Creating a gallery on a small wall space
This narrow wall in my daughter’s bedroom was begging for attention. It looked bare and unfinished compared to the rest of the room. Although it’s a small wall space, it was a challenging one to style.
The wall is narrow, sandwiched between two doors and has two light switches and an electrical outlet. I tried placing a small dresser against the wall to cover up the switches, but it felt too crowded and made it awkward to get to the closet from the bedroom door. So instead of trying to hide or fight with the switches, I worked with them and incorporated them into a gallery wall. No, they didn’t completely disappear but at least I made them a little less obvious.
This is the original view of the wall from the bed – a boring one, especially when the doors are closed.
Here’s what I did to pretty it up:
First, I placed my frames and clock on the floor directly in front of the wall. I played with the arrangement until I found a layout that would fit the wall shape. As you can see, I didn’t hang my pieces centered on the wall. Instead, I went with an asymmetrical look that made it easier to include the switches in the display.
1. I hung Van Gogh’s famous Almond Blossom first, a bit lower than my eye level. It’s a favorite piece, so I made it the focal point of the gallery and anchored the other pieces around it. I used my Hang&Level
to hang it. Most of the time I hang things by myself, so that little yellow tool is like my decorating assistant when I hang things up.
2. Next, I hung the LOVE frame.
3. I hung the clock on the right to balance out the two frames on the left. A clock is always a great pick for a gallery. It adds a different shape to a wall display, and clocks are very inexpensive – even the large ones.
Tip: Before hanging a clock, add a battery in it and set the time to avoid having to take it down once it’s already up on the wall. They’re often fitted with a key hole which can be a pain to hang.
4. I saved the silver frame for the bottom of the display. It has no glass, so there are no safety worries if someone bumps it while walking by.
5. I hung a small ornate frame inside to make it more interesting – it’s a framed frame. I’ve recycled many frames over the years, including spray painting them white and decorated entire walls with them. The results are quite stylish and it’s such an inexpensive way to decorate walls. Have a look here.
6. Voilà, here’s the final look. I ended up hanging a small frame between the clock and the light switch to fill a bit more of the wall. It was not part of the original plan but it was just a small tweak. Sometimes once everything is up on the wall, I see an opportunity to make a display even better.
I chose light blues and whites for the wall décor to create a serene and calm sleeping space. I added a bit of silver to tie in the picture frame to the brush nickel lamp base on the end table. If you’d like to see more of my daughter’s bedroom makeover, click here.
Since the gallery wall is located between two doors, I’ve put Anchor Points on the bottom corners of each piece to prevent them from shifting when doors open and close. Now they’re guaranteed to stay straight no matter what.
If you’re nervous about hanging a gallery, a bedroom is a great place to try it, since only those close to you will see it. If you make an extra hole or two in the wall, no big deal.
For more bedroom inspiration, visit our Pinterest board where you’ll find images in all styles and colors of well designed rooms.
Do you have any picture hanging projects in mind?
Liette Tousignant
Co-Founder of Under The Roof Decorating
SHARE:
