Kid Gallery Wall

I’ve wanted to add a gallery wall to our home for a long time, but have gotten totally intimidated and overwhelmed because they seem like a lot of work and I don’t feel like I really know how to put them together.  When we changed up my son’s nursery and put the bed where the changing table used to be, I had a huge blank wall that I knew would be perfect for a gallery wall.  And something about it being in a kid’s room seemed to take the pressure off.  It’s not perfect, and it’s not necessarily supposed to be, but since taking these pictures, I can already tell I’ll be messing with it and changing it up.  
Here’s how the wall looked with four symmetrical frames in the nursery.
And here’s the new gallery wall.  I started with frames I already had around the house, then searched my computer for photos we’d like to have on the walls (no small task narrowing photos down when you have a million cute ones to choose from), then ran to Target to buy about 8 more frames in the sizes and colors (silver, black, and white) they had at my store.  Sort of random, I know.  

I’ve read many wise words about laying your frames out on your floor and arranging them how you like BEFORE you start nailing into the wall, and I do sorta wish I did that now, but at the time, I just wanted to get it up (twss Cass) and there wasn’t that much room on my son’s floor with all the toys everywhere.   So we did end up with a little bit of a funky gallery wall.  I wanted it asymetrical and loose, but the left side is kinda driving me crazy so I’m sure you’ll see it revised soon. 

But I love the pictures we I chose!  After the wall was complete I lay in bed with my son and we talked about all the photos and what was happening in each one.  We’ve got almost all of our close family represented and his best friend from school too.  Every single day when I pick up James from school, his little girlfriend comes up to me and says, “James is my friend.” His teachers tell me they are inseparable. 

I asked James which picture was his favorite and he said, “The white one with Mickey Mouse.”  Glad I tore that page from the book! 

He asked me which one was my favorite and I said, “The one of you and me with the words, ‘I love you so much.'” 

On his dresser are a few more photos and pops of red.  

He’s really into the old-time Donald Duck and Chip-n-Dale cartoons so I found these pictures in an old book at Half Priced Books and framed them.  I love watching these with him- they’re the ones where Donald is all grouchy, so fun. 
And the little birdie my friend gave me has moved into James’ room for now. 

The glossy red tray is from West Elm
Do you have a gallery wall in your house?  Did you carefully plan out the positioning of every frame and object or just kind of eyeball it (like me)?
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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

27 Comments

  1. I have begun to be an addict of gallery walls! And I have planned MOST of them. Be careful, now that you have taken the plunge…..I see more galleries in your future!:) ~ Kim

  2. I have one in my living room and it's driving me bananas! I'm a little OCD and I thought I wanted a mixed up, all over the place look…now everytime I sit in there I just want to re-do it! I'm painting my walls again soon (the paint is already bought I just can't find the motivation) so I'm thinking about changing it up. Last time I just wanted to get it up too (lol) but this time I will be sure to lay it out before hand!

  3. I really like his cute gallary wall! It's precious! I would also hang a number or letter or something like that to break up the symmetry of the frames.

    I usually lay the frames out on the floor to see how I like the placement but I also make newspaper templates of each frame to put on the walls. I do this to further make sure I like the placement and to most importantly get the nail holes correct. I hope I make sense…its a lot of work but worth it. This method has never failed me.

  4. Awww…such sweet pictures. Seems like just yesterday you took the one of James with the Jolly pillow!!! Our upstairs hallways are full of pictures, and we have a wall in our bedroom to. While I like the asymetrical look, I did make sure with ours to line up at least the top frames in a straight line and then worked from there. The sides and the bottoms don't necessarily line up, if you can picture that.

  5. Yes, we have a gallery wall and I was careful about the placement of the frames, cutting out newspaper and positioning each one on the wall before putting the nail holes in! LOL You did a great job "eye balling" it, though!

  6. I am terrified of doing a gallery wall like you were too! We have a few walls in our house that really need some photos, but I'm so afraid of messing them up that they've sat blank for well over a year. Ugh, ok, I need to get my behind in gear, get some frames and get it done. Thanks for the inspiration Megan!

  7. That be jolly photo is killing me. So cute, Meg. I love the new gallery wall. My favorite is the I love you so much one as well. So sweet and so fun to look at those every day.

  8. Two days and Two Posts?! And I get a shout-out in each?! What is happening over at HWH?!?! 😉 The base of the wall is good…the frames are great, and of course so is the art in them. (hello, cutest subject ever!) Yes, I arrange on the floor first, just so I can get them balanced, then I eye-ball the transition to the wall. What works for me in asymmetric walls like this, is to have the same amount of space between each pic (say 2-3-inches). The pics don't have to be aligned top-to-bottom and side-to-side, but if they all contain the same amount of spacing around, they'll look balanced. My 2-cents. #notthatyouaskeforit

  9. Love it! Love the mix of personal photos & artwork.

    I've done two gallery walls now in our home and totally eye balled it. I don't have the patience to do cut outs, etc and tape them to the wall. sometimes I'll place them on the floor in an arrangements and take a pic w/ my phone for reference of the layout.

  10. I did t lay either of mine out either! We have one going up the stairs and I mixed in a couple signs. The one in Livs room is a mix of photos, her infant foot prints and some prints from etsy and such! I don't think there is a "right" way to create a gallery wall! I think if you love it that is all that matters! 🙂

  11. This turned out so good!! I love how his favourite is the cartoon and not the photos of you guys… such a kid 😉 The one of you two and the words is so sweet!

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