Happy Wednesday, Friends!
Abbie here, talking gallery wall design. My love of gallery walls is well documented, and recently I borrowed some inspiration from my mom to create a gallery wall in my master bedroom.
My mother is an excellent designer and home stager. She has always had a great eye for proportion and balance amidst a display of cool things around the home. Every upholstered piece of furniture in our home would change seasonally with a slipcover or throw pillow. And if something stands still long enough, she’ll paint it! She describes a comfortable home by saying: “your home should rise up to meet you.” Your living space should be a source of comfort, peace, and ease. “Home” is very much a place and a feeling.
I put my mother’s words into practice in my master bedroom. I have a very high, pitched ceiling that I literally had to rise up to meet (i.e. one foot on the bed frame and the other on the tippy top of the ladder). I decided to create a gallery style wall above my bed, which was otherwise a tall, vast empty space.
My love for a black and white palette mixed with pops of color provided my general design inspiration. To give credence to what matters most to me, I used random prints around the house and my children’s framed artwork from school. I scurried up the ladder, found my center of the room, and began building a gallery that felt somewhat balanced. I worked left to right, back and forth putting prints where they felt best.
There was no real rhyme or reason, but my children’s school artwork served as my pops of color. Black frames from IKEA, Target, and even the Dollar Store (gasp!) provide a crisp framework for these beloved pieces. I also placed a few meaningful statements that spoke both to my marriage and my life as a mom and friend. The act-love-walk sign from Magnolia Market got a quick coat of white spray paint–this message to my soul is one of my favorite little pieces in the room.
This wall is now truly a reflection of my style, which is casual and eclectic, with a nod to the modern farmhouse. I repurposed dressers I rescued out of a bank-owned foreclosure, and brought them to life with Annie Sloan chalk paint. My acrylic bedside lamps are from Target and will virtually never go out of style. The all wood chandelier, all white bedding and curtains from both Pottery Barn and Que Sera (in Excelsior, MN) are more timeless classics that anchor the room.
The end result is a space that speaks to both my personality and my heart, and I absolutely love it. I feel at home in this room. In summary: when building a gallery wall, find what appeals to you. Frame your children’s art for a massive money saver and completely meaningful print. Find words that speak to your life. And make sure the space rises up to meet you!
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