Changed my mind about gallery walls after seeing my neighbor's setup

Last month I was dead set on keeping my living room wall totally empty. I thought gallery walls looked cluttered and chaotic. Then my neighbor Sarah invited me over and I saw what she did with her big blank wall off the entryway. She had 9 frames arranged in a grid with family photos and a few small prints. It looked clean and organized not messy at all. Now I'm planning my own grid layout but I'm stuck on what size frames to pick. Anyone got advice for spacing between frames in a grid setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

singh.blair3d ago

I read something the other day that said a good rule is to keep 2 to 3 inches between frames in a grid... it makes the whole thing look like one piece instead of a bunch of random frames. For a grid layout, I'd stick with all the same size frames too, maybe 8x10 or 11x14 depending on your wall space. My neighbor used 3 inch gaps between her 9 frames and it looked super professional... like something from a catalog. Just measure your wall carefully before you start buying frames so you don't end up with weird leftover space on the edges.

stone.troy1d agoProlific Poster

Hang on, I gotta push back a little on the 2-3 inch rule. That's too tight for most walls in my opinion. 3 inches looks cramped unless you got a tiny space. I've seen too many gallery walls that look like a cluttered mess because people jammed them too close together. For a grid layout, especially with 9 frames, I'd go with 4 to 5 inches between each frame. That gap gives each piece room to breathe and keeps it from looking like a crowded photo booth strip. Your eye can actually appreciate each frame instead of getting lost in a jumble. Just try mocking it up on the floor first before you commit to hanging anything.