When you’re looking to add a little personality to a room, to bring in some individual warmth that reflects you as a person, or you simply want to make the walls a little less lifeless, don’t underestimate the power of the good old fashioned photo gallery. However, making sure that it helps the room pop as best as possible goes beyond simply throwing up a selection of your favourite photos. Here, we’re going to look at some of the steps of constructing a fantastic photo gallery, regardless of what room you’re in.
What are you going to display?
The first choice you have to make is what kind of materials you plan to hang on the wall in the first place. A lot of people will choose personal photos, photos of themselves, loved ones, and other experiences. However, there are plenty of people who don’t quite like to put themselves on display as much and, to them, wall art like the kinds found here can help them be much more expressive with their aesthetic even if they don’t put themselves up on the walls.
Where you place them matters
For one, you should think about which wall you’re putting the gallery on and at what height you’re putting them, as well. You don’t want to choose a wall that’s draped in shadow during the day when the natural light comes in. Putting them across from the windows can help them get as much sunlight as possible. You should test where the light falls in the room throughout the day to see where they can stay at their best lit during the times of day that people are more likely to be in the room admiring them in the first place.
Consider the colour palette and temperature
There’s nothing to say that you have to go for a cohesive look with your choice of photos, at all. You’re free to mix and match as you like. However, depending on how uniform the decor of the rest of the room is, it can help maximise its visual impact if you choose photos that share a similar colour palette or temperature. If you don’t have a series of photos in similar palettes, tones, or intensities, you can also choose to arrange them so that they make up something of a gradient from one end to the other.
The frames matter just as much as the photos
The photos themselves aren’t going to be the only visual element on the wall. They are all, of course, held in frames, which come in not just various sizes, but also styles and colours. Take a look here to get an idea of the various types of frames you can get. Frames are where the photos connect with the walls, so you might want to choose frames that either contrast and pop from the wall to draw attention to them as a focal point, or frames that help blend the gallery into the wall, making it look a little more natural.
How do you arrange your gallery?
There are various ways to arrange and structure the photos on the wall, you don’t need to stick with any one style or shape. There are various layouts you can use, such as trying to find balance and symmetry or finding a style such as a moving cascade that displays them a little more artfully. You want to arrange them in a way that best fits the space as seen here. For instance, if you have a small shelf on your wall, you can structure them around the shelf, with photos above, beside, and below, while some actually sit on the shelf rather than hanging on the wall.
Make it fit your purpose
All of the tips featured so far should go towards your specific purpose. For instance, if you’re trying to make your wall the focal point of the room, then you want to make sure your gallery contrast the walls, in its frames, the choice of pictures, as well as having an interesting arrangement style. Otherwise, you might want to help it blend in against the wall a little more to feel natural and comforting.
With the tips above, you can ensure that you have a photo gallery that makes the best display out of your favourite pictures and adds some warmth and dimension to a room. Your choice of photos is all yours, but make sure that you’re framing and staging them appropriately to get the most visual mileage out of them.
