Planning a gallery wall with mixed frames

01Choose the pieces

• —Start with one anchor piece — usually the largest or most important — and build around it.
• —Give the group a thread: a shared color, subject, period, frame finish or mat color. One shared element is enough for mixed collections.
• —Include a range of sizes. A wall of identical small frames reads as busy; one or two larger pieces give it weight.
• —Objects (a mirror, plate, small shelf) can sit in the arrangement if they are flat and securely hung.

02Decide the overall shape

• —Grid: identical frames, equal gaps. Calm and formal.
• —Salon style: mixed sizes fitted together inside an imaginary rectangle. Collected and layered.
• —Along a line: tops or centers aligned on one horizontal line. Good above a sofa or along a stair.
• —Above furniture, keep the group about two-thirds the width of the piece below it.

03Frame styles and finishes

• —Mixed finishes look intentional when they repeat: for example two gilt, two black and one wood, spread across the group.
• —Wide mats make small or modest works feel more important and give a unifying color.
• —Ornate frames suit old prints and oil paintings; thin frames keep contemporary or graphic pieces quiet.
• —Matching mats with varied frames, or matching frames with varied art, are both easy ways to unify.

04Lay it out before hanging

1. 1.Arrange the frames on the floor in front of the wall until the balance feels right. Photograph it.
2. 2.Trace each frame onto paper, cut out, and label it with the piece and the hanging point.
3. 3.Mark the hanging point on each template: measure from the top of the frame down to the taut wire or the D-ring.
4. 4.Tape the templates to the wall and live with them for a day. Adjust freely.
5. 5.When happy, hang through the marked points, then remove the paper.

TipThe Gallery Wall Designer does the same thing to scale on screen and prints a measurement table for every frame.