I’ve been dying to put together a huge gallery wall for my office. When we moved, I realised that I had a ton of random wall art that didn’t really work well at the new house. I created this huge gallery wall very inexpensively by simply painting all of the mismatched frames and mats. It was so gratifying to create this beautiful display for our sentimental items using things just waiting to be thrown away. This whole undertaking started with this frame makeover and printed quote from Jackie O and grew into a monster from there.
There are already a lot of great tutorials out there on how to create the perfect gallery wall, so I won’t recreate the wheel, but I did want to give you a list of my favourite helpful stuff:
- Chase Champion Sterling Silver spray paint (you have to be gentle while hanging, as fingerprints can be an issue, but this has a bright, rich metallic look perfect for frames.)
- Valspar Ultra Paint & Primer in White – Great coverage…I only had to use one coat for the majority of the mats.
- Hang & Level picture hanging tool from Under the Roof Decorating (available on Amazon.) Best investment ever. I used to DREAD hanging anything before I found this wonderful tool.
- Command Medium Picture Hanging Strips (for smaller frames without existing hanging hardware.)
- 36” wide contractor paper roll (available at any hardware store.) I really dislike using tarps for painting because they tend to bunch up and get stuck to the wet paint. Contractor paper is thick enough to prevent anything from leaking through, but lays very flat. A neat roll is also much easier to store than a a big tarp.
After arranging everything on the floor first, I used the contractor roll to cut out templates of each frame and labeled each one. I then arranged them on the wall so I could easily judge spacing.
In order to keep everything organised and cohesive looking, I tried to roughly align the tops and bottoms of each column expanding outward from the centre.
I’m so excited to feature favourite family photos, invitations and a map of all of the special places we have visited.
See some more of my craft posts here and DIY posts here!
Becky is the voice behind Life in Velvet, an organised, intentional living blog focused on practical food, calm homes, thoughtful projects, and everyday systems that make real life feel easier. A mum of 3 living in the UK, Becky writes from lived experience, sharing what works, what doesn’t, and the decisions that make family life run more smoothly.
With a background in marketing and content writing, and over a decade of blogging experience, she brings a thoughtful, structured approach to everything from baking and home projects to routines and decision-making. Life in Velvet is where planning meets creativity, with ideas designed for real homes and real life.