What constitutes a collection? Is it your children's school arts pieces? Is it a growing art collection? Holiday mementos or family portraits? Why can't it be all of the above? It can! Your collection can be anything you want it to be. What speaks to you and brings you joy? How do you present this collection? That's where we can help! We have a lot of clients wanting to create their own gallery/collection wall but don't know where to start. Hopefully we can give you some hints and tips, and images of some of our clients very own gallery hangs to inspire you.
Depending on the number and sizes of the pieces, there are different ways of bringing your collection together. For a more formal look and feel we can keep these pieces more uniform by choosing some constants within the collective design. This could be achieved by using the same moulding and matting, or it could be with keeping everything, including the sizes of the frames the same (even if the images are not all the same size)
Continue the formal look with a structured lineal hang, either horizontal or vertical. This style works best with an odd number of pieces, for example three or nine, depending of the sizes and space you have for the display. In saying this a grouping of 6, 8 or 12 can also look fantastic. There is always an exception to the rule, even when going formal. Take the below design we recently framed and installed for a client. Even though they are offset they still have a clean crisp formal look.
A more informal look can be created in a myriad of ways. The key is to keep it random while still giving a purpose as to why they are hung together. An easy way to achieve this is to keep the subject matter similar. For example the candid family pictures, taken while on holiday or at birthdays or other certain milestones. If you have a more varied collection that includes photos, art and mementos than you can tie the collection together by keeping colours and styles of the framing consistent (even if using a combination of colours and different profiles in the frames). In saying this I have seen so many fantastic collections where it is just an eclectic mix and match and it looks fantastic. Somehow the collection speaks about the collector and when all the pieces belong to one person there is that persons individuality and spirit that ties the collection together.
Once you have decided on the look and feel of the collection, it is time to get them framed! When speaking with your framer, it is best to bring the collection in at the same time. That way you can make sure the materials and designs you choose work on all the pieces and then collectively work together. In the end the framing has to suit the piece or it will never look right, even when its part of a collection. It's is also a great idea to bring some pictures of the space and wall in where the collection will hang. This will help not only to work with the designing but also make sure that the collection will fit nicely in the space. Make sure you know the width and height of the wall and pics will let your framer know if there are any furnishings to consider.
Now that the pieces have returned from your framer, you can see exactly how they all work together. The more formal layouts can be relatively easy to arrange and hang. Simply due to the structure and size and the placement being a little more rigid.
The more informal hangs can be a little more involved. The three secrets to getting this right are plan, plan and plan! Firstly, let's look at the overall shape of the display. You can create an overall shape using the outside lines of the frames, for instance a square or rectangle or even a circle. Another option is to find the central point and radiate the works out from there, creating a more 'random' and organic feel.
If your not confident in hanging the works you can always have us or another hanging specialist do this for you. The other option is the installation of a hanging system. These can be relatively simple to install yourself or again have us do the hard work for you. The beauty of these systems is they give the freedom to change the placement of the pieces, adding and subtracting as new pieces replace older ones, without any damage to your walls.
There are so many creative ways you can bring a little bit of your story to your home and gallery collection walls are a great place to start. Chat to us today about how we can help you create that gallery wall you have always wanted.