As you may have seen on my Instagram, or in a previous blog post, the living room in our apartment features a prominent gallery wall that merges pieces from both my collection and Adam’s. The result has been a gender neutral, perhaps leaning towards masculine, wall that goes with the dark gray, gold, and animal print decor in that room. However, when creating the gallery wall for my desk area, I knew I wanted something a bit lighter.
A FEMININE GALLERY WALL
It’s worth noting that, first of all, I didn’t particularly want a gallery wall in this part of our home. But, I had several pieces I wanted to hang, and I didn’t want any to temporarily live in storage (why have something unless it’s displayed?!), so a gallery wall was the best solution.
And why did I want it to be a particularly feminine gallery wall? Part of it was due to the pieces that I had in mind for the wall, but primarily it was because I wanted to create a light, bright space that wouldn’t overpower my productivity and thinking. There’s something to be said for a space that allows you the room to be creative. As much as I love my bold colors and patterns in other areas of the apartment, I needed this space to serve as a (somewhat) blank canvas.
Outfit Notes: Levi’s Wedgie Fit Jeans (go down one size!) / White Sweatshirt (similar) / L’oréal Lipstick
CHOOSE A COLOR SCHEME
As I’ve said when writing about gallery walls before, the first step is to choose a color scheme. While not everything has to match exactly, you do want a color that creates a cohesive look by tying the majority of the pieces together.
When pulling together a feminine, light gallery wall, white, of course may be the color (or lack thereof) that ties everything together, but you’ll also add a secondary pop of color. I chose shades of blue. Whether it’s the primary color or just an accent, there’s blue running throughout almost every piece I chose for this wall. The colors range from bold and saturated to barely there pastels, but all are grounded in white and blue, matted in white, and framed similarly to create a gorgeous, light, feminine feel.
Furthermore, choose your frames accordingly. I went with white frames for almost every item, but threw in a few gold frames throughout to keep things interesting. While I kept mine simple to stick within the “blank canvas” feel, you could choose more ornate frames and still keep the light feeling, as long as they stay within the color scheme.
FIND PIECES WITH MEANING
This advice goes for all gallery walls, but find pieces with meaning. From a framed postcard from my first trip to Austin to a small print of the neighborhood where I lived by myself to sketches done by my grandfather to a ticket from the concert where Adam and I met to paintings I’ve done myself, almost every piece on this wall has meaning.
I’ve thrown in a few prints from Minted, but I plan on replacing those as I find pieces that speak to me. It’s so wonderful to look up during the day and see framed pieces that have been part of something meaningful in my life.
LEAVE ROOM TO GROW
Leave room to grow for two reasons. The first is that leaving space between the pieces, rather than cramming them all in, will create more visual clarity and allow the wall to breathe. And that’s what creating a feminine gallery wall is all about – making it beautiful, light, airy, and bright.
The second is, you never know what pieces you might want to include someday! This, of course, goes for all gallery walls, but be open to swapping things out and adding things in as the wall grows and you grow.
A FINAL NOTE
Have you created a gallery wall in your own home? What are your tips for creating a gallery wall that fits your space? Do you carefully measure and plan? Or do you wing it and see what happens?
