Like how fashion changes & every other season skinny jeans are in again, home decor follows a similar suit. Often designers are trying to show you new ways to hang, lean, or display artwork & family photos. The gallery wall often appears, but like skinny jeans people get tired of them. Personally I don't think they are a trend that will pass, I love gallery walls & am happy to share some with you.
Ladies in the design world whom I admire are Jenny Komenda & Emily Henderson. They both have a great sense of style & their homes are eclectic with a good mix of vintage decor. I have been reading their blogs for years and watching their styles evolve & grow. They both are queens of gallery walls in my opinion.
We have lived in our current home for 2 yrs this November. It didn't take me long to figure out where I would hang the gallery wall in our living room. One day the kids were out for the afternoon & I thought this is my chance to lay all of our art on the floor & pick & choose what will go where. I have never been the girl who pre-measures & puts up templates the size of each frame, I usually choose the largest piece & let the rest happen. I will admit that I do love my laser level!
Living room gallery wall
In this gallery I have a mix of paintings, photographs & vintage finds. If you read my last post, you will notice the two photographs of graffiti images, alongside some pieces that have significance in our family. The black & white portrait is of my grand parents, & the rusted first aid box belonged to my father-in-law. Take risks & do what you love. If you have a connection to a piece of art buy it. Your home should have a collection of images that inspire you & that you are happy to look at everyday. I remember when I first got the first aid kit from my father-in-law's garage. I was so excited about it & the colours were perfect. My mother-in-law thought I was crazy to hang it in our living room, her art preferences are different from ours...that's ok.
My daughter's bedroom gallery wall
My oldest daughter had just turned 4 when she got her new room, & her only request was that she wanted a pink room. I got out my laser level & went to work. This is the first room in the house where artwork was hung, & again I started with the largest piece. In University I did a series of water colour studies, this is one of them. Then I had fun mixing in her artwork with some fun things from vintage shops. The girls love the cuckoo clock!
Our bedroom gallery wall
Our bedroom has a selection of pieces that didn't make it into the living room wall. I still love them all, but I didn't want to do floor to ceiling gallery. We have kids & a german shepherd, things too low may get damaged. Since I am an artist I do often change it up in here a bit.
Stairwell gallery
This landing is at our back door & leads you to the basement. We don't get that much natural light down the staircase, so I didn't photograph the other side which also has family photographs on it. This was definitely not the easiest to hang, I didn't want to put a ladder on the stairs like I did when I painted the walls. So the frames are up as high as my arms could reach. Here I mixed a variety of images; colour & black & white photos with a large print on canvas & some vintage letters. My husband & I love photography so we have a lot of candid shots. We have never done a traditional family photo shoot, it's just not our thing.
If you have read all of this post I thank you...I tend to ramble. If you are wondering, no I don't have a favourite piece, that would be a hard decision to make.