Black or none, but definitely not white, IMO.

Yes, not white.

I think black, with white matting.

I would rather see a vertical triptych canvas piece there. I think the gallery wall looks too busy for a narrow hallway.

I agree, that looks pretty busy. How about a few larger pieces instead?

RoseAbbey Unfortunately I really dislike those types of artwork, especially canvas.

aimeekm That was my other idea, but how would you work around the gate? There is about 2-3 feet from the gate to the door right there, and it can't move.

Ok, I see the gate. Well, you have the thermostat on the other side of the hallway as well, so, how about if you just center the artwork on the hallway around those 2 obstacles?

You dont have to cover the whole wall, divide it into thirds, between the gate and the thermostat and space 3 large pieces of framed art (not canvas)

aimeekm what's funny is that as soon as you mentioned using the larger frames, I realized I should probably put a faceplate on the dead thermostat while I'm at it

Yes to a gallery wall. Black frames and white matting.

Oops, what I mean by "none" was to consider using frameless picture frames.

If the thermostat is dead, why dont you remove it and patch the wall.

RoseAbbey Mainly because we can't figure out what the wall texture is, so patching ourselves will be difficult and would probably not match. We've had multiple painters and a GC come in while doing other things, and they can't identify a cohesive texture. It looks a mix of crows feet and knockdown textures, but then has patches of hand troweled spots over top of the other unidentifiable textures (I'm assuming from poorly patched spots from the foreclosure company). It wouldn't be such a big deal if not for the fact that it's in a very visible location. We'll have to find someone that specializes in wall texturing and right now that is not our priority.

What color is your art?

I'm a fan of a uniform collection, so if your art is black and white, then black frames. If your art is sepia, then try ivory frames with large ivory mats - I love mine. Also for mismatched shapes and sizes, I think ivory is more forgiving. My ivory frames are close to my wall color. And I have colored images in them, but they are fairly uniform.

Black is going to add a lot of detail, ivory is going to blend in.

I can't picture white against neutral paint.

You could also consider replacing the thermostat. Mine is ivory, or between ivory and white, and a little more modern looking.

If you do a gallery wall, I would recommend black frames and fewer photos. (I would remove a few from each end of your mock-up, to keep it from being too heavy). I have a small gallery wall with black frames, but the frames don't match. Some are thin, some are thick...and matting sizes also vary. Some of the frames also have some metallic accent to them - altogether a uniform look with subtle variety.

Here are some OK uses of black frames. This first one is in a private hallway and probably seen mainly by family members. It makes good use of vertical space toward the floor and ceiling.

And this one works because the subject matter is consistent. And the frames are BIG.

But, as you describe, you have rustic images, photos, various art, etc. In this case, you can certainly use different frames and create a built-over-time look to your gallery wall. Like these:

In your initial photo above, use more of the wall above and below your templates.

And it certain applications, all white frames can be stunning, too.

(The last one is from a blogger, actually.)

LisaD82 just said everything I wanted to say but couldn't formulate properly

LisaD82 Thank you! I'll work on adding more to the mockup so that I can get a better layout and idea of sizes and play around with large frames instead. I have no frames, and only 1 photo from the 1900's that I want to use, so It will be a work in progress. My plan was to find frames from thrift and consignment stores, and then will paint them so that they match. I'm just trying to get an idea of how many of each size I will need. The upstairs is pretty mismatched with wood colors already, so I think a consistent color on the wall is the way to go to balance it out.

I think it's a great space to hang photos! I like the photos LisaD posted with a mixture of frames. Otherwise I think uniform frames will be too busy. Just a simple frameless clip picture holder would look good!

So glad for the above posts!! I love a gallery wall and what I have seen here is very high end homes SATURATE walls with art many times. I think that is a perfect place to jazz up and why not with a gallery wall. As far as frame color..depends on the pictures? I ended up with a compilation of wood frames 5x7s as the kids I used to have grew...mix and match works too!!

Remove the thermostat and cover it with a picture!

ETA: Didn't read all the comments, pardon me if someone already made this suggestion.

I like the idea of the gallery wall, but maybe not such a busy one. Larger pictures and less of them.

I am probably wrong, but when I think of a gallery wall, I think of ones where you can see the entire gallery wall . Yours drifts off, so that looking up from the stairs you might see a part of a picture. I would try to arrange them so that there is space to end with an entire picture visually when coming up the stairs.

I had a gallery wall in my upsatairs hallway. I don't think you need to be slavishly obsessed with all the frames being the same, rather the art and frames need to match and blend harmoniously. Unless you really desire to make a statement in black and white or whatever color you choose. In the excellent examples Lisa posted, not every single picture has the same color frame and mat, but they all match, are in color harmony.