Yesterday I shared a peek at my dining room wall over on socials, and I wanted to share a little more about how YOU can create a beautiful Gallery Wall in your own home! A gallery wall can feel intimidating, but with a few tips, you can create a space that feels layered, collected, and uniquely yours.

Step 1: Choose a Theme 

The theme of your gallery wall can be as specific or as general as you would like. For example, if you wanted to focus on as specific theme, you could narrow it down to use only pieces that feature animals or landscapes. I used to have a gallery wall in our living room that was ALL horses. This allowed me to be intentional when I was out thrifting or antiquing. If I found a horse piece that I loved, I immediately knew where it was going when I got back home. Now, most of those same pieces of artwork live above the bed in our AirBnB.

Mix your Mediums

Step 2 – Collect Your Pieces

When I started collecting vintage Artwork, I didn't have this grand gallery wall in mind. I simply saw something that I loved, that spoke to me and that had been discarded JUST for me to rescue it.

I LOVE to buy decor second hand and discounted. There are SO many places to look for affordable pieces! Here are the places I frequently check:

• Thrift Stores: The Goodwill is my favorite, especially the Bins. If you are near a Goodwill Bin location, DO NOT SLEEP on it! Yes, you have to be patient and you have to dig, but I PROMISE there is treasure waiting for you. 
• Antique Stores: Now, you can expect to pay a little more at an Antique Store because the people who sell there were the ones who went and did the digging already to save the beautiful piece you now want to buy. BUT that is the beauty of it. An antique store is an option for someone who may not have as much patience as the thrift shopper.
• Sales and Discounts: I have found such beautiful pieces on sale and at discount stores. For example, shop Hobby Lobby on the weeks that Wall Decor is 50% off. They have the most amazing dupes that LOOK old. TJ MAXX is another great resource that has fantastic artwork at discounted prices. And of course, Amazon. If you aren't someone who even wants to go out and shop, you can have beautiful artwork dropped right at your door.
• Estate and Yard Sales: Although I grouped these together, they can be so very different. Some estate sales have pretty steep prices. I usually wait until the last day to shop these because items are typically marked 50% off. Now, a yard sale, is where IT IS AT. These folks just want to get rid of their things and you can score big for just a couple dollars.
• LTK Links: This is the easiest of easy. Creators, like myself, have taken their time to curate pieces that will already work together and have given you the information to just click and buy everything at once. If you want the easiest way to build a gallery wall, this is it.

Be Patient

If you are a Thrifter or Yard Saler (me too!) you have to be patient when sourcing pieces for your gallery wall. It took me years to acquire all of the pieces I needed for the wall in my dining room. Literal years. But I promise, they are out there just waiting for you to find them.

Plan your Layout

This is where things get a little tricky. You have all your pieces, OR maybe you have a good core few that you plan to add to over time. Let's figure out how to get them up on that wall. 

First let me say that it is SUPER helpful to arrange your artwork on your floor first. Trust me, as an impulsive person with ADHD, I KNOW the pain of putting a hundred nail holes in a wall and having to spackle them all later.

Start with your largest or favorite focal piece. Maybe you have a favorite piece, and you want it to be the superstar, place it in the center. Then you are going to build off of that piece, moving outward. Keep your spacing between pieces fairly consistent, but it does NOT have to be perfect. Another thing I try and avoid is having pieces hanging at the exact same height as the one next to it. Hang it slightly higher or lower and then add another piece in the "L" that creates. It is like a creative game of Tetris. 

Once you have your gallery wall all laid out on the floor, you can finally hang it on the wall. Choose a location that is meant to be a focal point itself, such as above a bed, sofa or the feature wall in a room. Also consider the level that you hang the gallery wall. It should be placed at eye level, focusing on that center piece. If it is being hung over a sofa or headboard, the bottom of the lowest piece should hang 6-10 inches above the top of the furniture. 

Style and Adjust

Just like I mentioned earlier when I spoke about having patience, also keep in mind that a gallery wall is something of a living installation. You can always add to it, take away and change out pieces as time goes on. Heck, if you are impulsive as me, you can even take the whole thing down and move it to a different room. 

A gallery wall is one of the most personal design choices you can make in your home — it tells your story. Every frame, every piece of art, every photograph you choose becomes a little window into the things you love. Don’t worry about following strict design rules; instead, focus on mixing pieces that make you smile. Combine thrifted treasures, family photos, vintage landscapes, or even your kids’ artwork to create something that feels collected over time. When done this way, your gallery wall becomes more than just decoration — it becomes a reflection of who lives there and the life you’re building together.

Here are a few Pre-Made Gallery Walls I have put together!