I also chose a yellow since our entry is small and quite dark. There is no light source really and as much as I contemplated doing a grey or navy wall, I felt a green or yellow would brighten it and also complement my mix of botanical and bird prints I have collected over the years. I never realized how many bird prints we had until I decided to try a gallery wall in here. The vintage Garden Society sign goes with it all as does the C’est LaVie on glass, a sweet gift from a friend.
The entryway is small, but painting just the one wall, made it seem much larger. The gallery wall was something I just did by accident and it kind of grew organically. I’d try a few, move them around and try others until it really filled the space and made it appear much taller, wider and a lot better than it just a single print could ever do.
I wasn’t sure it would work with my little row of hooks left on the wall, but I think it worked out nicely and I like using the hooks to hang other cool seasonal bags and things. We also have a mudroom/pantry situation and enter the house through there most times so these hooks are really for guests.
The best way to do this is to start with one large picture and then work around that until it feels right. It is okay to have your prints a bit off center from each other here and there. Having it all too symmetrical and perfect though lacks the gallery feel and fun of it. You may have a few holes from moving nails around, but I find I can usually cover that with strategic hanging of things. You could also lay them out on a floor first or tack up papers in the same size as the items you are hanging. I usually don’t have the patience for that though!
Our entry is small, narrow and has zero architectural interest. It’s amazing how much bigger it looks filled up horizontally and vertically. Way more impressive. Like lipstick on a pig you know?
I wanted a yellow that had some depth to it, not a buttercup color nor too lemon chiffonish, with a bit of green and black to it and this fit the bill. Once on the wall though I wasn’t so sure. However, it dried down to something that worked just right with all the greens in my pictures, so I decided to keep the same prints and add in some gold with a leafy print.
The layout of my art isn’t right yet, as I was a bit rushed yesterday with appointments and a school concert. I will probably move them around still, but I had to keep the leaf print on the lower left where it is to cover an awkward outlet. I might also add in a small vintage oval gold mirror I have.
The great thing about these collected walls is you can change as you feel like it and I personally love to change things up frequently, though it drives my family bananas.
I was lucky to have this beautiful Trina Turk linen pillow I had yet to find a perfect spot for which had yellows and grey. I think the combination of yellows and golds plus the grey tones of the pillow and rug compliment each other. The black in the frames, hooks and prints ground it all. I threw my Golden State tote and a scarf and army jacket on the hooks for more of those colors. A little more fiddling with it all and I will have it just right.
