A couple of weeks back we started our series on gallery walls with 17 Exciting Gallery Wall Items. From photographs and artwork to tennis rackets and even spoons, we shared lots of interesting things you can put on your gallery wall. Which brings us to the next step. How do we arrange all these beautiful items we’ve collected? How do we plan a gallery wall layout.

11 Great Gallery Wall Layout Ideas

From ridiculously easy layouts for first timers to bold and dramatic ideas for the braver souls, we have a gallery wall layout for everyone who loves a good gallery. So let’s get started.

1 – Straight Line

The most obviously simple way to layout your gallery is in a straight line.

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This works really well to fill up long narrow spaces…

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… including vertical walls.

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Do you remember how we used this simple vertical gallery to beautify that odd, empty space in our pink and lavender room?

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In fact, you can use a straight line gallery wall for difficult spaces like long passages too.

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Like with any gallery, you don’t have to just use artwork. You could use mirrors, plates or just about any of the items we saw in the previous post.

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To give your straight line gallery wall layout a twist, you could shift the central piece a little higher or lower, or place alternate pieces at different heights to make a zig-zag pattern.

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2 – Grid

Another really easy gallery wall layout is the grid. Use identical frames or objects and simply lay them out in a grid.

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You could use a grid in horizontal spaces, like above a bed or dining bench.

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Or add as many rows and columns required to fill up a large wall.

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If you are nervous about making a mess laying out a gallery wall in a large space, this is an easy option to go with. The symmetry of the size and type of object you use ensures that no matter how high or wide you go, the gallery wall will always look neat and well planned.

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Grids work well in vertical spaces too…

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… and with pretty much any object you choose for your gallery.

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3 – Any Geometric Shape

This is similar to a grid, except that the frames or objects you use in your gallery are now not identical.

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You can use frames of different shapes and sizes, but lay them out in such a way that together, they form a larger square, or rectangle… or any geometric shape.

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If you’re scared of messing up your gallery, but want to use a variety of shapes and objects in making it, this idea will be very helpful. The neat outer boundary of your gallery will help it to look organised even if isn’t even and symmetrical inside.

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As you get braver, you can try different shapes, like this diamond below…

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… and different objects like these plates.

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4 – Mirror Image Symmetry

What happens if you don’t want a well defined geometric gallery? If you want your gallery to look more varied and artistic then here is another simple trick.

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Imagine a vertical line going down from the top to the bottom right through the centre of this mirror. The gallery on either side of this line will be a mirror image of the other. And there is no way you can go wrong with this symmetry.

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Take this astonishing and bold plate gallery for instance. What looks like a completely random arrangement is exactly identical on either side of the mirror, right down to the wall sconces.

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This beautiful bedroom gallery is a mirror image along both its centre lines, horizontal and vertical.

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5 – Bottom Aligned Gallery Wall

A bottom aligned gallery wall simply means that the lower edge of the gallery wall is a straight line. This works in spaces where the bottom edge is defined by something, like the top of the sofa in this living room.

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Or the horizontal line of the chaise here.

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The gallery wall sort of builds up from this bottom line and can take any direction as it travels upwards.

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These galleries can look exceptional provided you get the balance right.

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6 – Top Aligned Gallery Wall

In this case, the upper edge of the gallery wall is in a straight line. The gallery seems to fall downwards from this line and can fall to varying lengths depending on the rest of the space.

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Here the smaller pieces of art along the staircase build up to the large piece in the empty space after the staircase ends.

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While here the bottom edge of the gallery seems to follow the curves of the headboard.

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7 – Aligned Along A Centre Line

In this layout, you make a single straight line along the centre of your space. The frames (or objects) will go up and down (or right and left in case of a vertical gallery wall) from that centre line.

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Even though at first glance these gallery walls look completely asymmetrical, having that straight line in the centre gives you a place to start and an easier way to balance your gallery.

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However varied your objects might be in size and shape, the centre line seems to hold them together.

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8 – Inward Corner

Another exciting way to make a gallery wall is around a corner.

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Wrap your gallery wall around two adjacent walls so the whole corner, together, make your gallery wall.

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This is a fantastic way to visually create a separate space, for instance, for a dining, or seating area.

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And your corner gallery can take on any shape at all that you want.

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9 – Outward Corner

Yes, gallery walls work beautifully running around outward corners too.

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They help to tie in the spaces on the two ends of the corner and visually flow into each other…

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… and so make the space look so much larger.

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I love how this gallery makes even these starkly different walls look like one.

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10 – Take The Shape Of The Space

The fact that a gallery wall can take any shape also means that it can fit into any space, no matter how awkward it is.

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So if you’re looking to decorate around a door..

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Or window…

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On the side of a staircase…

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Or along it’s entire length.

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Around a fireplace…

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Or on an oddly shaped wall, a gallery wall is the answer to all your problems.

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11 – Free Flowing Gallery Wall

Once you’ve reached this far, you’ve discovered the real secret of a gallery wall layout. It’s that there doesn’t have to be a specific layout at all.

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You could plan it so that it follows the lines of your furniture.

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Or makes space for a light fitting.

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You could balance a heavier piece of furniture or decor on one side with a heavier gallery on the other.

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Or just go with the flow and not follow any rules at all.

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You could have your gallery bring focus to a corner seat.

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Or go right around your seating.

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And you could build your gallery wall with anything at all.

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My Free Flowing Gallery Wall

Free flowing gallery walls are like a piece of art unto themselves. Whenever I plan a free flowing gallery, I first lay it out on the floor. I’ll arrange things, adjust them, put them back and forth till I am satisfied with my layout. Once the gallery wall layout has been finalised on the floor, only then do I pick up one piece at a time and have it fixed to the wall.

The biggest advantage of free flowing gallery walls is that you can keep adding to them and growing them as you like. This gallery wall in my home, for instance, is my free flowing gallery wall. Notice how it is also bottom aligned, with the switch boards, AC remote and the bottom edge of the white painting all in almost one line.

But the main idea of this gallery wall was that I can grow it whenever I get another piece of art or artifact. I could take it around the top of the door and then continue it down the other side too.

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As you can see, there are a whole lot of possibilities here… and not just on my gallery wall.

So go ahead, and pick any one of them to make your own. Remember to read about all the items you can put into your gallery wall before you start. And click here for all the different ways in which you can frame them. Remember to share your beautiful gallery wall with me.

I would love to hear your questions and comments, so do write in below.

Until next time,