How to Create a Gallery Wall on a Budget

I was always a little reluctant to add gallery walls to my home, maybe because I generally like to keep my home decor fairly simple. However, after trying one myself, I’m a convert - they’re such a great way of creating a personal collection of things you love and a feature in your home without having to commit to wallpaper or splurging on huge artwork. I set out creating one on a wall which was looking bare and unloved in my dining room which you can see in the pictures throughout this blog.

The initial gallery wall in my dining room with room to expand over time. From left, clockwise: a map of a campervan trip my partner and I went on, a photo from a trip to New Zealand my partner took, a photo of a puffin from a trip to Skomer Island my partner also took, the Fiordland Mountain Print from my wall art range, an artwork our friend gave us from her travels.

Maybe you’re also contemplating creating a gallery wall in your home to display the things you love, but don’t know where to start or how to plan one, or maybe you’ve crunched the numbers and can see how costs mount up with expensive artwork and frames. I’ve gathered some tips and tricks below which I learnt along the way to help you make a start.

What is a gallery wall?

Essentially a gallery wall is just a collection of artwork and objects hung on your wall to create a mini gallery to browse or a feature wall in your home. The tips below focus on keeping your gallery wall to a budget and creating something personal which you’ll love for years to come.

Tips on How to Create a Gallery Wall on a Budget

Buy Affordable Art

The first place to start is with a few key pieces of artwork. These could be from other areas of your home, from charity shops or pieces you’ve collected with a gallery wall in mind. My own wall art ranges from £15 - £25 for a print, making it an affordable way to add unique art to your walls. They’re designed to be mixed and matched, making it a simple place to start and there are portrait and landscape options depending on the gap you’re looking to fill. Shopping local makers markets or Etsy are also great ways to support independent artists, find unique pieces and they often offer really affordable options.

The Single Vase Art Print and Group Vase Wall Art from my range make a great pairing, with colours to pick out elsewhere.

Use Smaller Art and Bigger Mounts to Save

A trick I love using is buying smaller artwork to save money and framing it in a bigger mount so that it takes up more space on the wall and creates a bigger feature with more impact. You can get custom mounts made at Picture Frames Express or your local framers at really affordable prices and can then use whatever frames you already own, rather than splashing out to get artwork custom framed.

The A3 Milford Sound New Zealand Print in a large frame with a custom mount creates extra impact and a difference in scale next to the A3 Fiordland Mountain Print.

Look for Alternative ‘Art’

You don’t have to stick to original artwork and prints to create a gallery wall. Look for alternative ‘art’ and anything that you can hang that you might already have. Framing wallpaper samples, postcards, old maps and pressed flowers can add a unique element to your wall and keep costs down. I love combining new and vintage pieces too as the vintage pieces always come with a story to tell! Organic shapes are great to consider adding as they can break up a gallery wall and stop it looking too ‘gridded’ - consider including baskets or palm fans. I personally love this ‘wall jewellery’ from maker Nook of the North which might eventually become an addition to my gallery wall.

I framed a map of a campervan trip my partner and I went on, which always brings back lovely memories and it was free too!

Frame Your Own Photos

Framing your own photos is a really affordable addition to a gallery wall and can be a lovely reminder of places you’ve visited or of loved ones. Look for key colours or subjects in your photos to help link them or consider getting them printed in black and white if you’re going for a monochrome gallery wall. The puffin photo and the mountain photo on my gallery wall are both ones by partner took and they always bring back great memories.

Add Fabric Wall Hangings

Adding fabric wall hangings or textile art is a great way to add texture to your gallery wall. Take a look at the Houseplant Wall Hanging from my homeware range for a unique addition or have a go at creating your own macrame work of art or even a needle punch hoop from a kit.

The Houseplant Wall Hanging is a great way to add texture and tactility to a gallery wall.

Mix Up Your Frames

Mixing up your frames helps add some variety to your wall and also allows you to use whatever you might already have! I went for black and wood in my gallery wall, but also mixed up the sizes and the portrait and landscape orientations so it looks more natural.

Upcycle Second Hand Frames

There are so many second hand frames in charity shops, flea markets and car boot sales which just need a bit of love to bring them up to date. (My favourite is Malvern Flea Market - keep an eye out for the next dates!) Consider painting them with leftover paint tester pots to tie them into your colour scheme and give them a new lease of life. The bespoke mounts I talked about earlier really help here too!

Use What You Already Have

Looking around your home you might be surprised what you already have waiting to be hung or something which might be more suited to another room. Moving things around can also be a great way to freshen up your home without the need to spend any extra money.

How to Create a Cohesive Gallery Wall

How to make a gallery wall cohesive is often a bit of a stumbling block - giving yourself some limitations can really help here. On my own gallery wall I kept to two frame colours (I’d say keep to three maximum if you’re struggling to create a cohesive look) and I linked it through a loose theme and colour palette. All of the pieces are related to travel and places we’ve been as well as either being neutrals or greens and blues.

It’s worth saying that you might feel comfortable having a really eclectic, maximalist wall with mismatched colours, in which case, go for it!

Sticking to a loose theme or colour palette can help creative a cohesive gallery wall.

How to Create a Gallery Wall in a Rental

Creating a gallery wall in a rental can be a little more tricky, but as always, command strips and hooks are your friend! Another option is to ask permission to hang a single picture shelf like the one below, which only requires three attachments to the wall. You can then change up the artwork displayed as and when you like and add small ornaments too.

A picture shelf is a really versatile option which some landlords might prefer if you’re renting. Above I’ve included some trinkets and a card along with the Block Art Print and the Group Vase Wall Art from my wall art range, complemented by the Brushstrokes Cushion on the bed.

How to Start Your Gallery Wall

Lay Your Frames Out on the Floor

I found the best way to start is to lay out your frames and objects on the floor. If you roughly measure out the same space as your wall, create an arrangement, snap a photo and then rearrange, you can have fun experimenting without worrying about committing to anything too soon. Flicking back through the photos really helps compare the options and for you to select your favourite.

Laying out your art, objects and frames on the floor can help you to plan your gallery wall. Above is one of the first layouts I did before deciding on the final layout.

Start With Your Hero Piece

Starting in the centre with a hero piece (this doesn’t have to be huge, but select either your favourite piece or the one that sums up the general feel you’re after) gives a great place to work from and additional pieces can then be added to the edges over time. This allows your gallery wall to grow organically when you have the budget or when you find pieces you love.

Create Templates

Another option for planning your gallery wall is to create templates of each frame from paper (you can just draw around them) and white tack them to the wall. You can then play around with these templates to create a layout you love and also use them as a guide when hanging your artwork.

How to Style Any Gallery Wall

Choosing Art for Your Gallery Wall

Knowing how to choose art for your gallery wall can be tricky and a bit overwhelming. A great place to start is with just one piece. This one piece can become your hero piece and you can then select colours from it to link to any other artworks or objects. Take a look at my own range of wall art to see if there’s something you love.

Use Complementary Colours

Picking a colour story can really help link your gallery wall (plus I always find having some limitations is the best way to be creative and think outside the box!) Picking out some colours, I find 1-3 works well, from the rest of your room decor, or even a favourite cushion, can be an inspiring starting point.

How Many Frames Should a Gallery Wall Have?

This really depends on the size of your wall. I love that gallery walls can fit so many spaces and homes - from just three pieces on an awkward corner to twenty going up the stairs! We started ours with five with room to expand it out over time. However, as a general rule, stick to odd numbers to create an aesthetically pleasing arrangement no matter your wall size and shape.

Start your gallery wall with an odd number of prints or objects with room to expand it over time.

Can You Mix Frames on a Gallery Wall?

You can definitely mix frames on a gallery wall, from wood, white or black to more ornate charity shop finds. I personally like to stick to three maximum to give some cohesion and the more pared back aesthetic I prefer, but if you feel confident doing this, go for as many as you like!

How Much Space Should be Between Pictures on a Gallery Wall?

On my gallery wall, all of the gaps are roughly 5cm. The gaps really are personal preference, but you want them close enough so the artworks look related to each other and not ‘floating’, but not so close that they don’t have room to breathe. The key here is to keep the gaps consistent and the edges of the frames lined up, it’s much more pleasing on the eye.

Keeping the gaps between your frames consistent and lined up stops your wall from looking messy. Here the Fiordland Mountain Print is around 5cm below the two photographs.

What to Avoid When Creating Your Gallery Wall

Tip 1

Avoid following trends. If you fill your gallery wall with things you truly love, rather than recreating something from a magazine or Instagram, it’s much more likely to stand the test of time and become something you love seeing everyday. (This will also save you money in the long run!)

Tip 2

Avoid rushing it! I’m a great believer in doing things at your own pace, rather than rushing only to find you’ve wasted money on something you don’t love a couple of months down the line. Rushing hanging the artwork and ending up with misaligned frames and unlevel pictures can look really messy too!

Try not to rush creating your gallery wall. These three pieces were my starting point before finding the right frame and art combinations and it’s still a work in progress!

I really hope these tips have helped you and given you the confidence to start your own gallery wall. Remember to have fun with it and think of it as your own little display of treasures you’ll love to see everyday. There’s no pressure to finish it all at once and building it up over time can make it into a natural process you’ll enjoy. Now get carefully searching for your hero piece!

Emma x