud of the outcome!

So, now I might actually be addicted to gallery walls. Although it took a great deal of time, patience, planning, and precision, it really was a satisfying experience. And the result is so worth it!

I hope you enjoyed he transformation!

Cheers!

xo, Claudine

The "R" - Ballard Designs

Arrow Plaque - Ballard Designs

Round Mirrors - Amazon

"Grateful, Thankful, Blessed" Sign - Etsy (It Is All In the Details Shop)

Quote Print - Etsy (Sparks House Shop)

Clock - Amazon