Creating a Picture Gallery in Your Home

Surrounding yourself with photos and artwork that mean something to you is one of the best ways to personalize your home. What confuses a lot of people, however, is how to organize the photos or canvases into interesting and coherent groupings. Creating a picture gallery isn’t difficult if you follow a few basic rules, so collect your printed photos, framed artwork, or photos and pictures you have ordered from handy sites like 24 Hour Canvas to get started. 

Things in Groups Gain Importance One of the most oft repeated mistakes people make is to leave too much space between a collection of pictures. You might be trying to evenly space an inadequate number of pictures along a wall, thinking that you will create balance that way. The problem with this approach is that each picture looks lonely and insignificant when left on its own. 

Only by grouping a collection together does each individual component gain a sense of status and importance, so don’t be afraid to take three or more pictures and hang them close to each other on the wall. The pieces don’t even have to be alike, as vintage postcards, framed photos (color or black and white), canvases, and unframed artwork together create an eclectic and interesting combination. Trace each piece onto brown kraft paper, cut out the shapes, and then use your floor to design a visually pleasing grouping that you can then transfer to your wall. 

Change It Up

Your picture gallery doesn’t have to be static. There are plenty of ways to keep it flexible and changeable so you can remove or add new pieces whenever the mood strikes. Plate shelves are one good option, as you can lean framed pieces against the wall, move them around, or replace them with something new. There are also cable systems on the market that attach to your walls and on which you can clip an ever-rotating selection of your favorite photographs, postcards, or Christmas cards. And when it comes to kids’ artwork that you want to display, buy a few simple Plexiglas frames that allow you to easily slip in a drawing or painting. The frames remain in the same places, but the art within can change as your kids come up with new masterpieces. 

Be Bold

Don’t apologize for what you hang on your wall by keeping it small. If you have photos or artwork that you love, let it be big and noticeable. One way you can achieve a bold look is to have your favorite family portraits, vacation photos, or kids’ artwork enlarged and printed onto canvas or poster paper, which can then be framed or left as-is. Love that photo of your daughter laughing in the sunshine? Celebrate it by turning it into a style statement with its own section of wall. 

Clip on a battery-operated picture light to further draw the eye. Check out online stores such as 24 Hour Canvas to get fast, high-quality canvas prints made that will immortalize in just about any size favorite photos of your loved ones, great times you’ve shared, or family masterpieces for decades of enjoyment.