Choosing artwork for your home can be intimidating!
Don't start hammering just yet! We can help.
Here are a few easy steps to creating a gallery wall you will love:
Step 1: Pick your favorite piece that you can't live without and build from there. Here is the one that I started with for my gallery wall.
Step 2: Decide on your theme. Do you want all of your pieces to have a similar color tone or be a similar style? You make the rules so go with your gut. I usually pick a main color and then a few accent colors. For my gallery wall I chose dark blue as my main color and pulled in orange and peach as accents. I also wanted to stick with abstract art but I was open to including photographs as well.
Step 3: Assess your space. Consider how many pieces you need to fill your space. Is it 3, or 5 or 10? Think about how large or small the artwork will have to be to fit the space. Large, medium, small or a combination. I like to have different sizes as well as different shapes. I use both squares, rectangles, portraits and landscapes.
Step 4: Pull together you options. With your theme in mind start looking for artwork you like. For me that means searching the internet to find pieces I am drawn to. At this stage I flag every piece that I like and print out a color copy. I also pull a few neutral pieces so everything isn't so "matchy matchy" like the black and white print in my gallery.
Also, if you feel like you are all over the place that's ok. Pick what you like and you can always use uniform framing to tie everything together.
My favorite sites for artwork are:
www.etsy.com
www.art.com
www.zgallerie.com
www.westelm.com
www.anthropologie.com
Step 5: Narrow It Down. Put all the pieces you printed out on the floor and pick out the ones you like the best and are drawn to the most. Mix and match and try different combinations. Group them together until you have what you think are you final picks. Keep a few in a "maybe pile" in case some of the sizes or shapes don't fit in the final design.
Need a little extra help. Ask a friend to weigh in or send us some pictures...we have no trouble giving letting you know what we think!
Step 6: Map it Out. Now that you have chosen your winners, finalize your look. Get newspaper and cut out the exact size of each piece and map it out. This is where your puzzle solving skills come in. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. It may seem like a pain but you will be glad you did it so you can be sure to order the correct sizes for your artwork. Be sure to check the available sizes of each of the pieces because often times there are multiple options. If something doesn't seem to fit perfectly don't force it. Take a look again in your "maybe pile" to see if there is a better option.
Once you have your map finalized the last thing you need to do is place your order!
A few final tips:
Using the same frame for each piece creates uniformity (if that's what you are looking for). Sites like Minted are great for framing as well.
When you start hanging use a level and take your time.
If you get frustrated take a break. It probably took me two or three weeks to finalize my gallery wall choices.
Artwork, especially framed, can be expensive. Wait for sales or coupons before ordering. Minted also has a membership where you get a percentage of your orders off for one year.
There are no right answers...if you like the way it looks that's all that matters! It's much better to get artwork you love and means something to you than look perfect out of a magazine (unless that's the look you are craving)!
