How to make a gallery wall

Decide the area before you choose the art

Start by measuring the wall, not by choosing motifs. A gallery wall should cover about two thirds of the width of the furniture below it. With a 210 cm sofa, that means a combined area around 140 cm wide. Above a 90 cm dresser, around 60 cm.

Height follows the centre line: the middle of the whole arrangement should sit about 150 cm above the floor. That applies to the group as a whole, not to each individual piece.

Choose how many, and which sizes

Three to five pieces is enough to read as a gallery wall, and few enough that you can hang them straight. Beyond five, the odds of it looking incidental rise sharply.

• Classic layout: one 50x70 as the anchor, with two or three 30x40 around it
• Symmetrical layout: four of the same size, say 30x40, in a grid
• Stairs: same size throughout, offset at even intervals along the staircase

Spacing is the only thing that must be precise

Keep 5–8 cm between frames, and use the same gap everywhere. Under 5 cm makes the wall feel cramped; over 8 cm and the pieces lose their connection and read as separate prints.

Pick one line to align to: either the top edge of every frame, or the centre line through the arrangement. Do not mix the two in one layout.

Lay it out on the floor first

Lay the whole arrangement on the floor in front of the wall, at the right spacing, and move it around until it works. It takes ten minutes and saves you holes you cannot take back.

Once you are happy, cut paper sheets the size of each frame and tape them to the wall. You then see the layout at the right height before drilling, and can mark the fixing point straight onto the paper.

Keep one thing constant

A gallery wall needs one repeating element. It can be the frame colour, a tone present in every motif, or every piece being the same kind of image. With nothing in common, the wall stays restless however precisely you hang it.

The simplest approach is one frame colour with varied motifs. Light oak or black throughout gives enough calm that you can mix abstract, photography and type in the same arrangement.