I’ve always wanted to create a gallery wall for myself – I love the idea of showcasing a collage of favorite things in the form of framed artwork & wall decor. Artwork is such a personal thing in general; what you choose to display on the wall opens up your ability to share what makes you happy. I love pieces of art that have meaning to me, primarily in the form of triggering a memory or reminder of a special time in my life.

To create my personalized gallery wall, I partnered with Minted to find the perfect pieces of art to add to my living room space. Here’s how I went about determining where to place each frame, what I did to hang them perfectly, and why I chose each piece to display on my wall.

DETERMINE USEABLE SPACE & CENTERFOLD PIECE

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I happened to have an existing piece of artwork that I decided to have as my ‘centerfold.’ I also managed to hang it slightly off-center (not on purpose.) Even though I could easily slide the couch over to have the Brooklyn Bridge centered, I figured this would allow me to get creative with the empty space of wall to the left of it.

The size of my existing artwork also played a part in my decision-making when it came to figuring out what sizes and shapes of artwork to balance around it. I determined that I would include (5) smaller images total to frame around the left side of my 40″ x 30″ BK Bridge – (2) portraits measuring 16″ x 20″ and 11″ x 14″, (2) squares measuring 8″ x 8″ , and (1) landscape measuring 10″ x 8″. I also included (2) white floating shelves to help fill out the blank spaces & give the wall more creative dimension.

BEFORE HANGING, MAP IT OUT ON THE FLOOR

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Before you do ANYTHING permanent, make sure you have a plan. I was certain about the design layout I had in my head but when I went to map it out on the floor, I ended up changing the arrangement over 10x!

Make sure you try out every single idea that pops in your head – I can’t stress this enough! Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself crazy wondering if you should have seen what it looked like on the floor before drilling into the wall. You can always swap out the frames, but you can’t easily change the location without unsightly consequences of holes.

WHEN HANGING, GET A BUDDY OR HIRE A TASKRABBIT HUMAN TO HELP

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I don’t care if you’re an expert at hanging up pictures, there’s absolutely no guarantee you’ll get it perfect on your own. Having another set of eyes to help you measure and level will only reassure you of a perfectly arranged gallery wall.

Or you can do what I did and hire someone on TaskRabbit to professionally hang them up for you. I trust myself to do a good job, but I also know it would drive me CRAZY if I didn’t get each picture hanging straight. So I saved myself the stress & hired Nyle (he’s fab! Be sure to mention me if you choose to hire him!)

SELECT ART THAT CAN CO-EXIST, AESTHETICALLY

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My living room aesthetic is a mix of cool tone shades of grey, black & white, & mixed metallic details. Given that my existing artwork is black and white in a black distressed frame, I wanted to make sure the artwork I balanced around it would match it, as well as vibe with the rest of my living space.

I admired the sleek frames available for each of these pieces, ranging in standard black to brass/gold, champagne, & brushed silver finishes. These ended up looking SO GORG once arranged and hung on the wall together, and definitely captured my existing style to perfection!

SAN DIEGO WINTER

Frame: Matte Brass

Size: 8″ x 8″

Meaning Behind It:

The green and white striped umbrellas remind me of the beach club I belong to back in New Jersey. It’s where I grew up and continue to spend all my summer weekends at. This place holds such a special place in my heart and I love that I found an image with the same exact umbrellas!

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ALWAYS & ALWAYS

Frame: Champagne Silver

Size: 11″ x 14″

Meaning Behind It:

I took French from kindergarten throughout high school, then tested out of having to take it in college. I used to be practically fluent! Now I can’t remember a single proper verb tense nor speak it to save my life. However, I can understand it VERY well (it’s hilarious listening to what the tourists are actually saying when on the subway.)

On a side note: I’m a HUGE Harry Potter fan and the word “Always” will forever mean something powerful to me.

TWO BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Frame: Matte Black

Size: 16″ x 20″

Meaning Behind It:

Unlike most humans, I love birds. I’ve owned one all my life, from parakeets to parrots. Back home in NJ, we have a Congo African Gray named Zazou (French spelling, inspired by Zazu of The Lion King) – she is such a genius! Her favorite thing to do is whistle the theme of The Addams Family. Since I can’t have her in New York with me, this print is a simple reminder of my dinosaur princess back home.

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Floating Shelf: Amazon

Reed Diffuser: NEST Fragrances “Vanilla Orchid & Almond”

Gold Terrarium: Amazon

Ceramic Hand Planter: Amazon

Air Plant Trio: The Sill

FREE TO BEE ME

Frame: Matte Brass

Size: 8″ x 8″

Meaning Behind It:

Bees are the symbol of my family, not literally but we used to raise honey bees on our farm in NJ! We used to have the honey harvested and everything! Unfortunately, the Queen died and the colony left; resulting in empty hives that we never restocked. I love these insects and everything they do for our environment; they’re so incredibly important!

Crazy fact: I stepped in a yellow jacket nest when I was 6 and got stung over 20x by a swarm! If I got stung now, I’d go into anaphylactic shock because of the overdose of venom in my body from that frightful day. 

Honey & Bumble Bees > LOVE

Wasps & Hornets > BAD

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RADIO CITY DREAM

Frame: Champagne Silver

Size: 10″ x 8″

Meaning Behind It:

My first internship was in an office right next to Radio City Music Hall. It was the time when I decided I’d make the move to NYC after college & start my life here. This picture reminds me of where it all started, and the Brooklyn Bridge art serves a reminder of how far I’ve come.

ADMIRE THE FINAL RESULT

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Voila! Now you have a beautiful gallery wall to admire day by day, adding some personality to your space & triggering special memories with each piece hung on the wall. I hope this post inspires you to create a gallery wall of your own and makes it less-daunting of a task to take on.

Special thanks to Minted for sponsoring the artwork for my dream gallery wall!