One of the most popular art displays, this is certainly an eye-catching way of adding visual interest to a room. Creating a gallery wall doesn’t have to be daunting. Sim Takhar of The Old Bank Vault gallery explains...
1. “When working with a horizontal area, I always start on the left-hand side – that is the way most of us read, so it feels logical. Your first artwork should be about one-third of the way in.”
2. “Never start on the wall. Instead, take the measurements of the wall and then recreate the space on the floor directly in front of it, even if you need to move furniture out of the way. This helps you visualize how everything will look on the wall.”
3. “Take the artwork that stands out the most, and then place it in the left-hand position it would be on the wall, but on the floor. Then look at the other pieces you want to include, thinking about size and colour. The aim is to bring together all the pieces so they feel like one large artwork.”
4. “When positioning them above or below each other, make sure they overlap each other by at least a quarter; anything less and it looks as though you tried to line them up but got it wrong.”
5. “The gaps between each artwork do not need to be the same – some might look better with more space to breathe, while others work best in a cluster. I start with either a combination of 3cm/1¼in and 6cm/2½in or 4cm/1½in and 8cm/3in gaps between pieces, and then adjust from there.”
6. “Move the artworks around until they look and feel cohesive; it’s a bit like doing a puzzle! With a horizontal wall, I like to keep the art on a central line and a little above or below it.”
7. “Once you’re happy with the look, you’re ready to hang. Treat the floor arrangement as a loose sketch – you don’t need to be precise to the millimetre – but make sure you hang straight.”
8. “To hang, again begin on the left and work your way across. Hang your first artwork at your eyeline. Each time you hang a piece, stand back and look before you hang the next one.”
9. “If doing a vertical wall, start in the middle and then go up and down. Don’t be afraid to go as low or as high as you like.”
10. “When doing a stairwell, recreate the ascending shape on the floor by placing masking tape or string at a 45-degree angle, using that as your baseline when placing your art.”
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