A blank wall behind a couch presents a missed oportunity for a person. The wall behind the couch is usualy the largest wall in the living room. Yet, many people chooses to leave the area behind the couch blank.
Or, many people will place one large print on the wall behind the couch and call it a day. Yet, using the proper type of gallery wall can transform the living room. A properly designed gallery wall can anchor the living room, reflect the taste of the individual who designs the living room, and give the entire living room space a finished feel.
The secret to creating an appealing gallery wall is to treat the area behind the couch as a composition rather than simply displaying decorative items on the wall. Once a person understands the eight smart approaches to creating a gallery wall that has an impact on the individual who enters the living room yet remains livable for that same person, the person can focus on the features of the living room that requires attention. Each of these eight approaches will solve a specific problem for a specific type of person.
Therefore, a person can use these approaches to determine which path to take in creating an appealing living room.
Eight Smart Ways to Decorate Your Gallery Wall
1. Symmetrical Grid Arrangement
One of the best approaches is to use a symmetrical grid arrangement for the items on the wall behind the couch. A person can arrange identical frames in three rows of three or four rows of four.
Each item should be even with the next to create a sense of order and calm energy in the living room. This arrangement works best with black and white photographs or items of art of a single color palette. The downside of this arrangement is that a person must purchase numerous items of art that are of similar designs.
However, the benefit of this particular arrangement is that the living room will never go out of style. Another approach is to use an organic cluster arrangement. This design approach allows for items of various sizes to be arranged on the wall in a visually pleasing way.
2. Organic Cluster Arrangement
A person can start with the largest item of art slightly off center on the wall behind the couch. Then, a person can add smaller items of art to the cluster to balance out the visual weight of the largest items. A person should leave two to three inches between each frame.
This arrangement allows for different types of art to be displayed such as travel photographs, vintage posters, and family portraits. When adding items of art to the wall, a person should take a step back from the living room to determine whether the cluster of items is visually balanced. This particular arrangement allows for a living room to display art in a way that reflects the personality of the individual who designed the living room.
3. Triptych Arrangement
Another option is to use a triptych arrangement. A triptych is three related items of art arranged horizontally along the wall behind the couch. A person can use three items of art with a similar theme such as abstract art that represents the same type of landscape or three botanical prints from the same artist.
By placing them in a horizontal row with even spacing between the items, the design creates a sense of cohesion in the living room. This design is most applicable for individuals who has an especially long couch. This arrangement allows the items to span the length of the couch while leaving the height of the wall behind the couch for other design features in the living room.
4. Leaning Art on Console Tables
A person can also consider leaning items of art on a console table or shelf behind the couch rather than directly on the wall. By leaning items on a shelf, it creates the sense of depth in the living room design. This arrangement also allows individuals to easily change the items on the shelf with the changing of the seasons.
For instance, a person can place two large items of art against the living room wall. Then, a person can layer smaller items on the shelf in front of the two larger items. There is another reason that the varying heights of the frames add dimension to the arrangement: the varying heights are an element that is sometimes lacking in a flat arrangement for the wall.
The person should choose the largest pieces for the wall so that they will be stable and not tip forward into the space beneath the rack of frames. The flexibility of allowing some of the frames to lean into the wall allows a person to change the arrangement of the art without having to patch the holes in the wall. Beyond art, there are other items that a person can include in a gallery wall.
5. Mirrors, Textiles, and Sculptures
Some of the best options include mirrors, textile hangings and sculptures. A mirror allows a person to reflect the light in the room back into the space, and a mirror with a round shape will help to ensure that the wall does not appear flat. Items such as woven wall baskets or macrame pieces will also add an element of texture to the arrangement.
The colors of these items should be limited to those that will enhance the already limited color palette of the gallery wall arrangement. This arrangement is appropriate for rooms that contain many textured elements to the furniture or rugs. Another way to arrange the frames on the wall is to create a vertical gallery wall.
6. Vertical Gallery Wall
A vertical gallery wall will make the ceilings of a room appear taller then they are. Within the living room, for instance, rather than placing the frames along the full width of the couch, a person can create a vertical arrangement along the length from the back of the sofa to the ceiling. This type of arrangement is useful in small living rooms or those with low ceilings.
The widths of the frames should be similar, but their heights can vary. The vertical arrangement will balance the horizontal lines of the couch. Using black and white photography will coordinate well with most colors of the couch.
The removal of color from the artwork allows for the subject matter to be featured. Black and white photography will also work with most colors, as there is no color to create a visual clash within the room. Black and white photographs can include a variety of elements, such as family shots and nature photography.
Black and white photography is forgiving of the differences between the various elements. Additionally, black and white photography appears in the photographs well, which is another of the features that most individuals will appreciate when sharing their homes on social media or in design magazines. Floating shelves can add further flexibility to a persons existing gallery wall.
7. Floating Shelves
Two or three long shelves can be installed above the couch. These shelves can be used to display art, sculptures or even plants. A person can change the look of the arrangement in a few minutes.
A variety of items can be added to these shelves. This option is appropriate for renters or for those interested in frequently remodeling the home. The most important rule is that the items on the shelves should not be too heavy toward the top of the shelf.
8. Paper Template Method
Regardless of the direction that one chooses for the gallery wall, there is one step that one must take before purchasing any nails or hanging any hardware. A person can cut out templates of the frames from paper and tape them to the wall. Each of the templates can be adjusted until the negative space within the room created by the artwork is correct.
A person can measure twice, but a person should trust the eye of that person to create the perfect arrangement. The arrangement should be an extension of the life happening on the couch beneath the gallery wall. Such a wall should feel warm, personal and collected with care.
A person will wonder how the person ever left the gallery wall blank in the homes that they decorate.
