A year ago I decided to jazz up my New York apartment by creating a salon gallery wall of my own. Now, just over one year later, I’m giving my favorite wall a bit of an update. Although I’m lucky to have more light in my apartment than the typical New Yorker, my living room is still darker than most homes. In an effort to brighten up my living room I’ve been working hard to incorporate more light neutrals and less dark patterns into my design. With a little primer and an ivory colored spray paint I transformed my frames and brightened up my living room.
In case you missed it last time, here are some tips for creating your own gallery wall:
*Color Scheme: I suggest sticking with an overall color scheme. Although I did add in some color, I decided to work mainly with ivory and gold frames. This gives your wall a sense of cohesiveness. You want everything to look like it belongs. I also love the way the ivory color pops against my grey walls. My ivory inspiration came from my coconut mirror, which you can see here.
*Don’t be afraid to play! Play with textures, shape, and color. Don’t stick with just a plain flat frame. Throw in a bold cut-out or even a circular frame to mix things up. Also, don’t forget about your lines! Be sure to play with vertical and horizontal frames.
*Add something other than art: I went with a wall clock, but a small shelf display would work just as well.*Etsy is your best friend: I was able to find some great prints on this amazing website, including my Button U.S.A map and King Pug Newsprint.
*Get Resourceful: If you dont have the money or the resources to buy art, frame some printed paper or a design you like from a magazine. I ended up framing a wallpaper sample I had lying around (which you can see in the horizontal gold frame above).*Although you want your wall to appear to be thrown together, you still want to maintain a level “organized chaos”. In order to do this, lay all of your wall hangings on the floor before nailing anything down. Move things around until you find an arrangement that is truly eye-catching.
The beauty of the Salon Gallery Wall is that you can keep adding to it over time. As I continue to make memories in this city, I can continue to add to my wall.
Tags: Design, DIY, framed art, frames, home decor, How to create a salon gallery wall, Interior Design, living room, Wall art