Today, we round up our gallery wall trilogy with 11+ picture framing ideas. We first started with all the exciting things we can use to make a gallery wall. We then discussed all the different ways in which we could layout our gallery. Finally, today we’ll discuss options of how we can frame all the pictures for our gallery wall.
Picture Framing Ideas For A Gallery Wall
Framing a single picture isn’t too difficult. You carry the photograph or piece of art to the framer and try different frames till you find one that suits your artwork.
It’s a little different when you’re planning frames for an entire gallery wall. Since there will be a large number of frames, the frames themselves will play a large part in what the gallery looks like. Should you go with a single frame type or mix and match your frames? Should they be of different colours? Or different styles? Or just the same frame in different sizes?
We’ll see all the various possible options in our post today, with loads of pics as examples, to help you make a choice. So let’s get started.
1 – Identical Frames
The absolute simplest way to do it is to buy identical frames and put all your photographs or artwork into them.
This is a good idea when your pictures are similar in size and shape. It is also a good idea when they are not. The uniformity of the frames helps to tie in all your pictures together even if they are vastly different and helps your gallery wall look cohesive.
For example, in our greige kitchen makeover below, even though one photograph was vertical and the other two horizontal, we used the exact same frame on all of them, and you can see how beautiful they look.
Using the same, identical frame many times over also works beautifully for unusual frames like these.
2 – Same Frame In Different Sizes
When you use the same identical frames though, your gallery wall layout tends to become a grid.
If you want a little variety in your layout, yet with a sense of harmony, then you could use the exact same frame, but in different sizes according to the size of your pictures.
For instance, we used these light pine wood frames for all our artwork in our boho living room, except that the central frame was larger, to go with the bigger picture.
You can adjust the size of your mount board to give you frames of a particular size, irrespective of the size of your pictures, so that you can lay them out in a particular pattern.
Or you could keep the mount boards of a similar size around each picture. This will give you frames in different sizes and an uneven gallery, but the similar borders around each picture will be the unifying factor to give your gallery a balance.
It’s also easier to ‘grow’ a gallery like this over time. Because every time you want to add another piece of art, you know exactly how to frame it to make it look a part of your gallery.
Also, if you’re making your gallery on a textured wall or a patterned wallpaper, the frames give the consistency to the mix of all the different art on the pattern.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
3 – Different Frames In The Same Colour
Next on our picture framing ideas, use different frames in different shapes, sizes and types, but all in the same colour.
If you use neutral colours like black, white, wood, silver, gold etc, your gallery will fit into most decor styles easily.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t go in for bold colours.
Depending on your space and decor, you could pick one colour to highlight your gallery.
Or even shades of the same colour.
You can even use this concept for a gallery wall which consists of items other than artwork. These plates for instance, of different sizes and designs, but all the same colour, make a beautiful gallery wall.
4 – A Combination Of Colours
Similar to our concept above, in this case we use a combination of two or three colours to select our gallery wall frames instead of one single colour.
A combination of neutral colours is always easy to work with.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
Adding a metallic element gives a burst of glamour.
I love the way the neutral frames balance the bright blue study table here.
And of course, you don’t have to stick to neutrals. Pick colours that fit into your space and add more drama to your gallery wall.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
5 – Same Frame In Different Colours
If we want to use a whole lot of different colours for our frames, we could use frames of the same shape or size as the unifying factor.
You take similar looking frames in as many colours as you like and they still look like they belong together.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
This helps to give the gallery wall a cohesive look.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
This also applies to different elements we put in our gallery wall. As long as you use the same element, they can be in various colours and sizes and they will yet look completely connected to each other.
6 – Mount Boards As Design Elements
A very unusual way of unifying, or giving diversity to your gallery wall is by using mount boards.
It is easier to play with colours using mount boards rather than frames, simply because it’s easier to customise mount boards versus looking for a frame in a particular colour.
Keeping the frame type and colour the same keeps even the most multicoloured gallery looking homogeneous.
And there are so many ways in which you can play with the colours. These mount boards in ombre shades are a great example.
Just how pretty is this?!
7 – Frames Of One Style
If you want a variety in colour, shape and size of frames in your gallery wall, you can use frames of the same style to bring them together.
For example, the farmhouse style above, and the rustic, distressed frames for the mirrors below fall into place together beautifully.
Vintage vibes ooze out of this gallery and tie in all these numerous frames in all types of shapes and sizes.
Chalk board pastel colours in a distressed finish help consolidate this gallery wall.
The similar pattern on all these frames makes them look like a unified set.
Using similar materials works in the same way. For example, the metallic gold and silver on these mirror frames ties them in beautifully…
While wicker does the same for these mirror frames.
8 – Mix Them Up
Finally, if you don’t want to follow any rules at all, you don’t have to. Mix up your frames as you feel like. Instinct plays a large part in getting this right.
As you can see in this gallery wall in my home, every frame and most of the mount boards of the the artwork here is different. In fact, the switchboards, AC remote and video phone are all part of this gallery wall too!
We have everything from heavy vintage to light modern frames in this gallery wall. Can you see the common thread in the artwork though? It makes such an exquisite gallery wall.
You can see a larger variety of frames and artwork in this gallery wall. Add to that the patterned wallpaper and this is one vibrant space we have here.
This delicate gallery wall is one of my favourites. From paintings and prints to antlers and live plants, though the objects here all seem extremely diverse, notice how they are all related to flora and fauna, which forms the common thread.
9 – Washitape Frames
And then, of course, you can choose not to use regular frames at all. These gallery walls below use washitape to frame the pics. Whether you use them like little tacks to put up your photographs…
… or put them all around your pictures to frame them, they make quite exciting picture framing ideas.
Just like with regular frames, you can choose to make different designs in one colour.
Or go with the same design in different colours.
Or mix it all up for a bohemian feel.
10 – Clipboard Frames
Clipboards make an interesting option to regular frames, especially as you can change your artwork very easily using these.
You could buy identical clipboards and put them in a grid for a simple yet stylish gallery wall.
You can also make your own DIY frames using little clips on a wooden surface.
Or even use clips on strings in regular frames.
Using a collection of different colours…
… or different shapes and sizes is an option here too.
11 – Hangers
Hangers are an amazing idea for kids rooms. This is such a cute way to display your child’s artwork, and so easy to change the artwork every so often too.
They would also look super in a teenagers bedroom or dorm room, again giving them an easy way to swap pictures and photographs at a whim.
You can also create a gallery with a single hanger by hanging a picture from the photograph above it.
12 – And So Many More
Once I started browsing the net, there are so many simple and sweet picture framing ideas I found online.
Similar to the hangers we saw above, you can make scrolls using wooden dowels and string to display your artwork.
Sandwich a photograph between two sheets of transparent acrylic to make your own frames in your own gallery wall.
And if all else fails, use a pen and sketch a pretty frame around your pictures.
As you can see, there are about a zillion picture framing ideas you can use for your gallery wall. The only thing limiting your options is your imagination.
From simple, straightforward picture framing ideas for those of you starting out to more audacious use of colour and style for the bold at heart, we have something for everyone.
And yet, I’m sure there are a whole lot of picture framing ideas that I’ve missed out on. Send me a picture if you’ve tried something new and I’ll add it to my list here.
Also, let me know which framing ideas you liked, and send me a picture if you try any of them.
Click here to see all our gallery wall posts in case you’ve missed them before.
Until next time,
I loved the write up and my favourite actually was the sketch your own- that was amazing but the rest are so nice to use- thanks
Thanks Purnima. I loved the sketched frames too.. would love to try it!
Good ideas…
Thank you 🙂