How to create a gallery wall in 7 simple steps

A gallery wall or photo wall is a fairly easy way to transform bland walls, create a focal point in your room and bring character and personality to your living space.

A gallery wall or photo wall is a fairly easy way to transform bland walls, create a focal point in your room and bring character and personality to your living space.

This curated display of photographs, posters or prints, creatively arranged on a wall using photo frames, is commonplace but not limited to living rooms, bedrooms, hallways and staircases. The space you're working with will dictate just how many pieces of artwork and frames you'll need, but even in the most bijou of spaces, some consideration is needed.

There are certain rules to follow when decorating your home with art and a well curated gallery wall should lean into a theme or aesthetic, for example, abstract monochrome prints or coastal images. Alternatively, you could err on the eclectic side with bold block colour prints and typography images juxtaposed with your favourite family photos – a gallery wall is supposed to be expressive, after all.

'Wall art is often chosen as the finishing touch to a room, but it can act as a great starting point when picking the palette for a space,' says Dee Fontenot, Wayfair's global resident style advisor. 'Select a piece with colours that speak to you and then build your surrounding look from there, alighting upon three to four key tones to form the basis of your scheme.

There are two options for gallery walls:

Create a gallery wall using your own photographs and art and purchase suitably sized picture frames to hang on the wall.

Buy a curated set of framed wall art prints (these are often themed such as botanical or landscape prints), that you can simply hang on the wall.

Want to display your most treasured pieces of art, favourite prints, or those special family moments from birthdays, to weddings and new arrivals? Here's how to build the perfect gallery wall...

1. Collect, collect, collect

Much like the beginnings of creating a moodboard, start by making a collection of things you love, including original art, handmade prints and photographs, say the team at Artfinder . As you start collecting, think about the scale of your possible collection and the arrangement you want. Do you want to keep them all the same size? Or work in a mixture of different sizes? Look for inspiration online, in your favourite cafes and restaurants, or at home shows and exhibitions.