Oh my!

They need to be organized with similiar frames and colors. Perhaps start with a picture ledge.

There is no consistency with the frames. There are some with matting and others without so it doesn't look nice.

As shirlpp notes, getting frames of the same color will work better.

A photo display like yours is interesting but complicated to layout and hang. The vertical lines of the paneling make the current irregularity and uneveness more obvious. If you are at all disturbed by the current spacing and have the energy to tackle this—repair the wall, reframe some pieces, and rehang—it could be fabulous.

If you are less interested in perfection, maybe just add grippy dots to the bottom edges of the pictures that tend to hang wonky so they stay straight.

It is charming and personal. I like the pillows, too. Are they needlepoint?

If you wanted a more mainstream look, you could blue-tape a large rectangle on the wall, then rearrange the frames so that the sides, top and bottom are all defined by the edges of rectangular frames (oval frames in middle, not on edge).

An easy way to try this rearrangement out would be to put up the blue tape (somewhat larger than the current "edges"), take a good photo of the full arrangement as is, print two copies of the photo, cut out the frames on both photos, leaving one hollowed out with blue tape only (no frames), and rearrange them on one paper copy within the blue tape boundaries.

Another way to do it would be to photograph each frame individually, print the photos to actual size, then rearrange the photos on the wall with bit of blue tape. More fuss, but still easy to do.

Agree with what Sigrid said, especially her comment re ”no defined edges”. Btw, I don’t think all the frames have to match.

I disagree that the frames have to match. Frames have to match when you are doing a series like pages from a folio of botanical prints or of black and white photographs and so forth. Matching frames of varying sizes for varying sorts of images look like you went to Tuesday Morning and bought a premade set of frames. It's not really organic at all. This is an organic series of images, clearly taken over decades. This collection grew, and in my opinion it should look like it grew, not like you bought it lock stock and barrel somewhere.

That said I might work on arranging them a bit better. When I hang groups like this I lay them all out in the floor in the same amount of space and arrange and rearrange. I also don't think the edges have to be well defined because then it becomes a static arrangement that you can't add anything to without throwing off the composition. Since these are family photographs I imagine you might want to add to it.

Also I think collections like this work better not over a sofa but on a wall where you can look at them, like a hallway or study.

It’s an extensive and beautiful collection- lovingly and artfully arranged.

Consider painting that feature wall a color.

In the below example- the wall color is PPG Gun Metal Gray; it is reading on my screen as a green- which is what I was going for. I feel like a green could possibly be a good choice, in general; plus, I see the green in your pillows, and on a few of the picture frames.

ETA: The color visualizer ”painted” a few of the picture frames, also- which was not my intention. I would not change the frames.

I don’t think your room is awful. It looks like you have a meaningful collection of photos on display. I hope it brings you joy

A strength of this forum is that OPs get varied opinions (and sometimes opinions oppose one another). An OP can then read the feedback and choose what resonates.

Try to figure out whether your annoyance is because (1) one poster did not like your beloved photo arrangement or (2) you look at the arrangement and think it’s not quite perfect yet for you.

If you love your room as-is, leave it and ignore the comment from your old thread. But if you want to change it up a bit then review the feedback here to see if a suggestion or inspiration photo is helpful.

You might try to group them in frames that hold several photos, instead of so many little pictures/frames.

Is that the only criticism you received on your family room? Do you feel that it is warranted? If no, then don't worry about it.

I like the idea of the ledge where hanging is not needed at all but above the sofa probably not a great place for a ledge. I am not a fan of "gallery " walls and neiter do I like family pics in public spaces . The fact is if you love it that is all the really matters . Yes you could tidy it up a bit , it seems abit just thrown together that is why the leadge might be the answer but not above the sofa. Maybe some pics of the whole room would help. Post them here in comment do not start another post

I think that many people are used to seeing a more curated gallery wall.

However, that doesn't mean that your wall needs to be an "Instagram ready' or "Pinterest worthy" gallery wall. Your gallery wall is a more collected type of arrangement. Add your collected look to the fact that "someone" decided awhile ago that family photos were no longer items that should be displayed in public areas of your home = you are going to receive some negative comments.

However, it's YOUR home - you should hang what you want to see on your walls!

I think that if you worked on having consistent spacing between the frames (+ make sure that they continue to hang straight by adding some type of sticky thing to the back - I'm drawing a blank on the product I want to add here!) - your wall would look fine.

Also, I think that the wall would be better if it wasn't over the sofa. There are a lot of different colors/shapes/sizes of frames - I think having colorful pillows of flowers/frogs/etc. add to the wall looking a bit busy.

I agree that the wall color isn't doing any favors, particularly with the B&W photos. The 'white' has a yellow cast, and the wall leans pink. A green or a blue would work better.

It must have taken a ton of work to compile and hang. You tackled a very difficult grouping, but because it doesn’t feel balanced and is so spread out, I think some pictures get lost. If happy with, that’s what‘s important.

If wanting advice…consider using two long shelves (high enough not to be in the way) and just adjust until you are happy. You will probably go back a number of times and adding to will be easier also. Try grouping generational pictures near each other and by creating a layered feel I think it will capture/draw the eye to more details…almost creating a story.

I understand what you are trying to accomplish but there needs to be some universal factors to unite everything.

1. Choose a single frame color and style or two .

2 more variation in size. Two sizes isnt enough. There needs to be some larger ones mixed in

3 bring some other items in to create interest.

4 your largest piece should be eye level then fan out from there

5 you need to have spacing cohesion. generally 2-3" space between each piece

6 you need a unifying factor. White matting is an example and every framed photo should have it.

7 highly recommend creating a template out of butcher paper of the layout on the floor first then move it to the wall.

As mentioned the small repetitive images should be grouped in multi image frames to make them larger to command more attention, an then they should be placed on picture ledges so they can be rearranged if necessary to a more pleasing order.

Photo or picture ledges can be purchase at IKEA, Target or Amazon and at the same time new frames for photos when needed.

Agree the suggested ledges could be very nice by providing a more ”calming” look.

I would no way feel comfortable with those photos lined up on ledges over my head. I can’t imagine that guests would feel comfortable, either. Plus, piling them up and overlapping the images on ledges, obscures the images of the people in the photos. At best, it does not show them to good effect. I think it could also be considered disrespectful.

There is nothing wrong with your display as it is, @Rho Dodendron. If you would like to enhance the display- as well as ”calm down“ the mass of frames, paint the wall a color, as I suggested above.

Im starting to think about doing a gallery wall. There are definitely formulas on how to arrange the pictures.

They are not arranged in a way that makes sense and the sizes are too similar.

I'm okay with different frames but they need to be in spits that relate to each other.

I also think you have too many and they need to be spaced differently.

It looks a bit sloppy.

I think you have great photos, just need to cull and learn about ways to arrange rhem.

For me, a gallery wall needs to have an artistic form unto itself.

I think it's utterly charming and reflects the owner's taste and interests. I would love to see the whole collection taken from further back.

@eld6161 The OP’s gallery wall is not the generic gallery wall examples that you are showing above.

And her gallery wall is “artistic”. If it does not appear to be artistic to you, that is fine; don’t look at it.

Gallery walls take a LOT of work. I have one on the wall going from the first to the second floor in my home. It took many days to get it right. But I love it--all family photos which I absolutely love seeing each time I ascend or descend the stairs. I also have 2 other gallery walls, and framed photos on tables, just because I love seeing them!

Freedom, OP asked for opinions. She is not happy with the format. If she she would not have worded her title as such.

My examples were simply ideas in grouping etc. She can take it or leave it. Nothing personal.

Your comment to me was rude.

It is just a wall for goodness sake.

Thank you for the thoughtful replies. The edges are not defined because for years I was adding as my immediate family grew. We seem to be done with Grandchildren and it should be at least a decade until the Greats show up. Yes those are needlepoints! I am most proud of them--part of a set done in the 1970's. Thus this room, rarely used, is decorated with the 70's green, yellow, and orange. The walls are SW OStrich Feather -- a blushy-white.

oh--the day this photo was taken all frames were removed due to work starting on outside of house. I rehung straighter and now know to buy dots to keep them so!

Speaking as an artist, that’s a very challenging gallery wall! The dots will help to keep the frames straight. You might want to downsize the size of the collection because the number of different frames and sizes makes it more challenging. However if you don’t want to do that it’s simply playing with it until you get something that you like. I would not put everything in the same type of frame. The Collection is eclectic and that’s part of its charm.

Trying to teach somebody how to do a gallery wall of this complexity is a little bit like trying to instruct on how to do a painting using only words without any demonstration of techniques!... My suggestion is to take a look at YouTube videos on “Learning how to gallery walls”… and to play with yours. The example given here by a previous poster is a good one. They have given thought to the composition by putting the larger frames in the middle, and they’ve arranged the composition at an angle that suits the space. The smaller frames are around the outer edges. That is something you could try yourself… but…you have quite a collection of different elements to work with. That makes it more challenging. Every gallery wall is a unique set of decisions, just like a work of art.

Some examples I had saved in my ideabooks ...

Very organic and they don't care what others think!

Los Gatos Residence · More Info

A bit more organized.

Photo collage · More Info

Take your favorites and enlarge them.

Fairy Lake Home · More Info

More organized.

Miami Living Room ReStyle 2007 · More Info

Mix photos with other art and collections.

Sixteen Doors · More Info

Eld6161, my understanding of what the 'op wrote is not 'I think my photo gallery display looks awful' but 'tell me why a poster from my other thread thinks my display is awful.' What Pal wrote really resonates with me, and what others said who find the variety of frames interesting or charming, etc. - basically not sterile like photos lined up in matching frames of perfection. Nothing wrong with that if that look is what one likes, but the poster has chosen a different but equally ok path. When I finally get around to installing my photos at the end of a hallway, I will also be using a variety of frames. I will be obsessing over weight and balance, etc. because that is my pathway...and one of the reasons why I haven't started that project yet! Hope you can enjoy your creation as is.

Thank you, @Indigo Rose.

I really like the collection - it looks collected and interesting to me

and I love needlepoint pillows 🤩

I think your gallery wall is lovely! you night want to reframe 3-4 pics in larger frames to balance it out more. I think the patterned pillows on the sofa detract from the wall. So I would use pillow cases that have color but no pattern

Ahhh…thanks for the clarification, Indigo Rose! I wasn’t aware of the connection to another thread. Sadly, people can be very critical on here… A gallery wall is much like a work of art. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! If the question is “what isn’t working here“ visually, that’s one thing. But if the question is “why don’t people like this?“ The answers to that question are going to be as individual as the people. There have been a variety of good ideas posted here… but if YOU like your gallery wall, enjoy it! Picasso and van Gogh were very different artists… It doesn’t mean that one of them was wrong.

I also like the needle work pillows! Each one is an artwork. My home is also very eclectic and doesn’t follow the rules of decor at all. Being an artist, I spend a lot of time arranging things the way I like them. It certainly would not suit a professional interior decorator..🙄🤣. True that sometimes advice from a others can be helpful….IF you can’t figure out what’s bothering you visually. Or practically. However, if people spent all their time being concerned about “the rules“ there wouldn’t be any great art in the world. Enjoy your home and your creativity! I really hope that your enjoyment of your unique space has not been spoiled by criticism.

DH and I were looking closely at the pillow of the black leopards. (Pretty sure his mom had/made the same one.) He said "sometimes you do a thing because they are homey not to win a 'great design' contest". I think that statement is emblematic of the tension that is often on these threads. Is this wall a work in progress or should I say was it when you first started putting it up? If it wasn't then my suggestion would have been to even up the outer permiter lines, so they all make one large rectangle. To me that says it's complete. It becomes a sum of it's parts. But that's my preference. Your esthetic may not need that. Both are fine IMPO. The shelf suggestion and the all frames the same are modern twists on the 'tradtional' gallery wall. If you still want all those pictures displayed but you want a 2026 feel to your room then sure do as suggested by a few. I don't understand the displaying of photos and pictures that are coverd by other's but to each their own. Frankly I love yours as is. I think the age and change of frame styles tells a story worth hearing all of it's own. And I prefer it to the piled on shelves look. I was wondering if you would hear about the pillows. They are of another era. I just saw a video on thrifting, this gal sells what she finds...and she said needle work is 'In' and always sells immediately. So assuming you made them--everything old is new again!!!

Arcy, I am exactly the same about the shelves with stacked photographs. I really don’t understand the logic of displaying something that you can’t see… But that’s just me.

Indigo, i was just answering what OP said in this thread. I wasn't in on any others.

Liasch, I see it two ways. The shape and form of a gallery wall for me can become an artistic expression in itself. Then the other way is just wanting to put all your meaningful art up on display on focusing on any format.

i also love the cushions. I think it’s the small one on back of sofa that throws me off. It needs to be placed on a smaller piece of furniture- perhaps an accent chair

I have made a much smaller gallery wall in my mother's bedroom. My experience is that people enjoy looking at the pictures and finding similarities across the years. And looking at the how the clothing styles and hair has changed (we have some "Downton Abbey" styles!)

Your grouping above a sofa means that people can't stand right in front of the pictures, even the lower ones. Also because the pictures are high up, makes it even harder to see the pictures close up. Especially the group pictures higher up, it's hard to see the faces.

If you look at the inspiration pictures posted, many are on a staircase or hallway wall where they can be enjoyed up close, and people can get pleasure from seeing them clearly. In my mother's room , many relatives have taken the time to take their own photos of each of her pictures, and that wouldn't be possible the way you have them arranged.

You have a family treasure. I suggest you move them to a place where people can really see them properly.

And, I'd get one large picture/painting over the sofa (about 2/3 the width of the sofa). Choose colours that enhance your charming needlepoint pillows. An outdoor scene with warm fall colours would look great with the retro colour scheme.

You get the idea @Rho Dodendron. Same frame color would be smashing.

I'd love to see the full set of needlepoint pillows.

I love well done gallery walls. But I don't find ones that lack personality interesting. They are definitely attractive and I will always admire them but for me, the reason for a gallery wall is to enjoy a beloved collection of art in all its forms, art that I have lusted after and acquired over years and decades. It doesn't matter to me what it is, only that I love seeing it.

Whether that gallery wall is formal with a theme like vintage botanical or bird prints or formalized black and white architectural prints all framed exactly the same and hung with precision, or an informal collection that is united only by the owner's love of the items doesn't matter. What matters is that it works for that person or family.

This is part of my gallery wall in the living room. Everything is framed differently, or even unframed. There are multiple sizes and shapes, materials, portraits, reproductions, photographs I took, maps, an obituary, and other unusual pieces including three-dimensional items (one, a tiny fun metal camping trailer I found at World Market once that reminded me of childhood camping trips). Their placement is not haphazard but it varies so I think it creates a very pleasing arrangement. Plus I have space to add in the last few things I might find.

My second gallery wall is in the bedroom and a bit over halfway finished. It is my Wall of Women as I have termed it, and includes a painted hatbox lid, a 1930s cardboard image of a face on which to display small hats of the era, a funny image of a woman diving off a massive octopus arm, a framed New York Times article on immigrant women seeking housework as day laborers, and more. I look at it every night before turning out the light.)

So I think your arrangement should suit you! I did find the original photographs of your gallery wall . . . off. But later I read you took them down to repaint and rehung them. Can you take new pictures? We'd love to see it.

The only thing I might have suggested is to open it more, put more breathing room between the art without worrying about being exact.

I felt in looking at the original image you posted that those frames so close together created a strong sensation of dark heaviness above that dark and heavy leather sofa. In other words, too much dark too close together.

While I would seriously look at more breathing room between images as I suggested above, you could also consider small generational groups of tightly clustered images within the larger more open gallery wall for interest.) But I don't think you need to change your frames out. Keep as is--and keep it so it makes you happy every time you see it.

Oh, Eld, just to clarify -not to belabor the point- but I never read the OP's other thread either - I was commenting on what she posted initially in this thread!

It is not awful, at all. As for the "poor design" comment, ignore it, (unless the commentator is the head of a famous art museum).

I do have an idea...the collage needs an anchor right in the middle of the grouping; (not this one in the inspiration photo). Center it over the middle of the sofa.

Some cohesieve look

or

It is a nice idea, but there are too many different frames. Keep the simple narrow ones and reframe the wider more oddball frames with narrow black frames. Then lay them all out on the floor to adjust the spacing, then rehang.