Last week, I shared an update to our spiral staircase gallery wall and I received a request afterwards to share more of my various gallery walls. I thought it would make for a fun Friday post to just do a little round up of all the gallery walls in my house and just briefly talk about each one.
Spiral Staircase
The theme for this wall is legacy. I wanted this collection of photos to feel like a scrapbook of our family history.
I chose mixed metal frames for a collected-over-time feel and printed all photos in black and white to create a cohesive look. This wall has a few professional photos but is mostly casual moments we snapped on our phones and just documents life through the years. Keeping legacy in mind, I also chose a few handwritten notes (one is a letter my grandparents sent me in college, one is hymn lyrics found in my great-great aunt’s bible after she died) and photos of generations before us (my grandma’s school picture, Justin’s grandparents wedding picture, baby LJ with his grandma and great-grandma, etc). This is a very special wall for our family!
Playroom Wall
I wanted the playroom to feel, well, playful so that’s the word I kept in mind while building out this gallery wall.
I decided to use this wall as a place to display professionally taken family photos in full color and mixed in some bold, colorful artwork and mirrors. I didn’t want things to be too chaotic so I chose frames in gold or shades of green/blue/greige to keep things connected. The overall effect feels bright and fun!
Kitchen Gallery Wall
This small wall in between the living room and kitchen houses our thermostat, so I chose to blend it in to a gallery wall. The theme of this wall is history – subtly different than the spiral staircase gallery wall for a few reasons.
For one, this wall is full of the colorful mementos that didn’t fit the B&W scheme of the spiral staircase. There are colorful photos: one of my dad, brother and I from childhood and one of my grandpa with his parents. Since it’s technically in the kitchen, I have two handwritten recipes – one from my grandma and one from Justin’s grandma. There’s also some nods to places we have traveled: a map from a meaningful city for us, a scrap piece found in the wall of our family farmhouse, a colorful postcard from a trip we took with baby LJ. And it’s all centered above my grandma’s antique commode. History!
Kids Bedroom
LJ and Vi have a shared bedroom and they each have a gallery wall above their bed. I wanted them to flow together, but be distinct for each child so I kept a few things consistent (they each have a black-and-white line drawing, animals, hanging word art, colors, mixed frames) and then sprinkled in things that fit their unique personalities.
For LJ, my straight-laced, yet energetic firstborn, I chose pieces that feel both neat and playful – just like him!
For Vi, my adventurous and creative middle child, I chose art that felt a little mischievous and sweet – her personality in a nutshell!
Nursery
I created this nursery gallery wall before Ollie was born, so I hadn’t met him yet but knew a little boy would be joining our family. I wanted a sweet & whimsical feel to this space and chose pieces accordingly.
Again I went with mixed metals – gold, silver, and black – but I kept colors softer and more muted. I chose the only photos I had of Ollie at the time: a maternity photo and his ultrasound. I also brought the outdoors in through artwork: a landscape print, bunnies in a meadow, a snipped piece of a dried fern, a rainbow print.
Primary Bedroom
Not to be too on the nose, but the theme of this bedroom was love. Specifically, I wanted to see our marriage reflected up on the walls. I chose to mix gold, black, and natural wood frames and extend the wall beyond the dresser for a fuller effect.
I wanted our bedroom to be relaxing and soothing, so I worked in several abstract pieces to give a dreamier effect. I also chose a few special mementos – a ticket from our travels in Italy, a note Justin left for me, a card I gave him once – to mix in with photos of us. We love travel so I also chose a couple prints that inspire dreams of future adventures.
I love that each gallery wall is different and conveys a unique part of our family’s life. Each wall feels like a piece of the puzzle and makes our home feel like us. Now on to plan my next wall . . . 😉
simplify the chaos 