Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Wall Behind the Sofa.

Here is a somewhat recent shot of the sofa in my living room. Actually, it's really not recent... the pillows have changed, the coffee table is changed, the overhead light is gone. Oh well, what I really want to draw your attention to, are the three frames behind the sofa.


I really like the linear look of the frames but I'm bored with them. Also, the ceilings are quite high and it could use a little more height. I think I will move those frames into the hallway and create a gallery wall above the couch.

A gallery wall, however, is never is easy as it seems. There is a fine line between an artful arrangement and a cluttered wall. Personally, I like mismatched frames in different sizes and finishes with a couple of paintings on canvas thrown in. The spacing is huge for me too. Too close and it's busy, too far apart and it looks skimpy. I guess the secret is just playing around with what you've got until you find one that works. I suppose that would require some patience:)

Here are some of my favorite gallery walls hung behind a sofa that I'm using as my source of inspiration.

Source: decor8blog.com via Jane on Pinterest




I suppose the last one does is not a sofa but possesses a chair so beautiful, it made the cut. Do I actually own all these beautiful pieces to be hung? No, but a few so that's a start! Do I have other projects on the go that should be finished first? Sure, but I can start collecting or diy-ing in preparation.

I think it couch be very beautiful and take my living room from the calm serene space it's been to something a little more edgy and fun. Time for a change. What do you think? Any tips?

You can follow the rest of my gallery wall board on Pinterest here.

15 comments:

  1. I love the look of a gallery wall. You can cut out the correct sizes in poster board and tape them all the the wall ahead of time to see how the display will look and if it will be balanced. I usually just eyeball it and go for it. ha ha. Kind of like everything, I jump in head first. I just opened my print shop - check it out, maybe something there might interest you. xo

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  2. Go for it! test it out by putting up paper versions on the wall and seeing if you like it! It will add such nice texure & colour to your space!

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  3. Do it! Its nothing that can't be changed if you decide you don't like it. I'm building a gallery wall in my living room and while my taste is a little more eclectic than yours I can say that I like the look of my gallery walls more spaced out. Its gives them room to "breath" and keeps it from looking cluttered. Perhaps it'll help you!

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  4. I too love gallery walls and have one in my living room. Even after it was initially put up I still continued to tweak it here and there when I found something I loved to add. Initially, to get the correct layout, I layed everything out on the floor and photographed them to see which arrangement I liked best. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

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  5. I love the mixed frames in your inspiration photos! The only thing I didn't like about having a gallery wall was that I didn't feel like I appreciated or noticed my favourite pieces of art quite like I do when they're in smaller groupings or on their own, so I guess I would recommend choosing fewer, larger pieces or at least ones that still stand out when grouped together.

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  6. I did a gallery wall in our hallway and love it.I'm a big fan of the mismatched frames too. I think as long as the gallery is within scale of the couch you are good to go. You can do it!

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  7. I like your inspiration pics - the second photo seems to suit your style quite well. You are both such go-getters that I'd imagine a gallery wall would not take you too much time at all!

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  8. I love gallery walls! And like you, I like the mismatched thing. Hope you can give us some tips after you finish yours! ;)

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  9. I like the 2nd photo the best. Some of the other ones are to busy. Have fun and good luck.

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  10. For about five years we had a mismatched gallery wall in our dining room, above our buffet. I finally took it down this year in favor of something more like what you currently have. :-) I loved the eclectic look of all of the different colors and textures, but as we changed our room it didn't seem right anymore. I say go ahead and do what you like. If it doesn't work, you can always change it.

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  11. I think you should go for it Jane. Like you said it will add a new dimension to your living room. Good luck, I can't wait to see how it turns out. I love gallery walls, but am still too nervous to tackle one. I have a hard time finding just the right pieces.

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  12. Hi Jane! I love the idea of a gallery wall, and in fact, posted some ideas on my blog last week. The one whose source says "nicole odette designs - custom project" is a gallery wall I created using existing frames and photos. I had one frame that I removed the existing print (too out of date) but because of the irregular size, I put a swatch of fabric in the frame instead and mixed it with the photos. Hope it helps as you create your gallery wall! Here's the link - enjoy!
    http://nicoleodettedesigns.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/gallery-wall-love/

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  13. Go for it !! I did one, I collected all the pics in
    My house I thought I would use , and then put them down on the floor in an arrangement and then played with them and looked at the arrangement each time I walked by , after about a month I found an arrangement I liked and also switched up for different pics, I got it up :)

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  14. I know what ya mean. It's harder than it looks. I love the gallery wall look too and have been wanting to do one in my living room lately. In fact, I have a pile of things that I have collected and they are currently on the floor leaning up against the wall...just waiting to go up! Can't wait to see what you come up with! No doubt it will look great!

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  15. I loved your post. All pictures are really looking nice and beautiful. There were some white couch and white wall combination picture. I really like white furniture for my place and that's why when I go through these sort of items, I am really inspired.

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Love hearing from you! Thanks so much :)