I do not think gallery walls, in general, are passé. Your collection is meaningful, as they should be, and personal. Such a pretty anniversary card.

I have had two in stairways. I don't have a photo handy of the first, circa 1994 that was a collectin of (12-14) handkerchiefs that belonged to my grandmothers and pulled linen pieces by a great grandmother. Framed between glass. I used a few of them in our last house in a guest room. Currently stored for possible future use.

In our house on the lake, I continually added to European etchings and lithographs in that staircase, I also had a collection in our bathroom, which made hair drying enjoyable.

In our last house, a few leftovers were used in the laundry room....

... and special ones our bedroom.

I cannot leave out using the leftovers in its bath. I hope to do this again one day.

Our current laundry room has a collection featuring bridges or windmills.

I have a couple ”mini” galleries? Like this one.

We are in the process of a minor sitting-room redo, have ordered a loveseat and ottoman to replace two chairs that no one uses…and I am considering a gallery wall there but TBD. I have a lot of smaller art pieces that are scattered around and it would be nice to have them all in one place.

I have a wall of family photos in our upstairs den, arranged on shallow picture ledges.

Allison, that bathroom! ❤️❤️❤️

Kswl, we were both lucky to have good-looking Dads! :) I love your gallery wall. All pieces that are special to you. I have some of my own art walls that grow and change… I let them evolve. I had posted photos but decided to delete them rather than face any criticism. lol!

Partymusic that is what I am going to have to do also, just let it evolve as each thing is ready. Mine will probably always look more ”hodgepodge” than ”curated” iykwim but that’ok. Would love to see yours!

Allison your collection must be very extensive to be able to sort and display them by subject or location… how fantastic to have such a pool of works to choose from. Your gallery walls are the ne plus ultra of gallery walls— that bathroom is itself a work of art!

Sue I love the idea of a mini gallery….. hmmmm.

The main problem with an open plan house is that there aren’t enough walls🤷‍♀️

This is one of my works in progress and an exercise in balance…. and it’s in a bedroom away from public view. :) I’m mixing unframed canvases with my little black-framed matted pieces, and the two large wooden framed pieces are painted-over roadside finds. :) Most of my work is acrylic, but I’m trying to experiment with a little of everything. The two with black frames at the top are pastel plein air of the same view in different seasons. Below it is my first experiment with oils. I plan to add a third square painting to the row below it…. and actually, the large painting on the right isn’t finished. :)

For whatever reason, I put my darker pieces in a small hallway, and aligned them across the bottom.

These are lovely, partymusic! I really appreciate how the landscapes/ outdoors works in the first photo are aligned to display a gradient of greens— just beautiful. And if thst is your first experiment with oils you I am more than impressed… my first attempts were painted over almost immedoately. Of we still loved out in the cou try I would have put them on the burn pile 😳 Did you buy the two large framed canvasses and completely paint over them or did you change / enhance what was there? I have an acquaintance who does that and it’s amazing what she manages to create.

Your pastels are lovely too, that’s a difficult medium and your subject is perfect for it. What is the pretty matted work at the bottom?

The darker works look just right on that tan wall. Are they also originals of yours?

Kswl, thank you! They are all my original works and I notice that I do tend to do landscapes. I’m untrained, but I’m the type of person who wants to figure out things for myself. My oil experiment was ended quickly by a cat, so I’m not sure I’ll try that again soon. I loved working with pastels!!! A friend gave me her old supplies to try it. I love how quickly a piece can be worked. My first attempt was an idealized version of a friend’s photo from Arizona.

The odd piece at the bottom was my second pastel attempt: a hole at a nearby golf course. lol!

My canvases were all purchased new. The large wooden framed pieces were prints on cardboard-like material that I gessoed and painted over. The leftmost one was originally a print of a ship at sea and the rightmost one was originally a snow scene of birch trees and a red barn. :)

K, it’s coming along well! I like your idea of hanging what you have and adding to it. You can enjoy your art now.

Allison! I was hoping you’d post your gallery walls. I’ve always loved them. 😍

Sue, that looks so charming!

Party music, you’re another who awes me with your talent! Wow!

I have a couple of smaller gallery walls. One in our guest room: a painted Jamaican textile DH and his late wife found on a trip and I had mounted in a shadow box, a watercolor of a roadrunner we got at the Japanese Garden in Ft Worth, “Portrait of Mr Pennywhistle” (a colorful quail) I ordered from the artist Tracey Capone, and an antique chromolithograph of horses I found from a place in NY. They still have the one I bought showing on their website:

https://www.stonegateprints.com/product/arabian-horse/

In my entry, I have a couple of pieces of art I got in the ’90s for our first house: a primitive ”Livery” horse painted on a board (anyone remember Alex & Ivy?) and a calico cat Folk Art print that reminded me of mine then. With those, I have a vintage Stephen Barlow scrimshaw of a racehorse my grandfather gave me when I was a kid. I have another Barlow scrimshaw coming next week from Ebay to add to it. Can’t wait to get it, although it‘s been the only bad Ebay experience I’ve ever had.

I have gallery walls in most of my rooms. It's for me, being able to see things on a daily basis that bring me comfort and joy. I tend to put things on the wall and they stay put until wall painting or room switching necessitates taking them off. I always take a photo of how they were hung so I can put them back the same way. My hallways have family or botanical prints.

Partymusic, grest idea to purchase something like that and just paint over it! Love your pastels, it’s very hard for me to get any definition let alone what you have done. I know it’s inherently a soft edge medium but I have the urge to sharpen the crayons every five minutes … proof I’m not fit for it?

Jilly and Bunny, would love to see your gallery walls… so much inspiration from seeing the whole thing at once, then zeroing in on the individual components.

”It's for me, being able to see things on a daily basis that bring me comfort and joy.”

This. ❤️

I think gallery walls have peaked in popularity, as illustrated by the very canned HG version in that recent makeover video posted. An organic gallery wall, which many people had before they were a “thing,” cannot be passe because that would be akin to art being passe, which is nonsensical.

But going to a store, and, in one day, purchasing everything in one fell swoop just to create the look, was never an ideal iteration and it is really becoming a cliche IMHO. If I were doing a room today, I would not set out to create a gallery wall. If I already owned a bunch of stuff, of course I might hang it as a group.

I don’t agree that they have to be perfect, in fact I think imperfection reads as more authentic and charming.

I have a particularly contrived gallery wall in our apartment “lounge” as I call the small second BR. The layout and selection of frames came from a co. called Framebridge. I just emailed the travel photos and they created the layout. I enjoy it but I don’t think it was the most inspired or creative choice.

I have three other gallery walls. One, I did 14 years ago and I am not sure I would call it a gallery wall because they are a set. Like maybe it is a multi-tych LOL. These are pages from an old Atlas, each representing a family vacation. They were inspired by a restaurant I used to go to (in high school!) that had the walls covered in framed bird prints; I always loved that look. They are not perfectly spaced and I am always adjusting them as they like to move around mischievously. I only recently realized that, though each page is the same size and they are all the same (custom) frames, that they have slightly different finished sizes. They were done over a few years and I never thought to bring in an exemplar when I had new ones framed.

Another gallery wall below. This is from random pieces we had. The vintage fishing poles came with the beachhouse and were DH’s idea. It was a screened porch and the ivy forced its way in; my DH trained it over the poles. When we put in windows, the ivy had to go but I share it here because this iteration was fun.

The last one is our PR and is totally random, and iterates over time. I may rearrange it again yet.

The watercolor on the right came with the house; it shows the view from the verandah.

I am looking forward to framing my 2025 Mahjong card when the new one arrives and adding it somewhere to the PR above. I do have a blank space but I think the card is the wrong size so will have to give it some thought. We add little stick-on “jewels” when we win a hand.

Kswl, I didn’t buy them! Around here, people sometimes stack useable items at the curb to give away free… furniture, kid’s toys, etc.. I picked up the large framed prints when I was out for a walks. :) Thinking about your comments re pastels, I’d say that means you would prefer working with pastel pencils or even colored pencils.

Mtn, they all look wonderful. Who is the horse artist (top in your powder room)?

Ks, I’ll try to get photos when the lighting is better outside. :)

@jilly, I have no idea. My DD, like most DDs (amirite?) went thru a horse phase and I bought it for her one Christmas. She doesn't have a place for it ATM so I have it.

PS The two little ones side by side below the horse (PR photo) are from a business trip to Dublin in the early 90s. I took my sister with me and we bought these embroidered framed pieces in a quaint little shop there. There were 3 of them; the third one is a black and white cat. Ring a bell? 🙂

Partymusic I love colored pencils, watercolor pens and watercolor pencils! The latter in particular are so fun! I am working on copying a piece that I saw outside an art gallery in Cologne a few years ago

It depicts the medieval cathedral in a series of discrete brushstrokes! The paint pens and pencils are a godsend with the smaller details.

Mtn I have always loved your map gallery wall— evergthing about it is harmonious and meaningful. I’d say the same thing about your travel photos with bonus points for all the gorgeous frames!

“There were 3 of them; the third one is a black and white cat. Ring a bell? 🙂”

Yes. :) Forever special to me. 🥰❤️

@Kswl, is that Mr Fluffy?

Yes… my dearest friend and the messiah of dogs ❤️

The only ones i have are in a hallway leading to two spare bedrooms. Both are family photos, mostly old, but a few newer ones of the grands (which should be replaced or refreshed). The small ones are older photos of grandparents and other close family members. It won’t hurt me to take them down when we are ready to sell one day.

Allison, I always love seeing your gallery walls.

This gallery is in our DR. A small part of my turned bowl collection, many acquired when I traveled around the US doing Ultramarathons on different trails. I had the shelves built by our carpenter when we were remodeling .

The family pictures date from 1800’s onward . They are frequently removed when the grands are here so we can talk about the Great great great…. they love the remembrances we share.

I think I have read not to have family photos in a DR…. I think it is a perfect place.

( Trailrunner)

This picture disappeared somehow.

This photo was behind our horseback pictures!

55 years tomorrow.

Trail… gorgeous!

C, those bowls are just beautiful— so simple and yet very elegant. The display is great and your carpenter is very clever to have created such a fitting spot for thise treasures.

Outside I really struggle with school pictures and studio shots that don’t really look like the subject, iykwim. I get those every year from DD and feel like I should display them somewhere except they don’t convey any sense of the child’s personality. I need to start printing some of the cuter and more personal photos of them. Love your horizontal display (SO much easier to look at) and the vertical one of older pictures.

Kswl, school pics and the like..just no. (For me). Galleries like yours and othere here that are personal and tell a story…big thumbs up. I’ll add a few of mine later.

I love seeing these walls! The bowls and bathroom OMG! Gorgeous.

Tha k you for adding those photographs C. The wall of photos is wonderful and the one of you two is perfection ❤️ Happy anniversary!

Thank you, everyone. I started collecting them 26yrs ago. It actually started with two pairs of architecture pieces I had framed. Two were iron gate details and two exterior details. I have not used them in our last two homes due to lack of color. I sold all the sepia pieces and some of the black/white along the way.

@sueb20 I also like to do the mini galleries, I currently have six with three or more.

@party_music50 what lovely art! They should be in public rooms for everyone to enjoy.

@Bunny I am the same, but I have been known to switch a location when I see a new piece that fills my heart and must come home with me.

Happy 55th, C! The bowl collection is beautiful, and such special meaning.

@kswl YES! Open floor plans with the lack of interior walls are problematic. Oversized windows and French doors are issues as well. DH and I prefer open, so I make it work. Your comment made me wonder how many I actually have out currently, so I counted. I am going to keep that number to myself.

When DD moved the last time, I took a few (and purchased several) to use in my bedroom, en suite and one for hallway wall just outside my area. I am also known for sending her photos when I see something really good, do not have room and I think she will like. I had a lot of fun when we purchased the rental cottage, worked with a several pieces that came with the house and added where needed - with constraint. I also have gotten the pleasure to help my sister with her houses.

I envy you that paint to create. My mother and her mother both painted. I have four of Mom’s, but only one tiny seascape by my grandmother. DD has several. We cherish them.

I love gallery walls. I wish I was better at putting them together. I have one small one in my family room. It has my wedding picture, my parent's and DH's parents wedding pictures and a couple of the kids.

and here's the long view to see where it is.

I always planned to add my DD's wedding picture. Um, they're married over 12 years. Still on my list!

In my hallway upstairs I have a bunch of kids and grandkids pics but I was lazy and they are on those Ikea picture ledge things.

Also not really a gallery wall...my DH collects antique fountain pens. He had a bunch of old ads for them sitting in a pile in a closet. For Chanukah one year, I took them and had them all framed and we hung them in this hallway off the kitchen and one at the end in the area outside the laundry room and powder room. Impossible to get a good pic of these but you get the idea.

jsk, beautiful home! Your art looks fantastic. Love love love the fountain pen ads!

@jsk, id love to see some of the ads! Honestly family photo walls either have to be very jumbled, or very coordinated. @jsk love your b/w wall

Family eras: photos in the hall to garage. Over the door to garage is yes! Gasp!

A sign! It reads Happily Ever After. It stays crooked as a reminder to be grateful, that life isn’t always perfect. Hidden around the corner is what my amused dad referred to as “The Wall of Shame”( few beauties there :) His mother, my beloved grandmother took time and effort to find these ancestors and have them framed, so here they stay . Plus, seeing gt. gts. back to 1700’s is kind of amazing to me.

@martinca_gw sunset zone 24 And they lived happily ever after in their crooked little house with a crooked little mouse .

So very special indeed. I agree about the photos of the ” way back time” . You made me smile. thank you c

For @mtnrdredux_gw. I apologize for my bad photography and crooked pics. Didn't have time to straighten them in my phone.

I'm always thankful that they're somewhat attractive and that the pens themselves (of which he has thousands) are small. And some are very pretty too.

I love those, @jsk! So interesting, and visually pleasing too. I love graphic design used as art. I find this more interesting than say, a wall of landscapes. It's partly why I actually like logos on things.

By the way, this is a good example of something one would never call "dated" and a good example of the right way to do it, IMHO. Something like this is never in, and never out, it is just an expression of you and your family.

These are all beautiful collections of art and photos! Jsk--what a great idea!

Such a great way to turn an unlikely interest into something interesting and beautiful on your walls, Jsk! Love the ads, the framing, and the impetus behind it all.