Gallery Wall

So determined to create order & confine my cluttery frames to one well designed area of my home, I decided to create a gallery wall! After some careful planning & even more careful execution I have designed exactly what I envisioned! I have this HUGE wall on one side of a rather steep staircase and knew from the very first time I walked through the skeleton walls of this home that it would be something special. I have collected a variety of black frames over the years so I was pretty sure I wouldn't have to buy anything new. I did end up spray painting a few frames that were either cherry, metallic or distressed with black satin spray paint to create uniformity, but I am very pleased at the result! You can find more info about various clean & well designed gallery walls here. Here is the inspiration & "how to" for the one I fell for:

INSPIRATION

EXECUTION

[began by tracing every frame I wanted to use on craft paper (purchased at the dollar store) to make place markers and used painters tape to play with the arrangement on the wall. I added, subtracted & rearranged using my eye as my guide for right & wrong placement. I messed with the frames for a couple of days before settling on the final placement]

[After deciding placement, I removed the place marker anchoring the major & middle pieces at the bottom first. I taped the place marker to the frame and poked a hole with a nail EXACTLY where the hanger was supposed to sit on the nail. Then I rehung the place marker and hammered the nail in. Then hung the first piece & began adding pieces tight to the first one hung.]

[Here is the final frame design. I wanted to use an eclectic mix of frames. Using the same frame uniform throughout would create too formal of a look for me. So, I varied the depths, sizes & mats so it had a lot of depth & texture. See how easy it is to create uniformity just by painting all the frames the same color?? There are tricks to achieve great results when spray painting, just remember ten coats of very thin layers are ALWAYS better than one thick coat that bubbles, but covers. The pictures are not in yet, these are just the pictures that were in the frames from my previous house. This wall will be an evolving piece of art for years to come!]

[top down view! now if only I could move that ugly doorbell box...]