How Gallery Walls are Like Cats (And Why Your Home Probably Needs One)

updated May 3, 2019

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You’ve no doubt heard the joke about how cats are actually a liquid, because they manage to fill whatever container they find themselves in. A salon wall is the same way, actually. There’s no such thing as an awkward space in the post-gallery wall world, because you can arrange a collage of frames to skillfully attack the proportions of any sized wall. Just check out these examples to see how it’s done.

The key takeaway here is to see how these potentially awkward corners and mini-walls are helped by filling them with an assortment of frames. There’s likely a spot in your own home that’s in need of an irregular art arrangement to fill the space. It’s the first rule of home decor: When in doubt, hang a bunch of stuff up and call it a day. (And you could probably use a cat, too, while you’re at it. Just because.)

Above: Frames follow the angle of an open stairwell, from Elle Decor via Yellows.

(Image credit: Tracey Ayton)

The end of a hallway is the perfect spot for a tall, narrow gallery, as seen here from Style at Home.

(Image credit: Revelateur Studio)

This small wall gets a big boost from a black paint job and a tall, high-contrast gallery arrangement, from Revelateur Studio.

(Image credit: Pottery Barn)

A gallery is the perfect accessory for this bedroom with a sloped ceiling, from Pottery Barn via Houzz.

(Image credit: Patrick Kline)

Another sloped stair wall, from Lonny via Est magazine.

(Image credit: Heidi Lerkenfeldt)

A sculpted wall like this is certainly a challenge to decorate, but I love this solution from Elle Decor via SF Girl by Bay.

(Image credit: Fantastic Frank)

The bend in this wall above the sofa would interrupt any plans for one big piece of art, but a gallery wall fills the space just fine, from Fantastic Frank.

(Image credit: Lonny)

This corner could have been ignored, but instead it was turned into a beautiful home office nook with a small desk and an artistic arrangement, from Lonny.

(Image credit: Graham Yelton)

One picture would do the trick in this seating corner, but the frames bleed all over the wall (and above the door) instead for a large-scale impact, from A Beautiful Mess.

(Image credit: Minted)

Low molding could make hanging art in this space a problem, but a gallery wall makes the low-hanging art look intentional in this gallery tutorial from Minted.

Re-edited from a post that originally appeared 02.22.16. — AH

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