The traditional way to decorate your walls is to hang a few select pieces of artwork or mirrors, leaving a lot of empty wall space. If this seems a little boring to you, you'll love an alternative approach we often see in well-staged Richmond homes for sale: the gallery wall, which is where you hang many pieces of artwork together for a collage-like effect. While some of these gallery walls might look haphazard at first glance, usually they're well planned out with a theme and with an eye for balance and design. They're great for family photos or eclectic displays of artwork. Here are a few tips for bringing this savvy look into your own home.

1. Create your collection.
   The first thing is to determine what's going to be on the wall. You want to emphasize variety, so don't make them all the same style or size. Use a common theme to pull everything together. Family photos are another frequent choice for a gallery wall, although if you're staging a home for sale, our real estate agents recommend replacing the family photos with framed artwork for a less personal effect. 
   
   
2. Frame it right.
   Once you have your collection assembled, it's time to decide how you plan on framing it. Most interior designers recommend museum glass because it will minimize reflection and keep damaging UV light from your photographs and artwork. The frames you choose are also important, as they are a part of the overall aesthetic of your gallery wall. Subtle, matching frames can tie everything together and help provide balance if the wallpaper or collection is very busy. A variety of interesting frames can provide a more eclectic look or help draw attention to favorite pieces.
   
   
3. Maintain balance.
   Balance is how you can hang an entire wall's worth of photos and make it look interesting and pleasing instead of cluttered. Start by paying attention to where the permanent furniture will be on your gallery wall. Large artwork should be placed first in a balanced fashion, and then smaller artwork can be used to fill in the spaces around it. The space between frames should be narrower than the artwork and fairly (although not perfectly) uniform. Don't cram something in where it doesn't fit; instead, shift the other pieces or find a different place.
   
   
4. Do a trial run.
   Many designers recommend that you start planning a gallery wall by laying everything out on the floor the way you'll want it on the wall. You can arrange and rearrange to your heart's content, making sure everything looks even, balanced, and interesting. You can even mock it up on the wall when you're done by measuring and creating outlines of each pieces on the wall in blue painter's tape. 
   
   
5. Leave room to grow.
   If your gallery wall will be up for a long time, leave room to grow. Many people start with a smaller area of the wall and build it into a larger area, especially if it is something like family photos. Or you might eventually decide to turn an adjacent wall into an extension of the original gallery wall. Just keep in mind that you'll need to maintain the same principles of balance as you expand.

A gallery wall is an excellent way to express yourself and your sense of style, but it also can be a useful tool for staging your home as you get ready to sell. For more staging ideas and information about selling your Richmond area home, contact us today.