We regularly receive requests for help with creating a gallery wall. So, for those of you who are thinking about creating one or are ready to get going, we decided to put together a series of steps on how to create a Paris-specific gallery wall in your home. And for those of you who haven’t thought about it, perhaps this post will inspire you.
A Paris gallery wall is the perfect way to
Display many of your favorite Paris pictures and collected items in a relatively small space
Express your personality, tell your or your family’s story
Fill or break up an empty space in an interesting, entertaining and attractive way
Create a focus of attention and a great conversation piece in your home
Put your memories or your dreams of Paris up where you and your family and friends can see them.
Here’s how to create a perfect Paris gallery wall in your home in 10 easy steps.
This is Part 1. It covers steps 1-5, the preliminary steps to make sure your final Paris gallery wall is perfect: deciding what it is you want to express, gathering up material you already have, choosing a location and working out a design – everything needed to get you ready for Part 2 where we will give you the nitty gritty, practical steps for assembling your gallery wall.
After that, we will announce a contest and giveaway for the best, most original and beautiful Paris gallery wall.
STEP1. Start with WHY!
Why would you want to create a Paris gallery wall in your home? Here are some possibilities:
You have been to Paris and loved it and want to keep your memories shining.
You are dreaming of or planning to visit Paris in the future. Your gallery wall will help you visualize and keep your dream alive every day. It is an inspiration to action.
You just love Paris and want to put your love and interest up where you and your family and anyone who visits can share it.
You love Paris and want your children to love it too, so some photos of that wonderful city will spark their curiosity and interest.
So, give this some thought before you start. This will help give you direction and save an awful lot of wasted time and effort doing things that later need to be redone, not to mention wasted money buying things you end up not using. Write down the reason(s) you want to create a Paris gallery wall.
Get input and feedback from family members along the way. After all, your Paris gallery wall is there to be shared and you want to get backing and involvement from those with whom you will share it. Besides, it will make the project more fun.
STEP 2. COLLEcting material
There is no rigid sequence for how you move from here but it is likely you have already collected some pictures and other items related to Paris that you love. Gather them up. Dust them off. Start the creative juices flowing. Start making notes with sketches and diagrams. Basically this next step is to get a very general idea of what you want to include in your gallery wall. If you’re starting from nothing, that’s fine too. You can begin looking for the images and items you want to include. As a note, don’t be tempted to just copy someone else’s gallery wall. You immediately lose the value of self-expression and having your own memories or dreams on your wall.
STEP 3. A SPACE
Decide on a space: a section of wall large enough to hold a collection of framed pictures and other items that you have in mind for your gallery wall. Do you have a staircase with a blank or blankish wall? How about an empty or easily emptied wall in your living room? Entrance hall? Bedroom? Kids’ room? Kitchen? Bathroom? Every space is different. And it’s not limited to a single wall. It could wrap around a corner. It could include shelves and adjacent furniture, a mantelpiece, window sill, even the floor. The choices are endless. Choose a space that is fitting for your concept. This step goes in combination with Step 4. It’s hard to separate the two. We’ve included some images below that might spark ideas for you.
STEP 4. designing the look
Decide on the look you are after. Note that this usually comes after you’ve decided on the space. If it’s in a traditional living or dining room, you may want a more symmetrical and formal looking arrangement. Perhaps a series of frames all the same laid out as a grid with related photos in them. This can be very beautiful and have a classic look and feel to it. But, if it’s in your kids’ room, you may want something more informal and fun and therefore a bit more random. In a den or office, something more personal and individual may be more suitable. If you have chosen a bright kitchen wall, you could go for an arrangement of different types, sizes and colors of frames interspersed with signs and letters, framed menus from your favorite restaurant or cafe, chalkboard signs, etc. So, the look depends to some degree on the space. Of course you could also choose the space based on the look you are after. There are no fixed rules about any of this. Keep the end product in mind.
This could be the room of a teenage girl who dreams of going to Paris.
Color presents a different look and feel to black and white. They both have their merits. They can be mixed. Have a look at the two sets of framed 5x5 prints above and see if you have a preference. (These two sets are from our shop and you can see the larger images there. The color Paris floral and architectural collection is here and the Essential Paris black and white collection is here.
An example of a gallery wall in a young boy’s bedroom. This one is easy to add to as he collects new interests and items.
The kitchen is a great place for some creative fun.
An elegant living room calls for an elegant gallery wall.
A staircase is a great candidate for a gallery wall to fill that empty space with something meaningful and beautiful.
Every gallery wall is different. The pictures and other items usually have a special significance or importance for you.
STEP 5. Decisions, Decisions
Now make some final decisions on content. Choose which of the pictures and items you already have that you are going to use. Then make a list or diagram of the items that are missing. You will need to track these down. Do you need photos? If so, do you know what sort of subject matter, or will you know them when you see them? Color? Black and white? Large, medium or small or a mix? Frames are usually essential and these come in all sizes, shapes, colors and styles. You can go for uniformity or randomness. Each has its merits. It’s probably helpful to use a diagram to keep track of what you have and what you need and to get a rough idea of what goes where. If you need some other kind of artwork or objects, note these down. You can always go to Google and Pinterest to get ideas for inspiration. But in the end, your Paris gallery wall will be your gallery wall.
That’s as far as we’re going in this post. In the next one we’ll get down to the details of installing your Paris gallery wall. You have a little time to do steps 1-5 above and gather up additional material, choose some frames and generally prepare for the next step: installation!
This is leading towards a Paris gallery wall competition with great prizes for the winners. We hope you will participate. One rule is that the winning gallery wall(s) must include at least one print or canvas from our shop. We have a huge selection to choose from so feel free to browse. You might get some unexpected ideas. As usual, if you are looking for an image you would like a print or canvas of but do not see it listed in the shop, just contact us with the details of what you would like. We have many more images than we can possibly include in the shop and are happy to help if we can.
Thanks very much for reading. We would love you to leave a comment and share this blog post with friends or anyone you think might be interested. If you have questions, we do read and answer every comment and question.
À bientôt!
Georgianna and David