how to fill that wall {gallery wall inspiration}
by Ruth on March 5, 2012
There is a wall in my house that is haunting me.
It is a big, giant wall, 16 feet high by 12 feet wide and I honestly have no idea how to fill it.
It is the main focal point of our entire house and it just stands there, blank, mocking me every single day.
I am overwhelmed by that wall.
Do you have any spaces in your house like that?
Last October, when my mother-in-law died, we inherited a few pieces from her house, including a retro bar from the 1950′s and 2 gorgeous mid-century modern solid-wood hand carved Swedish chairs. Our house is not even remotely retro or mid-century modern, and until now has not even been very eclectic, but I love the bar because it is oh-so-very Mad Men, and I love those chairs because they remind me of Marie.
So now the bars and the chairs are lined up against that very big, very blank, very scary wall.
And every day I look at it and think “I really should do something about that wall.”
I’ve been pinning ideas for months now.
1. Color-coordinated photo gallery wall from The House of Smiths
I love, love, LOVE how this looks clean but interesting & uses the colors from the photographs to set the color scheme for the room. Also love the subway art of all the street names. This website has some great tips for creating a gallery wall!
2. Chevron canvas wall art from Apartment Therapy
I love this idea for creating a statement piece for that wall.
3. Monochromatic gallery wall from Gardners 2 Bergers
This post includes some great ideas for how to hang the pictures, as well as some cool thrifty art ideas. I love the look of the black and white with just a few pops of color.
4. Photo ledge gallery wall from A Thoughtful Place
Great idea for incorporating color into the gallery wall–paint the frames! I also love the use of ledges instead of hanging directly onto the wall.
5. Doily DiY Canvas Art from Blush & Bashful
Another super cute idea for DiY artwork.
6. Green console gallery wall from Right at Home
Another monochromatic gallery wall with a big pop of color! I especially love the look of the black & white pictures against the dark gray wall.
7. Gallery shelves or ledges from Pottery Barn
I definitely want to use ledges or shelves to hold the pictures rather than hanging them directly on the wall.
I guess at this point I think I have at least a rough idea of what I’d like to see on that wall….now it is just a matter of deciding on a color scheme and getting it done. The first step is always the hardest…..
What would you do with that wall?
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s funny, I’ve had a wall like that in my home that’s stumped me for years! It’s even vaulted like yours. For the longest time I had a couch along the wall, so there seemed to be many options. I resisted putting anything there because what I really wanted to put there was a series of 9 Seurat charcoal sketches of individual elements from Sunday in the Park on the Island of La Grande Jatte….but they were really pricey when framed, and I was never able to get it together.
Recently I complicated things by moving my room around. It’s actually much nicer now for for social gatherings. But now on that wall I have an old chest of drawers that was my grandfather’s, with a flatscreen TV that’s not what I call a “man size” TV. So it’s kind of dwarfed by this big wall….and the wall got more complicated. Until a couple of months ago…
I decided to “start” the wall. I took the pressure off that I had to start and complete it all at the same time. I went with something big on one side of the TV. I didn’t want color. I just wanted something to fill the wall that said something about my style. What I ended up with is a 40×50 Matisse called “Fleur” framed in a heavy black frame that’s simple but really balances the lines in the serigraph. http://www.art.com/products/p10041316-sa-i667721/henri-matisse-fleur.htm?sorig=cat&sorigid=0&dimvals=5000035&ui=181eaa19365742baab8f617504395cbd .
I LOVE the result! And, now I can hunt around for just the right things to add to the wall to finish it. In the mean-time, it looks so much more finished already.
Good luck with your wall. I know it can feel like a daunting task. You have such great style, from what I’ve seen on your blog, so I can’t wait to see the end result.
Wow Kate, that sounds so amazing! I would love to see a picture of the whole wall–can you post it to the LWSL Facebook page?
What a lovely set of furnishings you inherited!
*So* many walls in our new home that are screaming to be filled! My husband and I have taken the Mid-Century Modern approach to designing our space, but we are having such difficulty with wall decor. Something I would absolutely love to have up in our living room above our TV area (our TV is set on a low, walnut media table) are the wall ducks:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4-l0vtGXhQ/TlzVF09qMAI/AAAAAAAAAQE/ANC2pQN11NI/s1600/il_570xN.229638079.jpg
Similar to those, except they are in a unique flight pattern (and more 3-dimensional). Unfortunately, this is a case of “I know these exist somewhere, but I have no idea where.”
Thank you, I think they are lovely also!
And I love the ducks idea!
You should put lots of pictures of your beautiful family! And pics from the past, like your H with his mom.
Thanks SJ, that is a great idea!
I like idea #6. This still give you lots of options and lots of lovely pictures. #3 Seems the same as #6.
I bet you could paint your own Chevron on a big canvas. Bright red would be a good contrast. The less $ you invest, the less guilty you’ll feel when you want to change it up again
Good luck!
I’m definitely going to try and do my own chevron piece. I’ll have to play a little bit to get that weathered look, but I think it will be a fun project. I’ll of course post it when i do!
I had the same problem for a long while until I saw what I wanted in a magazine. I have photos covering the wall in beige and blue frames. It turned out gorgeous if I do say so myself. The wall itself is a chocolate brown and there are photos of family and friends covering almost every inch of it. The other walls are beige and my furniture is mostly blues and browns. It really turned out nice. Now then, when I get tired of all the photos, I think I will buy 2 pieces of artwork and put them on the big wall. I have seen that look in magazines and it looks really nice too. I also like black and white in a room.
Carla, that sounds absolutely gorgeous! Any chance you could post a picture on the LWSL Facebook page?
I like number 3. I did this with all my pictures in the hall (painted them all silver) – you may want to send a picture into the Nate Berkus show he has great ideas.
Ann
That is a fun idea. I’ve never watched Nate Berkus before, but it is definitely worth a shot!
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