A Gallery Wall Master Class with Americanflat Creative Director Johnny Picardo
It is time to pull back the curtains, throw open the windows, and welcome fresh spring air into your home. As the season begins anew, now is the perfect time to take inspired direction and revitalize your space with a refresh of color and design. One of the most effective avenues for a satisfying makeover is a beautifully balanced gallery wall.
To help you bring together a successful gallery wall, we enlisted the expertise of Americanflat Creative Director and chief visionary Johnny Picardo. Johnny has done the heavy lifting for you by discovering artists and curating eye-catching pieces across style narratives that are unique to Americanflat and can’t be found anywhere else. He is also the creative designer behind all of our ready-made gallery wall sets. Even a brief browse through our range of art sets will show you he’s truly a gallery wall expert.
Here he shares some of his expertise and strategies for creating an eye-catching gallery wall in your own signature style. Read on to learn more.
What is a gallery wall? And why is an essential home decor staple?
JP: When trying to tackle décor in an empty space, one singular décor piece can either feel small and inadequate, too much of a commitment, or overpowering. A gallery wall is a versatile way for you to show off the many layers of your personal styles while making a big impact.
A gallery wall includes multiple decor pieces, and can include a combination of art, personal photos, memorabilia, and more. If it can hang on a wall- it can be a part of a gallery wall!
What’s the first step in beginning a gallery wall?
JP: Starting out can feel daunting so I always begin with one or two favorite art pieces and work around them. Feel free to take risks! One of the great things about gallery walls is if a piece is not working with the rest, you can easily swap it out.
Deciding a layout for your gallery wall is important. Here are a few suggestions to help you decide which will best fit the space you’re looking to fill:
An organic layout is great for décor items of varied sizes.
A grid layout works perfectly if all pieces are the same size and is a great solution to a big blank wall. Don’t be afraid to go from your floor to your ceiling. We have a bunch of matted grids to get started!
Or mix and match by using a floating shelf where a few pieces are leaning against a wall on the shelf and complementing pieces are hung around it. Floating shelves are great for displaying 3D items you’d like to include while not distracting from the rest of the assortment. Take a look at our 9 pieces sets for inspiration on this one!
Love those suggestions! What are some other tried-and-true design tips?
JP: Looking for the eclectic look but it always feels too busy? Focus on cohesion! To help with visual unity, assort items together within a similar design element. For example, utilize pieces with the same color story, mix up the frame sizes but mat and frame your pieces in the same way, or frame your art using the same molding color.
Want a cozy feel with bohemian flair? Try mixing a variety of art prints with sculptural pieces in warmer tone natural materials like rattan or seagrass.
Trying to make a statement but need a place to start? Embrace a theme like location, color, art style. Think anywhere from Southwest, nature-inspired, gold accents, all filtered beach photography etc. as a starting point and see where it takes you.
How will I know when it’s complete?
Gallery walls are fluid and can be ever changing- if it feels too overpowering take a few pieces out, or swap the art to something less bold. Feeling like it’s not enough of a statement? Keep expanding! Before you put holes in your wall, command strips are a good way to test out a look.
That’s great and all, but is there an easier way?
JP: Yes, that’s where we come in! Our team made this easy for customers by customizing readymade gallery walls in 6 and 9 piece sets. We’ve scouted incredible fine artists from all around the world and mix their styles into a cohesive but unique look. Some customers like to add to our existing readymade sets with personalized touches, such as existing art laying around at home, adding memorabilia in shadowboxes or a shelf with souvenirs.
6 or 9 pieces feels like too much? Start with our 2 or 3 piece sets (we call these diptychs and triptychs)! You can use these smaller sets to incorporate with your existing pieces or choose a la carte from any of our other thousands of art styles on site.
Or, if you have the art and need the framing, easily tie everything together with our coordinating picture frames - we even have mixed gallery frame sets to really make the process simple.
What is your favorite Americanflat gallery wall collection?
JP: My favorite Americanflat gallery wall set is “Watercolor Mountain Wash,” a 9-piece framed art set. This has all the elements I look for in my wall décor- contemporary, eclectic, nature inspired with bold, mid-century flair.
Begin your design project today with one of our art sets. Johnny’s hand-selected gallery wall sets range from 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9 pieces.
Decorating with Americanflat is a breeze! Shop Gallery Wall Sets on Americanflat now and find more ideas on our Pinterest boards.
Find us on Instagram to get more inspiration for looks, moods, and ways to style your space.