It's pretty hard to pull that off.

I'd suggest laying them out on the floor, playing around with it till you like it (stand on a chair to look at it) . Take a photo, print it, then note the measurements. We did that with my DDs room and it wasn't toooooo taxing.

I am so glad you asked this! I was going to ask the same thing this week. I want to do this in my hallway which is small and has many doors. I will link my pin board below in case you are interested.

I think I like the style that does go wall to wall and have pretty uniform borders vs the ragged edges.

Here is a link that might be useful: gallery pics

I think it depends on what you want...to do something like above where it completely and fairly evenly fills the entire wall space it would take some pre-planning. But I remember a Lynette Jennings show where she just started with an anchoring piece in the middle and built out her arrangement as she felt, placing each piece where it seemed to fit, no measuring and no marking, and it came out fine, but you have to have a good eye for balance and scale. The result was with free-form edges like this one, not squared off.

I also don't know where to stop on the bottom of the wall. I think I am going to leave the hallway empty of anything on the floor (furniture) so I am not sure how low (or high) to go on the walls. I also have a 5 and 2 year old so not sure that too low will be good.

Also, how do you mix in the big pictures with the little ones? :)

I guess by what looks good putting it on the floor first.

I am planning to use black and white sketches and prints that are pretty much all in black frames. Maybe some black and white plates mixed in that I have too. I also have 2-3 round bullseye mirrors that are in black frames.

maybe I should start my own thread. I dont mean to hijack., Apologies. I am so excited to start this project this week. I have been wanting to do this for a couple of years and DH is finishing up painting the walls now.

Is it a long narrow hallway?

If it is, remember that the viewer cannot stand very far back to view the art. So it's probably best to start at eye level.

Here is a nice hallway arrangement that is based on a long, level axis.

Mine, not finished, in a narrow back hallway was done in a day ( an hour plus), with some added later, and room for more. I've just been lazy. I found it easy to do by eyeballing, just the way you imagined.

I pretty much do mine exactly how mtnrdredux described. I lay out my pictures on the floor in a measured out space the same dimensions as the space that I want to hang. Then I get out a ladder, climb up and take a picture.

I rarely flat out measure w/ a measuring tape for spacing. I don't have enough hands when I'm standing on the ladder getting ready to hang to do that. I will often use 'finger' measurements instead since I carry those w/ me wherever I go! It could be 2 fingers wide, 1 knuckle down etc.

If I am doing an arrangement where the overall shape is not static I will start hanging from the top corner picture and work my way across and work my way down to the bottom. If I am doing a free form look arrangement I start w/ the center picture and work my way up, out and down.

In arrangements like these I try to mix symmetrical sections w/ more free form arrangements all contained in one large wall arrangement. Keeps the eye moving and keeps the over symmetrical shape of the whole arrangements a little less formal.

I always lay the out first.

My pictures are rarely exactly even since I don't measure exactness. I lightly burnish the wall where the nails should go w/ the hooks on the back of the picture. Sometimes it ends up a little too high or too low so I hammer again.

Thanks, everyone. I think I can... I think I can...

Mtn, I have a strong visual preference toward symmetry, and I fear that if I plan and measure too much, symmetry will take over and I'll lose the collected look I'm going for. But I do agree I need a bit more than a by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach.

Boop--thank you for sharing your gallery link. That's a great collection. (I'm working on a pressed botanical display similar the LG orangery pin--but it's much more uniform than this project.) Hijack away! My own wall can be viewed as we round the corner from a staircase, and so visually, I plan to hang from less than 1 foot from the ceiling, to about 2 feet from the floor. My kids will pass it daily, and it can be seen from the top of the stairs, and then from their homework area, so it's prime real estate to provide them family reminders. But they are older than yours and won't be tempted to touch.

For your display, I always find traditional wainscoting height is a natural breaking point in a wall--this may be just out of your 2-year-old's reach but still enjoyable by the 5-year-old, perhaps? I suspect you'll spend a few weeks walking the hall with the 2-year-old on your hip so they can see everything!

I'm not going to try to line up the outer borders of my gallery--again, too much planning required. I'd never pull it off. Also, my frames are all somewhat larger--I don't have anything smaller than 8x10. I think it's more challenging when you're using both large and small size frames, but the smaller ones seem to be nice "fillers" between the larger ones. Also, they look good stacked together to "match" a large size next to them... for example, see TheFoxesPad photo above--on the top right side of the photo, the 2 smaller ones stacked to meet the larger ones on either side.

Annie--thanks! That's the approach I'm going to try. I don't have many talents in the decor dept., but I'm pretty good with scale. I figure so much of the wall space will be covered that if I have to move something over an inch or two, the original nail hole will likely be covered by another frame.

Mcclarke--I appreciate that example. The long axis will be my back-up plan if I can't tolerate a lack of symmetry.

Martinca--well-done! Very proportionate and balanced in that space. If mine turns out half as well as yours, I'll be pleased.

TheFoxesPad--thank you for sharing this photo! I couldn't find it anywhere in this forum. Love it. I see now that the top edges of the whole gallery line up. I'm going to have to consider this, and I appreciate your tips. Yes, I suspect my knuckles and fingers will be my best measurers, as well. And I see what you mean by free form and symmetry together--great explanation.

I appreciate everyone's input.

mclarke, I never had the inclination to do a gallery wall until you posted that photo .... cool!

"mclarke, I never had the inclination to do a gallery wall until you posted that photo .... cool!"

Well then, my work here is done, lol. Have fun!

Oh, and for anyone hanging a bunch of pictures, you might try an adhesive putty to help them stay straight. You just put one little gob behind one corner of the frame, press it to the wall, and voila. No more straightening!

I have a gallery wall at the end of a hallway. The shelves solve the level issue, and it's easy to change out photos.

I was apparently drunk when I took this.

Great tip, mclarke--thank you.

Annk, what a lovely collection of family photos--thanks for sharing this, drunk or not!

I like this method because it is fool proof and because the pictures will stay alligned indefinitely.

First, I cut out paper templates for each pic. I use brown postal paper.Then I arrange my pics on the floor to get a basic idea of what would look good. Then I hang my paper templates on the wall attaching each template with painter's tape on each corner. I move the templates around until it looks just right. You can precisely measure spacing or not, it just depends on what sort of look you prefer. It is necessary however, that you sort of use a level on each template--you'll have another chance for leveling more precisely when you attach the pic to the wall.

I attached 3M velcro strips to the back of each pic according to 3M's directions. Be careful that the strips will not show from the sides when walking down the hall. If your frames are wide enough, the strip should be placed in the shadows. If frames are thinner and one side is more visible than the others, I might put two strips on a less visible side, along with one on the top and one on the bottom--just don't shortchange your strips. I also always place strips so that the picture hangs flat rather than tilted (top and bottom rather than just at the top) even if 3M suggests that only one strip is needed per the weight of the pic.

Before hanging, I tear a section of each template away where the strip will attach the pic to the wall, but I leave major portions of the template in place to guide me on where to hang the pic. I press the frame in place per 3M's directions with a small level on top of the pic frame while at the same time aligning the frame with the template. When the project is complete, I carefully lift each pic frame part way from the wall, so that I can slide and/or tear the paper template away from behind the pic without losing the precise placement of the pic on the wall. I reattach the frame to the wall again by repressing in place.

Here is a link that might be useful: 3M Command Strips

This post was edited by theresa2 on Thu, Aug 28, 14 at 21:59

Just wanted to make a statement on the 3m command strips from my experience. And this is just MY experience and what I think it boiled down to.

Before I get all kinds of feedback on what I'm doing wrong, what I should do, etc....I have tried it.

I will never use them again. I tried once on the gallery wall that I posted and w/in a few days some of the pictures came crashing down. Of course they were ones at the top or mid level and they took out other frames on the way down.

Posted here about my experience and got a lot of tips even including the finish of paint on my walls. I repainted my walls w/ a flat finish paint, utilized lots of the advice I got & tried again. W/in a few days of hanging more crashing.

Mr. Fox was able to repair most of my frames for me and replaced the glass.

I used to think that it was my ancient wonky walls but now the only thing that I can think of is that it's because of all of the Mexican Jumping beans that my children must eat as candy. Jumping upstairs in the bedroom above the room. Jumping in the room w/ all of the pictures. Jumping, jumping, jumping. They actually nearly brought a chandelier down once. Luckily it was wired in really, really well and it only dropped 5" or so instead of crashing to the floor.

I'd trade them in (the banshees that is) but I know that I will look back on these days and laugh w/ stories of: "I remember when your father did _______" & "One time you Mom did _______."

I will be checking out the Elmers Tack that McClarke posted and I like the picture ledge gallery very much. Thinking that I might try something similar in the craft/ studio room that I am currently working on. You just age me an idea. Very nice Annkh. I shall heed your advice and will take my picture before I start drinking! lol!

We have a collection of white and rock n roll posters in the basement. We also arranged them in the floor first, the just eyeballed it on the wall.

THese are such great real life examples :)

Thefoxespad - you cracked me up talking about your kids. MIne are very jumpy too. In fact we have a rebounder in the family room for them to get the energy out!!

Do you think that if you used regular hangers pictures woudl stay above doors if they were accidently slammed once in awhile? This would be on the top floor so there would be no jumping above it.

I am trying to figure out still how and where to stop the pics in the hallway. It is a funky little hallway with lots of doors and not too much walls space to I was thinking it might be good to hang them over the doors too, kind of tie all the walls together.

I can't take a pic now - left the camera on after our bronx zoo trip yestereday :( but this is it with the old paint - not so great pics....

Or maybe that would just draw your eye to the stuff on the celing? I twould only be upstairs, not in the stairwell.

Boop, I'm a fan of your first photo above, with the yellow background. It would be perfect on your corner that you posted. With wall galleries, go big, or go home.

Boop - will have to look into a rebounder for them!

I used to have my wall gallery in the downstairs hallway, again wall to wall, ceiling to floor. I finally moved it because when I had gatherings of people nobody could get through the hallway. It became a blockade of people. It worked too well lol!

I would try a combination of hooks above the doors. Not sure how old your walls are. I had 2 small pictures hanging above my kitchen. mudroom door and they came crashing down one day because the nail hole kept getting bigger and bigger w/ each door slam.

In the future I will hang them back up again w/ hooks and use 3m command strips or the product listed above to anchor the bottom to prevent the constant movement of the picture each time the door slammed that made the nail holes bigger.