This post is sponsored by Framebridge.
Our upstairs hallway has been begging for art since, well, we moved in. I knew I wanted to fill the whole hallway with family pictures eventually — a true memory lane. But I decided to take it one segment at a time and start with this portion in between the two sconces that Chris installed way back in May! (No, our ceilings aren't painted yet — but we do have baseboard!)
A gallery HALL can be really intimidating, but a gallery wall can feel overwhelming, too! What photos to choose, what sizes and frames to mix together, gathering everything and then hanging it all in an interesting, eclectic, gathered way (we are going for a collected-over-time look) is a LOT. So I was relived and over the moon to see that Framebridge has added a whole GALLERY WALL section where you can choose a gallery that suits you (and your wall size), upload your photos and they print and custom frame them AND aaannnndddd!!!! send you a template where each nail and frame goes on the wall. The whole thing took under 20 minutes!
They have over 20 gallery wall options ranging in size, shape, price, and color, and the interface is really easy to use. Their "Staggered Grid" gallery wall was perfect the perfect size for this wall at 80x51 inches, and I loved the mixed metallics option since we love to mix metals in every room in the house — why not for frames, too!
I used a mix of family photos, mostly from traveling. Some with the girls, some of just the girls. One with Chris's siblings, one with mine. Choosing the nine photos to fill the gallery was the hardest part of this project, but knowing that I wanted to extend the photos down the whole hall one day really took some pressure off.
When they started arriving last week, I was overjoyed. I didn't realize how much these memories meant to me and to physically hold these framed photos was so special. The frames are substantial. The sizes are all so unique. I love how no frame was a standard size you'd find at a big box store--they looked (and are) truly custom and the hunky mats were the cherry on top. I could just go on and on. Worth. it.
Like I mentioned above, each gallery wall comes with a template that shows the outline of each frame and where each picture hanger nail will go (also included). We centered it between the lights and leveled the top and went to town.
Even for avid DIYers like us, getting a gallery wall spacing just right takes so much time so this felt like a vacation to be honest.
I got every nail in place as fast as Chris could unwrap them for me.
And then you rip down the template and all the nails are in place! We panicked for a second because "wait! how will we remember where the frames go!?" Luckily they also include a card with a final image of the gallery wall too, so we just matched it up.
One by one.
Nine custom printed and (largely) framed photos filling an 50x80-inch wall, with the design done for you — you just can't. beat. it.
We always get questions about how we like to display family photos and this is a perfect example. I like to focus on photos that tell a story, or of an event or travels. Keep them black and white generally so that the tones all match and mix and match the frames. And a gallery wall keeps it open to additions instead of replacing it (unlike one large photo on a wall that can feel outdated quick). Can't wait to add more down our hall in the future!!
A gallery wall makes a great holiday project — but Framebridge has a lot of quick-ship gifts, too!
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The gallery wall looks pretty awesome!!!!! Good job.
My grandparents had a wall in their basement that was filled floor to ceiling with family pictures. It was created over time and just got to the point where the family had grown so big that they needed the whole wall! It was truly a special place in their house that I will always remember and hope to recreate in my own home someday.
This is SO cool. We're building a house and I know I'm going to be paranoid about putting holes in the wall, but our hallway is begging for a gallery wall too. This takes the pressure off! Love it. Also, your end result is gorg!
So clever! I'll use this method for my small art gallery wall.
I am definitely going to check out Frame Bridge
Wow! Cool idea!! Your wall looks fabulous. I didn't think I'd care for the mixed metals ..but it look SO good!
Perfect placements....love the whole idea!
I love the mix of frames and finishes. Gorgeous.
What an amazing product! A blueprint for a puzzle. Next time I'm working on such a wall, I'll head to Framebridge.
that template with the nail locations is a real game changer. very cool!
Looks so so beautiful! You guys really chose the perfect frames for the space and style of your home! It looks so good with the rust colored ribbon ????
I love this but am not sure it'll work in my space. We have 10 foot ceilings with about 3 1/2 feet of wainscoting. There's enough room it's just much higher. Would it be weird to have the top of the gallery 7 feet off the ground?
Ours is probably close to that! They also have a lot of different size options.
Looks great!
Which rugs are in the hallway?
That is the Lagoon/Brick from our Jules collection with Loloi!
We have a family photo gallery wall in our hallway. It is all of our family's professional photos from over the years. (Which is NOT something we get to EVERY year.) We had to work backwards though, to add beautiful family photos that had not been printed and framed professionally. Framebridge has been AWESOME to create the wall we love. In fact, we have a ten year old professional photo in route to us now from Framebridge, and cannot wait to add it. Our is much more "organic" but beautiful too. One more to order and we will be caught up! And I will continue to go to Framebridge in the future.
So beautiful! My wish is to have a gallery wall of family photos like that but we live in socal and I'm scared it might be hazardous during earthquake. Especially with kids in the house. Do you have any good tips for earthquake proof gallery wall?
I have never lived in earthquake country, so I am not sure. Would velcro help?
There is type of frame hanger hardware that actually clips to the wire on the back of your frame, instead of just letting the wire rest in the hanger. It makes it a pain to remove the frame from the wall, but that is also the point during an earthquake. We live in earthquake country too and after a recent "big one", you are smart to consider the risk!
Thank you for the tip! I wonder if it will be easy to add that onto framebridge frames but ill research more! Ill also look into velcros!
I actually took out the glass on frames in kids rooms but it just doesnt look that nice.. i read and love the fact that framebridge uses acrylic instead of glass which is less likely to shatter!
Could you provide the size of the frames for someone who wants to try doing it themselves?
If you click on any gallery wall option on Framebridge and click "frame details" it will list each frame and frame size used to make up the gallery.
I did this exact same thing for my mother-in-law about 10 years ago. I bought a huge set of black frames in different shapes and sizes, I filled them with family photos, I got a big roll of white paper and trace the frames onto the paper and numbered everything, then all she had to do was hang it on the wall put in the nails and hang her pictures. She would never have hung them up on her own, but this really empowered her to get the pictures on the wall. I think this is absolutely beautiful and now I’m starting to look through my photos to see if I can do the same thing.
Hello! Can you switch out the photos within the frame?
These are custom framed so they have a nice backing that would make switching out the photos a little more of a process
WOW! This looks SOOOO good! Thank you for sharing - I can't wait to check them out!
Wow! Can you give a rough idea of what this would cost to do?
They have different prices for whatever gallery you choose! This one was $850 total for all 9 custom frames. Free shipping!
What a steal for custom framing. Add on the template to the mix to make hanging easy. It's an even bigger bargain. Looks fantastic. Going to have to take a look.
This is SUPER expensive, but it’s so so good. It’s taking ALL the hard stuff out of a gallery wall and the final look is 10/10
I was talking about the price with my sister and because at first I thought it was steep too. But! 9 professional custom framed prints, plus the printing and shipping is actually amazing. One piece of art 80x51 would be more expensive!
It's so true! I worked in custom framing at Michael's for a while and a frame on sale (real wood with glass and a mat and the backing which protects the interior from getting dust and debris in it) was around $200 average for frames that size, so that's a great price, especially if you buy each one individually!