Gallery Wall Almost Complete & LR Swap

13 years ago

Many of you have watched this progress over the past year. It's a bit overwhelming and I know it's not for everybody. I always feel a bit nervous when people see it for the first time - I can't imagine what they're thinking. This is all roughed out and pictures will be evened out when I get that 3M stuff.

So w/o further adieu:

It's all coming to fruition! I have maybe about 2 or 3 to add to the main wall depending on size and that one will finally be complete and I've started on the fireplace wall. Getting ready to make calls to family to acquire additional pics. DS1 and I were looking on E-bay for old sepia reprints of pets for a mini wall.

DH and I decided to try swapping the LR for the Office for a bit of additional space.

I changed the wall color from brown to bright white (looks yellowish in pic but it isn't at all IRL). I also need to finish painting. Luckily I only had to sample 2 whites before I chose SW High Reflectance White. On it's own this white might be harsh but I knew that we wouldn't see it en masse'. Style wise I'm trying to mix modern something w/ rustic, feminine, masculine elegance if that makes sense.

Ceiling will be a soft pale taupey-gray.

FP mantle is currently a dumping ground for things in transition. I'm considering retiling the FP in a mercury glass tile or something.

The french chair at the desk is going to be reupholstered in white w/ a flirty mini box pleat ruffle as soon as DH fixes the broken leg.

Our future sofa is a white slipcovered sectional and a wingback chair w/ a white slipcover is in my distant future.

Warming the place up w/ antique pine pieces and linen colored curtains and pillows that I already have.

I'm keeping my desk where it is because I wanted a place for the kids to do stuff besides on the coffee table all of the time. Since this is the 'Mommy Desk' I hung a row of pictures from the late 1800's of children and mommies. My kids pictures are the row above and also in the rhinestone frames (need to select 1 more for empty frame).

I can't wait for the first pink Spring Peonies to put in the mercury glass vase.

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Comments (19)

porkandham
13 years ago
It looks great! I love it! I'm thinking of doing something similar in the hall that leads to our master bedroom.
User
13 years ago
It looks wonderful! I think it's really tough and/or overwhelming to figure out pictures, frames, mat or not to mat, and layout. You've made it look effortless!
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Bird Lover - First I check the marked down banged up sections at Marshall's, TJ Maxx, Home Goods etc. for black ones. It's easy to take take a black sharpie to the dings and cover them up. Then I head to my local IKEA for white or brown ones (I justed started using frames other than black) as well as black ones if I don't have the correct sized black one on hand. Whenever I come across a cheap gallery frame and I have a few extra bucks on hand I buy it and store it. Years of doing this has given me quite an on-hand selection. I used an IKEA poster sized frame for my wedding picture and had Michaels cut a custom mat and frame it for me during one of their sales. The total cost for frame and having Michaels do everything else was $60: Bronwynsmom - Oops! I'm looking to possibly do my LR lampshades in a blue and white pattern. I saw something similar in last months HB where they used a patterned ginger jar lamp and topped it w/ a patterned pleated shade and it looked great. I know that it would be easier to find a solid blue lamp shade but I don't want a blue cast in the room. Thanks TH - always so good to see you around here (she's the inspiration for my black ceiling)!
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Jan, I'm in the same boat as you are. Out in the country on a dirt road, about 30 minutes from a large city, but thankfully there are other small towns 10 miles this way and that way which have some antique stores. I do a lot of shopping on Ebay and other websites. I found the rabbit in an antique store ten miles thataway. :) Luckily these little antique stores (cheaper since they're not in the City) have facebook pages and post pictures of new items all the time. That's how I found the rabbits! I emailed them and they put it away for me until I got there. Roosters are a big part of FC, especially in the kitchen. Which you already know because of that chair I'm going to steal when you're asleep. lol I have a large Rooster figurine on the counter which was a good price at Amazon. And a rooster print on the DR wall. The area is large enough so it's not overkill. The plates are by Warren Kimble, which I got on Ebay. Look up his "farm animals" series. They're pricey if you buy new. Here's a picture of the cow. Do you notice the checks? Another part of FC decorating. (I have a few black and white check things in the kitchen. Black goes with everything!) The opposite plate has two roosters, also with checks, and the sheep is alone in another area. I thought they were together but I was wrong. Natal turned me onto Warren Kimble. Wish she'd come back!
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Demifloyd! Wow - so good to see your name! One of my absolute favorite homes! For the most part I do 'eyeball it' when I am hanging the arrangements. First I use the hook or whatever is on the back of the pic to lightly mark the wall (by lightly rubbing it on the wall) where the nail or hook should go and then 'rearrange' a nail or two to get it even. When I get down to a row where they are all of the same frame and I want them all even is when I start measuring from the bottom of the picture frame in the row above to where the nail should go. I try not to let perfection get in the way. Life's not perfect and it's killer to try. Some pics hang perfectly straight and some get wonky when a door is slammed or kids are jumping up and down. I don't worry about it - I just re-straighten when I walk by. That is if and when I feel like it. I could totally see a bulletin board style format. Maybe you could make copies of the pics and use pretty tacs to afix them like jewelry and then swap out the regular bulleting board frame w/ a really pretty ornate one. Shoot - I'd bet it'd be real easy to make one to the size you want! Nicole - my dad said that it's a little stainless steel camera that can shoot underwater (I'm sure not too deep) and can shoot in the rain and snow. He said it's about the size of a cell phone. We'll see! Sable CA - I'll have to check out that level yardstick. DH had gotten me a laser level but I never use it since hooks aren't often placed evenly and by the time I got my level set up I could have eyeballed 2 or 3 in the same amount of time. Catkin - I'll see ya over there. Revere Pewter is one of my favorites! Newhomebuilder - I love that picture. Apparently a couple traveled all over on a road trip in that truck with their dog and took a picture of him at every stop. My mom went back to get me more but they were gone. :( Judging by the style of her clothing I think they picture is from the 30's or 40's. Beekeepers wife - I bought my frames black but I know that many people spray paint their frames black. Excellent way to save money! Personally I like the odd ball frame thrown in the mix. While most of the frames are standard gallery style there are a few that have a more ornate frame that are hanging up there. Another suggestion that I found helped me accumulate frames more cost effectively is not to worry about whether or not you have a picture in mind to go in the frame. Buy the frame anyway. It's so cheap to scan a pic and have it made to fit the size of the frame that you already have. Or you can have a mat made to accomdate a smaller sized picture that you have to fit in a larger frame. Don't get bogged down w/ "But the picture that I have won't fit that frame" or "Do I have a picture to go in that frame" etc.
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loribee
13 years ago
I'm a fan of anything you do! Priceless little faces!
leahcate
13 years ago
Love it, love it! I have this same type of "gallery" wall in a hallway, but has not nearly the impact that you've achieved...well done!!
msrose
13 years ago
I love how it looks! I'm just overwhelmed by the thought of how you pull it together and make it look so perfect. I am saving your pictures for inspiration though in case I ever get brave enough to try it.
prairiedawnpam
13 years ago
I am not a designer, but I LOVE your gallery! As for the fireplace tile, it looks good to me. As much as I like glass tile, will it give you the traditional look you seem to be going for? I'm struggling with a similar decision. Thanks for sharing. I'll likely have a similar project soon.

...Pam
Kathleen McGuire
13 years ago
I absolutley LOVE it! Your wall is the kick in the pants I need to hang my own prints. I've been collecting but not hanging. What a great inspiration. My favorite is the wedding pic!
kristinekr
13 years ago
wow!!!!! it looks incredible--it really makes me want to do that in our hallway--but soooo much work!
User
13 years ago
I love gallery walls, but not everyone can pull them off well, but you ttodd? You are the queen of gallery walls.
arcy_gw
13 years ago
I too am a fan. Yours is beautiful. The debate is where/which room is one appropriate and where isn't it? I am good with them where ever!!
jlt37869
13 years ago
I really like this too ,,, it looks great!! And I agree with Shee ,,, it looks so effortless!!!!

Where did you get your frames? I'm struggling with where to pick up frames to get that "collected over time" look.

Thanks.
catkin
13 years ago
It looks great--cute kidlets! :~)
bestyears
13 years ago
FANTASTIC! LOVE it!! Going in my file....
Boopadaboo
13 years ago
Fabulous as usual. I love all your rooms. :)
mitchdesj
13 years ago
It looks fabulous and amazing !!!!!
juddgirl2
13 years ago
Wonderful! I loved your mini gallery wall but this is amazing!

I hope you don't mind, but I definitely need to save your picture for inspiration. I'd love to have something like this in my hallway.
les917
13 years ago
Love the gallery wall, and the way you are intermixing pix of family with 'found' pix. So cool.

The one thing that I would change is the wall color. I think the whole gallery would stand out even more if the wall were a shade of the linen curtains or the taupe/grey that you are thinking of for the ceiling. With all the white furnishings and white matting, I just think a warmer wall color would be a nice compliment.

As for the fireplace, I kind of like what is there now, at least from what I can tell in the pix. Is there a reason you want to change it - is it really bad in real life?

Your children are beautiful.
ttodd
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks! I'm glad that it can inspire people to go for it and it's quite flattering to have it saved to files!

jlt - the majority of my frames come from IKEA or Wal-mart. Sometimes I change the overall look by buying or having a different mat made for them. Many are just simple cheap document frames. Others come from TJ Maxx etc. and some are gifts. A fair amount came already framed like the French Landmark prints and Big Ben.

Les - Thanks! I decided to go w/ the bright white because I wanted it to be crisp looking and (this may sound crazy) I didn't want the entire room to be 'over thought'. I still have a fair amount of grey strips up because I think that a grey or (better yet) a delicious black room that is adjoining would be phenomenal. I'm so torn because the thought of a black office across the hall is tugging at me like you wouldn't believe. I can see it - DH can not but he hasn't said no. I also really want the LR, office and central hall to flow as one since they are all so small but can easily serve as one large space since they are so open to one another.

I also love this room:

It really has become effortless to me ONLY because I don't make it a goal to finish any w/in a set period of time. It is always a work in progress and so I don't pressure myselfone bit. All things will fall in place. Eventually!

Things that I do that has made it happen a lot easier are to just keep stacks of pictures and stacks of frames so that I can grab something and start working whenever the mood strikes. There's nothing worse than having the mood strike and then being limited on choices at hand. That feeling has made me feel pressured and end up feeling that it will never work out so I've quit.

I started picking up frames here and there and just squirreling them away. And don't let the fact that you have a frame that fits into an arrangement but no picture stop you from hanging it anyway. That's when you hit yuour picture stack and have something enlarged or shrunk to fit.

Some of my 1st ones are painful to look at because I tried so hard.
User
13 years ago
I like it!

Gallery Wall Almost Complete & LR Swap

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Gallery Wall Almost Complete & LR Swap

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