How to Create a Gallery Wall: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

A gallery wall can turn a blank stretch of wall into the best thing in the room. It can also end in a wall full of mismatched frames and nail holes. With a little planning, you can get it right first time, in an afternoon.

What you'll need

• Your prints and frames
• Brown paper or old wrapping paper, and scissors
• Masking tape and a pencil
• A tape measure and spirit level
• Picture hooks, nails or removable adhesive strips

Step 1: Choose a theme

The best gallery walls have something tying them together. Pick one or two of these:

• Same frame colour (all black, all oak or all white) for a calm, gallery look.
• Same style of art, such as line drawings, botanicals or black-and-white photos.
• A shared colour palette, for example neutrals with one accent colour.

Minimalist line art works especially well, because it stays calm even when you hang several pieces together.

Step 2: Pick a layout

• Grid: identical frames in neat rows. Clean and modern, but needs precise measuring.
• Salon style: mixed sizes arranged loosely around a large central piece. Relaxed and personal.
• Line: frames aligned along a single top or bottom edge. Great above a sofa or sideboard.

Step 3: Plan on paper first

Trace each frame onto paper, cut out the shapes and write which print each one is. Tape them to the wall with masking tape and move them around until the arrangement feels balanced. Live with it for a day if you can. This one step saves the most holes.

Step 4: Get the spacing right

• Keep 5 to 8 cm between frames. Consistent gaps make the wall look intentional.
• Centre the whole arrangement at around 145 to 150 cm from the floor.
• Above furniture, leave 15 to 25 cm between the furniture and the lowest frame.
• Start with your largest piece in the middle and build outwards.

Step 5: Hang it

Mark the hook position on each paper template (measure from the top of the frame to the hanging point on the back). Hammer the hook through the paper, tear the template away and hang the frame. Check each one with a spirit level as you go.

Renting? No holes needed

Removable adhesive strips hold light frames on smooth painted walls. Alternatively, fix one or two picture ledges and lean your prints on them. You can rearrange them whenever you like.

Quick questions

How many prints do I need? Three to five is enough for a small wall. Seven to nine works for a large feature wall.

Should all the frames match? Not necessarily, but matching frames are the easiest way to make different prints look like a set.

Looking for prints that work together? Browse our Home & Wall Art collection, or read how to style line art prints in your living room.