Gallery Walls | The Do's and Don'ts!

Gallery Walls | The Do's and Don'ts!

In this video, I go over my do’s and don’ts of gallery walls! Gallery walls can be very tricky because on one hand they can look overcrowded, messy, busy and a hot mess, on the other hand they can look bare, disjointed from the space and confusing. So in the video I give you the do’s and don’ts so you can design a beautiful gallery wall.

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⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 – Gallery Wall Do’s and Don’ts
00:42 – Do plan your wall
01:17 – Don’t make it up as you go
01:55 – Do consider size, shape and scale
03:10 – Don’t overcrowd the gallery wall
05:05 – Do tie the room together with the gallery wall
07:28 – Don’t hang the gallery wall to high
08:25 – Do consider adding textures and other art
09:25 – Don’t add a lot of generic art
10:52 – Do show your personality
11:36 – Final Thoughts

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50 Comments

  1. Haylie R. Wilson on June 2, 2022 at 8:32 pm

    YouTube read my mind! We’re going to do a gallery, but I’ve been going crazy on how to make it minimal, but a little eccentric

  2. Jan Powell on June 2, 2022 at 8:36 pm

    Your videos are always fantastic, and so helpful. Have you done one about what to do with a big-screen TV? I’d love creative ideas about that.

  3. Eva on June 2, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    “It just looks weird” 😂

  4. Mumtribe on June 2, 2022 at 8:40 pm

    Thanks a lot …could you do feature wall ideas 🤔

  5. Mermaid Tails on June 2, 2022 at 8:41 pm

    Imma make a gallery wall of 9, like a big ass square and they’re all gonna say BLESSED

  6. Cee on June 2, 2022 at 8:42 pm

    lol @ all of the art I bought sitting in an envelope on my floor while I try to find good prices on frames for all of the sizes I need 🙃

  7. Kusum Ghai on June 2, 2022 at 8:42 pm

    I’m here 🇨🇦 🤗 ☺️

  8. Kimberly Hooff on June 2, 2022 at 8:42 pm

    When I decided to create a gallery wall for all of my elephant art I mapped it out in Microsoft Visio and my best friend called me a nerd for it. But you know what, it came out perfectly and I knew exactly where I wanted to put the nail to hang my Mexican beaded elephant head statue…. No regrets!

  9. Naimah Q on June 2, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    HE’S on fleek!

  10. jennifer peacock on June 2, 2022 at 8:46 pm

    Thank you for making this video. I have been buying art that speaks to me and realized that they follow a specific ‘theme’ and would be so cool to showcase together; however, the frames that highlight the art are not cohesive together. For example, one is a modern black floating frame while another is rustic wood. HELP!

  11. Harrison Kurt on June 2, 2022 at 8:48 pm

    So insightful and helpful! Thank you. I feel a lot more confident about going ahead with mine now.

  12. 43nostromo on June 2, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    I want to group three of my most cherished and priceless pieces. 1. Dogs Playing Poker. 2. "Bless This Mess" framed with particle board and 3. Velvet 3-D Jesus picture that I won playing "Whack-A-Mole" in Ocean City, Maryland. Need ideas!

  13. Danielle Gibson on June 2, 2022 at 8:50 pm

    I really wished you would’ve mentioned a kitchen gallery/collage wall. I loved your tips though.

  14. JJM on June 2, 2022 at 8:51 pm

    I use a gallery wall to incorporate the tv.

  15. Taylor Fisher on June 2, 2022 at 8:52 pm

    I love the ones that are "don’t"s more than the ones that are "do"s 😬😂

  16. littlewolf.bex_edits on June 2, 2022 at 8:54 pm

    Thx! This is really helpful I’m planning to do a gallery wall in my bedroom and I was stuck on the placing and what colours to use and now I have a idea on what I’m gonna do for my gallery wall.

  17. Omomo on June 2, 2022 at 8:55 pm

    Who’s the lucky person that gets to dust all of those pictures on those over crowded walls?! 🤔

  18. Sybil Galer on June 2, 2022 at 8:56 pm

    Nick, I’m being a brat a making a general comment on your videos. Love them! Appreciate your point of view as an educated interior consumer. You do your research and I like that. You are practical! You present info in an entertaining way. My one tiny complaint/suggestion is…please please please drop the word "really" from your vocabulary. You use "really" whenever searching for an adjective. We all develop verbal habits that can be annoying. Really is yours.

  19. Beth Earl on June 2, 2022 at 8:57 pm

    Oh No! I am an architect and can say with absolute confidence any store-bought decor item should be trashed or donated. The absolute last thing you want to put on your wall, furniture, countertop etc…is something that looks like it came from Hobby Lobby, Your home should tell a story about you. Pictures of family, friends, places you’ve traveled, items you’ve collected or purchased at auction/antique store. You don’t want your house to look like a magazine spread. If your friends bypass your living room and head straight to the kitchen, you need to redecorate!

  20. snigdha mithun on June 2, 2022 at 8:59 pm

    Nick I love your style 😊. I get lost of information. Thank you

  21. Cara Burns on June 2, 2022 at 8:59 pm

    Before I moved into my first apartment with my now ex boyfriend I made pieces for a gallery wall in the kitchen. I got an old cookbook and cut out pictures of food and recipes. Found 6 or 7 small and medium frames that were wood or gold (all used). It was so fun to make and looked so cute.

  22. Barbara McCarthy on June 2, 2022 at 8:59 pm

    Hi Nick! Truly love you videos- not just the content but you clear instruction and "can do" encouragement and spirit I would love to see you address floor to ceiling gallery walls or salon walls. I just finished one inspired by Gertrude Stein’s Paris apt– no original Picassos though! I am truly lucky. I live in a 100+ year old NYC apt with high ceilings and the wall is 21 foot in length. I have about 25 pieces. I think I did a good job, art from many eras and styles and varied shapes…and some custom works. I think its called maximalism? Wish I could have you over. You are great. Keep up the great inspiring work.

  23. thegreenmanofnorwich on June 2, 2022 at 9:03 pm

    I like painting, so it’s quite fun to make my own stuff, and it means it’s very easy to get complimentary colours

  24. Charity B. on June 2, 2022 at 9:03 pm

    Love the blue paint color at 7:47

  25. Amy A on June 2, 2022 at 9:04 pm

    Thanks for your video! I just hung a collage frame that I need to add pictures to. Can I mix black and white photos with colored photos or stick with one or the other? The frame is black and has a tan colored family tree on it.

  26. Erin V on June 2, 2022 at 9:04 pm

    Great video thank you! I’m excited to plan out my gallery wall now 🥰

  27. zakosist on June 2, 2022 at 9:05 pm

    2:59 I tend to like a lot of decor, but that is too much even for me. And the other one looked a bit under, but not as bad. I think I agree with Nick here. Gallery walls can look pretty when things are done well, but this video really shows that proportion is important. 8:42 I really like those two

  28. AMR on June 2, 2022 at 9:05 pm

    All the ones you think are unplanned are AWESOME! They’re eclectic and personal; everywhere you look is something new for the eye. 1:27 is amazing. So is 3:03. Maximalism suits some of us. You’re suggesting that everyone plan out a generic, well-spaced gallery wall. These walls are going to be on the “don’t do” lists of ten years from now. There’s nothing wrong with those walls if that’s what you like, but there’s nothing original, fun, or eclectic about them. They’re bog standard.

  29. Maria on June 2, 2022 at 9:06 pm

    I always have had a gallery wall as a "wall of memory" which i fill with things that hold memories for me. If there is an item like a poem someone wrote for me, a postcard i got or a drawing i made or whatever, i add it to the wall. So the longer i live at a certain place the more items are added. If i find an item which does not hold any memory anymore i take it of and rearange the rest of the pieces so that the hole is filled up again. It is completely disorganised and on first sight it does not fit together at all but because it is purely my style it fits in with the rest of my space almost by definition and is a great conversation starter since i can tell a story about every single piece. Therefore i would say that you dont really have to plan out your gallery, but you should look at it critically and if you change something you have to be ready to change the rest of the gallery as well.

  30. kassra niavarani on June 2, 2022 at 9:07 pm

    wow , I watched your videos for 1-2 days and I think it is most useful channel in youtube, by the way, i want to make gallery wall which is include my TV can you give me some advice, like should i do it or not 😀

  31. R E on June 2, 2022 at 9:11 pm

    I am not a minimalist, however this art gallery thing, is just so cluttered. I would never ever wanna have more then maybe one art on the wall! I just hate how cluttured it looks. One can not even focus on the art pieces when its like more than 2-3 pieces

  32. Jessica Chung on June 2, 2022 at 9:11 pm

    The one at 13:14 thats wrong actually looks kinda cute to me. 😊 Love the tips though. They’re like "Tips for Making Your Gallery Wall Feel Less Cluttered".

    I like a mixture. A little clutter in some places adds character for me.

  33. Lacy Clegg on June 2, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    All the examples of what not to do, I love. All the "correct" examples look ghastly to me. I guess I’m a don’t!

  34. SimplyFilms on June 2, 2022 at 9:15 pm

    I like the weird and too busy lol. But I get it. Great video

  35. Katie Latour on June 2, 2022 at 9:17 pm

    Thank you for this information. Great ideas and tips. It was great you showed pictures of some of the galleries! Helps me a lot.

  36. Li Ly on June 2, 2022 at 9:18 pm

    That’s what I tell my husband. It’s not just about finding a nice photo or painting, it has to mean something to you . For example Japan has beautiful places so does Greece, but we’ve never visited those places (probably never will) and we’re Mexican lol

  37. Amanda Baule on June 2, 2022 at 9:18 pm

    Barn sales and thrifting are a good place to find some fun things that give you the feel you might be searching for for certain gallery wall styles without being from Hobby Lobby. I would also strongly urge people to consider hiring an independent artist if they do want some quote style art. There are lots of fun ways to pay homage to something you love… like a certain song… your wedding vows… etc without it being just printed on a canvas. I’ve seen beautiful art made using the colors from a wedding and the sound waves from the harmony of the first dance song… I’ve seen paintings done using the imagery of the words in a favorite song or poem. Be creative and don’t be afraid to reach out to independent artists and art students… just don’t try to short change them either.

  38. Corine Chavez on June 2, 2022 at 9:19 pm

    Question… When putting a gallery wall, is is acceptable to mix family photos with other art? Or should they be separate all together?

  39. A Li on June 2, 2022 at 9:20 pm

    Love the dark accent wall behind you. Was that painted in charcoal?

  40. OlyGarden on June 2, 2022 at 9:21 pm

    Almost all of the “don’t” examples looked so much cooler than the room you are filming in 😭

  41. Michael Gallo on June 2, 2022 at 9:22 pm

    Again, I think you are being too prescriptive or vague. Maybe just not considering the 400 level design.
    The overcrowded wall you show in the airy condo is hideous. The wall is heavy but completely ungrounded in what looks like a sunny seaside condo.
    However, the overcrowded wall in the powder room is an amazing statement. It harkens to an English country house or robber baron mansion, where decades to centuries of acquisition means that they had so much stuff they just needed to put it somewhere. The uniform scale of all of the items shows the design intent. If the art is curio oriented—old prints, silohuettes, daguerreotypes, pinned insects like butterflies—all the better.
    Also powder rooms and small hallways are enclosed defined spaces where you can have fun or make a statement in a contained but otherwise forgotten space.
    The biggest travesty I. That powder too. Is the white porcelain toilet paired with the stainless steel sink.

  42. Raylin on June 2, 2022 at 9:22 pm

    I made a gallery wall but didn’t quite know why it worked and looks so good. I did it right on accident
    Lol watching this video makes me understand why it all worked out.

  43. Omar Handmade on June 2, 2022 at 9:23 pm

    Thank you for great tips

  44. Jezack R on June 2, 2022 at 9:24 pm

    Wow, the "bad" gallery walls are breathe personality and enthusiasm of the people who put them together while the "good" thought-out examples all look like walls in IKEA xD
    I like the kind of the design advice that makes a space more convenient, but this sort of design tends to pull towards uniform and impersonal – while claiming to support personality.
    Every time a designer says "you can add some colour!’D" and then shows a drab interior with some brass and navy/dark green walls xD

  45. tiffany curtis on June 2, 2022 at 9:25 pm

    The best gallery walls to me when they are in black frames. Perfect example is at 4:07 oh I love those❤

  46. Vilma Reynoso on June 2, 2022 at 9:26 pm

    What excellent advice! Thank you!

  47. Debdulal Chattopadhyay on June 2, 2022 at 9:29 pm

    Extremely good video

  48. Homie-G TV on June 2, 2022 at 9:30 pm

    Fuck this! Do what you like and what looks appealing to your eye, not what this foo thinks.

  49. Lilys Ghost on June 2, 2022 at 9:31 pm

    Thank you Nick for your guidance. I’ve been stuck on what to do for a gallery wall of family photos and beach memories for our beach house. I started it but not was happy with it, so this gives me great ideas!

  50. Gladys David on June 2, 2022 at 9:32 pm

    Hi Nick. I did one in my entrance, I dislike it because I thought the space between each photo was too large. My bf liked it. But now I see your picture and YES, I WAS RIGHT. My bf will hate you because I’ll definitely redo it again 😂

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