So I've gone "dark" for the last week or so, and whenever I do this, you can assume that it's probably because I am scheming. In the new year, my husband and I came up with a list of much needed projects around our home. As a way to share these projects with you all, I started a new series called Decor Talks. I want to show you the latest updates, share the reasons behind these decor decisions and then tell you if it was a valuable addition or not. I guess you can say that this is the inaugural post, so without further ado, let's talk about my latest project ... a gallery wall!
I have toyed with the idea of a gallery wall for a really long time. But what I was struggling with were the types of photos I wanted to showcase and the style of photo frames I wanted to use. I didn't want to hang photos of our family, since we have some in another part of our home and I was on a strict budget, so finding photo frames that fit this budget was a bit challenging. One thing I was certain of was the location - the bare wall in our home office was perfect.
Our home office is quite neutral with a modern conservative style. We have white upper cabinets, dark wedge built-in desks and chrome handle pulls. I actually made over our home office for the One Room Challenge Fall 2018 edition, you can see it here. The office needed color, so I was certain that the photos I was going to use, were not going to be black and white (although photos in B & W are so classy!).
With this in mind, I poured through (almost) all of the photos I had ever taken, and stumbled upon the ones from a trip to Italy. My mind immediately travelled to the streets of Rome, where I ate way too much gelato, the populated beach on the Amalfi Coast where I sunbathed every day and the (not so easy) hike across the five towns of the Cinque Terre. It totally struck me like a bolt of lightening. I needed to put together a travel gallery wall. I thought back to all of the cities I had visited where my husband and I made memories of a lifetime. And I had more than enough photos to fill the bare wall!
Selecting and printing the photos was the easy part. Finding frames to fit my budget proved to be a bit harder! I thought about the style of frames I wanted to use. They needed to be conservative to fit the modern simplistic theme of my office, and I didn't want them to take away from the actual photos themselves. I looked in all the usual places, like Target, Walmart and Michaels. I didn't find anything I liked. I thought about extending my budget and purchasing something more expensive, but I got one look from my husband and I gave up on that thought! Feeling defeated, I put this project on hold for a few weeks.
On a random Tuesday evening, two weeks after I felt defeated, I was strolling through Ikea. And again, the lighting bolt struck. I turned the corner, past the aisle with the plates, and there they were! Slender, simple, silver and they came with a mat. Best of all, they were inexpensive! I was so excited that I hurried home, filled the frames and put the gallery wall up that night. And I have been so pleased with the results!
I guess that was a long story (a chatty first Decor Talks!) but here's the short on why I think a gallery wall is fabulous:
1) It's meaningful. The photos you choose mean something to you. They can be of your favorite place, your family and friends, from your favorite photographer or anything that's near and dear to you. And every time you walk by, these memories leave a smile on your face.
2) It's inexpensive. If you are thinking about filling a bare wall with a large piece of art, chances are that large piece is going to cost you. Even if you decide to go the DIY route, framing or purchasing canvas that size doesn't come cheap. But if you decide to cover the wall with several smaller pieces, all of a sudden it becomes much more affordable. With several different printing and framing options, the gallery wall allows you to cover a large surface at a fraction of the cost.
3) It adds character and sophistication. There is just something about a set of perfectly hung frames showcasing a beautiful collection of photographs. The frames and the photographs in them say something about the person who chose them and why they are hung in that particular order. It's almost like the person who is looking at them, gets a glimpse into your life and gets to know you just a bit better.
Have I convinced you to design and hang a gallery wall? If you decide to create one, I'd love to hear from you! Or if you like this new series, Decor Talks, I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below, tag me in your Instagram photo using #thisissimplicite or email me.
