How to Layout the Perfect Gallery Wall

Laying out a gallery wall of pictures, decor, or art can be a daunting task.  With so many styles, layouts, and sizes, how do you find what works best for your space?  How do you even begin to decide what goes where?  How do you decide on a layout without having 24+ additional hands???  It's actually easier than you think to layout and hang a gallery wall of your favorite art and decor.  In fact, I did it by myself in just a few hours!  And today, I am going to show you how to layout the perfect gallery wall.

How To Layout the Perfect Gallery Wall

Step 1: Gather your Supplies

You are going to need:

- A Hammer and Nails

- Painters Tape

- Brown Paper or Paper Shopping Bags

- Pencil, Scissors and Ruler

- Picture Frames, Art, Wall Decor

- Pictures

Step 2: Trace your Artwork and Cut

If you're using paper shopping bags, like I did, you'll need to cut them open and lay them out flat.  Then lay your picture frames, art, or wall decor on the brown paper.  Trace the outline of each and then cut out.

Step 3: Decide on your Display

Using Painter's Tape, attach your brown pieces of paper to the wall.  You'll want to play around with the height, rotation, and location of each piece.  I did this before selecting my pictures so I could see if I wanted my frames landscape or portrait.  Once I decided on a layout, then I selected pictures to fill my frames.

By attaching your traced pieces of paper to the wall, you can get a better sense of the layout and spacing.  You can even leave it up for a few days to see how you like it.  Then, you can play with arranging your pieces on the floor in the same layout to see how they colors flow together.

(P.S. you can tell I didn't really care about neatness here...my edges are all jagged and crooked.  I was starving and wanted to get this project done so I could eat!  You don't need to worry about being exact.  Just get the basic shape and size down of each of your pieces and move on!)

Step 4: Align and Hang your Hardware

I used a pencil and ruler to measure out where I wanted my nails to go exactly.  You'll have to look at the hanging hardware for each piece and adjust as necessary.  I measured it out right on my brown piece of paper and then nailed right through the paper.  The paper easily ripped off over the nail.  This kept my walls clean of pencil marks everywhere!

Step 5: Hang your Photos and Enjoy

Once your remove your brown paper guide, you simply need to hang your piece on the wall, make sure its secure, and maybe check it with a level.  Fairly simple to layout the perfect gallery wall of your favorite art and decor!

Hanging a gallery wall in your home can be a fun and simple afternoon project with the right tools. Tell me in the comments whether you prefer a symmetrical or asymmetrical gallery wall layout. Need help with accessories, art or decor for your room? Check out my Style Refresh E-Design!