Can’t Get Enough of Art Walls
In our last house, I had no problem putting lots of nails in walls and trying out artwork in different places until it felt right.
But in the new house, because of all the millwork (I don’t want to start putting lots of holes in pretty wood) and because there are so many windows (meaning little blank wall space), I am waiting to hang art until everything is more or less in place. That, however, is going very slowly so it may be a while before I get to hang anything.
If I had the patience, I could draw up a plan like Nathan who went from this:
to this:
How awesome is that?
But more likely, I’ll just start pounding nails into walls nilly-willy and hope they turn out something like these.
What’s your approach?
(Photos: 1.Plastolux 2-3.via Desire to Inspire 4-5.Laurel Street 6.via Automatism 7.Apartment  Therapy)
Looove that first look! I've always wanted to attempt this, but it's where to start and how to go about it that's the trick!
I am definitely more willy-nilly or as the mood strikes. Have you tried the 3M stick up things? They come off the wall really great and you can use three or four for heavier objects. In our former home we had plaster walls that just crumbled when we tried to put nails in, so they were a great alternative.
.-= Jill´s last post ..what to wear: Old Navy! =-.
I took a mixed approach (and I'm not sure I knew at the time it would turn into an entire picture wall). I was careful about the first few, centering and grounding everything, but as I added more I became more playful. It has expanded since this http://www.flickr.com/photos/janeflan/3386354996/…
My recommendation? Measure twice before pounding in any nails and step back regularly (even take overnight breaks to see how you process it).
.-= Jane Flanagan´s last post ..Cream & calm =-.
LOVE LOVE art walls. I have been working on mine in my dining room for somet time now…still not up! I am collecting for it as we speak.
I will do a layout first for sure, maybe with CAD like Nathan, or possibly with painters tape? We'll see!
LOVE the art wall idea! I've got plans for one, mixing art and photos for our family room. It's so tough for me to make it look just right. I have to have a plan. The last one I did, I took a picture of each piece and photoshopped the arrangement and then hung them according to that. Sad, but I needed the visual.
.-= PS~Erin´s last post ..My Painted Floor =-.
Thanks for the shout out Ally! And I am loving image #1 as well. I hope my wall evolves like that!
.-= Nate @ LaurelStreet´s last post ..Slipcover your laptop (plus, a little anniversary) =-.
I'm all about immediate gratification, so waiting until all the furniture is in place would drive me crazy. But it sounds reasonable to me. As for hanging pictures, I just started nailing 'em into the wall and hope for the best. So far, so good!
.-= christy´s last post ..And this and that… =-.
I make paper cutouts of everything I am going to hang. Then, using tape, I hang the paper on the walls and reposition until I am pleased with the layout. Then I put in the nails, right through the paper, and rip the paper off when I am done.
landlord said to go ahead and hang whatever but BF is apprehensive so I only have a couple hanging… love these groupings though, too much!!
.-= Helena´s last post ..Hermes S/S 2010 =-.
That's me too. Just putting a bunch of nails in the wall and hanging by my eye. I think using the eye is better than the level, because walls and ceilings are always straight. Thanks for the link to Nathan's blog. I hadn't seen it before. It's a good one.
.-= Melissa A.´s last post ..Knack =-.
I'm a "put a bunch of nails in the wall" type too. I would love to be really organized but it's not me. Plus, I love to change things over time.
Actually, I've stopped using nails for smaller things and almost exclusively use those Velcro command adhesives, which allow you to do some small readjusting and don't require any holes in the wall. I love them!!!
.-= Lesley @ TheDesignFile´s last post ..Home decor trends for 2010 =-.
Having a Victorian house that is built of bricks, it is often nigh impossible to get a nail in the wall without drilling it. I have massacred many a wall as I'm so impatient and try to hammer a nail in, leaving plaster and holes in it's wake !!
At least the pictures finally cover all of the mess that I've made !! XXXX
.-= Jacqueline´s last post ..CRYSTAL DROPS and GUSTAVIAN CLOCKS …….. =-.
Ally – my way is your way. My husband would so draw it up on AutoCAD first. I am tempted next time to lay the frames on a huge piece of butcher wrap & trace it out first & then hold that up to the wall (with help) before I start pounding nails; will I actually do it, likely not!!
Hope all is going along fabulously in your new abode? xx
.-= Deborah Milne´s last post ..Designing Women =-.
Check out the art wall in my apartment. Completed recently I kind of went overboard and took a photo then brought it into photoshop and mocked everything up to size.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3331316&…
i was just talking about (ok, complaining about) this last night with my husband. now that we have new furniture, the layout of the room has changed. hanging art in an artful (for lack of a better word) way has always eluded me. hopefully some of these ideas will rub off on me.
ah, yeah, i'm way more willy-nilly when it comes to just sort of throwing art up on the wall, grabbing a hammer and just going for it. in fact when my fiance sees me getting out the hammer, he gives a curious look and says, "honey, whatcha doin'?" yeah, it's like that. hey, i soooooooo hope your move is making you smile and was just catching up on some of your posts, how fun will that piano be?
have fun decorating and keep posting pics!!
Deep breathing. Ask my husband. Get the hairy eyeball from him. Call my wonderful, generous, always saves my butt father-in-law. Breathe a deep sigh of relief that I have just saved my marriage. Thankfully we have been living in this house for going on ten years, so most things have been hanging for some time. But I ordered a new Tolomeo sconce for the keeping room and the above is an accurate re-inactment of what went on at my house this weekend. Seriously. :0)
I have an empty wall in the basement, directly across the orange barn door, that is itching for just such an arrangement. I must take the plunge. Number one and three are sublime. And Nate's methodology is enviable.
.-= nkp´s last post ..Chicago Style =-.
I have been wanting a randomly sized art wall (like the one Nathan did) for years. I need to focus on collecting interesting sketches and prints – that is really my hold up.
My husband is a master at hanging things, but he hates to do it. My absolute favorite birthday present ever was when he spent 4 hours hanging my antique egg prints – all 12 of them, perfectly spaced and lined up – even top notch designers who see his work are impressed – they are perfectly spaced and hung! What a fabulous husband I have!
.-= Things That Inspire´s last post ..The Kitchen Sink =-.
i can't get enough of art walls either! we have a couple and we don't really have an approach, just touch and go. we add to our collection so we try to leave space for new pieces. we should have probably had a better system though.
.-= Down and Out Chic´s last post ..Baby in a Bucket =-.
i LOVE those photos.
i just purchased an amazing purple-y 1960s poster from a gallery here that will anchor a HUGE wall in my family room. can't wait to get started – and can't wait to see what you'll do!
.-= jennifer @ fog city sparkle´s last post ..tips from me (ha!) =-.
I love the idea of the art wall, and have been tempted to try. I just get so jumbled up when I start to hang them!
2 issues here for me Alek. 1. We have gone from a gracious c.1899 house to a confused c.1972 abode. So all our artwork or should I say the frames, just doesn't work in the translation. So piece by piece they are all being reframed. 2. This house has all solid brick internal walls. This requires a hammer drill & brute stength to hang even the lighest & smallest of artworks. Of course that means The-Man-of-the-House needs to be involved. Just like Things That Inspire's husband this one also is very relucant. So bribery around food & wine is involved. By my reckoning he'll weigh an additional 20lbs. by next year!
Millie ^_^
.-= Millie´s last post ..From Renee With Love =-.
Fabulous pictures. I'm inspired to rearrange my art – again.
My husband banned me from random nails after I cause one wall to look a bit like swiss cheese.
So now I actually place the art I'm thinking of using on the floor of the wall and keep arranging on the floor until it looks right. It works well because the art is in the room and you can sense whether its the right room & being right under the wall you also get an idea of the space etc.
Once I like a layout, my darling hangs them for me! Compromise!
While I know that Julie #9's way is the right way…I'm not that patient. I wing it and eyeball it and ALWAYS buy more paint than I need for every room to remedy any Oops.
.-= ModFruGal´s last post ..Avian Obsession: Peacock Edition =-.
I typically just jump in and start putting holes in the walls, but if I had millwork…oh, I'd have to think awhile before picking up a hammer. You're smart to get everything in place and then do this last step.
Well, after 13 years of hanging pics for clients, I typically just dive right in and start nailing, but a super easy way to do "groupings" is to take craftpaper or newspaper – whatever you have around…trace the art/frames you want to hang (obviously, number or label them to keep track)then cut the templates/paper out.Next, mark where your hanger is on the template(this will be crucial later )Now you can place the templates/paper on your wall(with your hanger marks facing out) with a little painters tape – moving them around until you get it just right…when you have the grouping the way you want it – find your marks that you made earlier – go ahead, stick a nail in the wall right through the template/paper…remove the paper, make sure the nail goes back in place and yippy, your done!!! By the way, I am having a little designer giveaway over on my blog, so come check it out!
.-= Donna´s last post ..Happy birthday to me…and a give away! =-.
I'm needing to do the same thing but having a hard time deciding what looks better – mix of frames or all the same color (black, most likely…). When I decide on that I'll definitely just pound away and hope the arrangement works itself out!
I would probably hammer 100 nails into the walls by the time I got anything looking like that. My husband is good with a drill and level so I would enlist his help.
.-= Jessica at Lavender & Lilies´s last post ..Tag You Are It! =-.
We are kindred spirits! Can I tell you that literally THIS MORNING I was lamenting the fact that I don't have room anywhere in my house for an art gallery wall, but that's what I want to decorate with more than anything!
At least I can live vicariously through your photos, and one of mine that I posted on my blog!
.-= Kristin @ Contented Me´s last post ..what's cooking: last week's menu =-.
Congrats on your new house- what fun! I really enjoy your blog and related to the post of being torn between modernism and everything else- in the end I am a true modernist at heart- its just what my little heart flutter.
I have done several art walls for myself and clients- I usually measure the area i am trying to cover and then lay everything out on the floor- then move it up to the wall. It usually works well-I also love my laser level for this, love it.
I adore art walls. Too much so, in fact, because I'm living in less than 800 square feet of space and would love to start on a second art wall! I just wing it when I hang art — start with the most prominent piece and then go from there with each frame about an inch or so apart.
.-= jen jafarzadeh´s last post ..find me here: oh so beautiful paper =-.
i am usually willy-nilly. but in my daughter's room i had so many to hang i tried sort of mapping it out on the floor first, which actually helped a lot.
but, i ALWAYS hang art last in my house after a move. and by last i mean several months after i have moved in.
.-= my favorite and my best´s last post ..craigslist yes or no? =-.
i love the idea of a wall filled with many framed pieces of art, but i never know how to make it work. maybe all my prints are too big? this definitely provides some inspiration though. thanks!
.-= giovanna´s last post ..Proposals =-.
I have used the 'willy nilly' effect in my flat. I started with one print (which isn't even hanging on the art wall any more; it has been moved to the bedroom) and added each new one as I got it. All the frames are quite close together, which helps keep it looking neater. I have used the 3M strips and hooks too and haven't had any problems with them. There are pictures of it growing over time here: http://cerebralexcrement.blogspot.com/search/labe…
Of course, if it were a more formal space I would plan the arrangement better and definitely use a spirit level!
.-= uglygirl´s last post .. =-.
Great post! I love art walls… but then it is my business
We always advise clients to add artwork last. I know it’s hard to live without art but you’ll be happy in the end. I also recommend doing craft paper cut outs of your frames & taping them to the wall to see what arrangement will work. Good luck. I’m looking forward to seeing pictures when you’re done.
Karen
http://www.photographyartstore.com
We have so much art, vintage signs etc. on our walls and collection seems to be expanding that art wall is the answer in out next apartment (not lookig for a new place now, but that’s what we said last time also and purchased a new apartment all of a sudden…). Love those pictures.
Oh girl, if I had tons of windows and millwork, I wouldn’t hang any artwork… the room would be the art.
But if I did hang stuff, I would force the hunny to hold pictures where I wanted them for 3 hours, raising, lowering, moving from side to side, then I would finally make a decision, then I would change my mind…
My walls have a lot of holes in them.
.-= erin@designcrisis´s last post ..Maxi Lamp, Mini Tour =-.
Alek,
I’m a willy-nilly, eye-ball it till it looks just about right kind of girl. A few months ago, I just got really sick of my boring dining room wall (one of them anyway) and so I went to Ikea, bought like fifteen frames of different shapes, colors, sizes and depths as well as some of Ikeas little postcard pictures. I came home and started hanging stuff up willy-nilly. I even tore a few pages (and the cover) out of this book I read several years ago and hung those in frames as well. I love the look of it. But for my living room, I’m really considering hanging images up more purposefully because I want to frame and hang some of my own photography.
.-= Lindsey Lou!´s last post ..Bloomingdale’s Big Window Challenge 2010 =-.
i am PRO-art wall and i have several collections in my house. the EASIEST way to hang your pictures with the least amount of holes/moving is to lay a piece of paper on the ground, arrange your pictures to the desired layout, and then trace around them. i write a note in the box to indicate what that picture is (ie. “van gogh”) and then i tape the paper layout on the wall and drive nails through it. the paper can be something as simple as several sheets of newsprint taped together to make one large sheet. also, try and have most of your artwork collected when you first hang everything. adding pieces later is a snap, but if you start with only 3, you’ll run into more problems down the road than if you’d started with say, 10. good luck!
.-= Kristina´s last post ..marthas and arthurs. =-.
Busted. I just started nailing away. My boyfriend was freaking out…he's more of a type A than me which is hard to believe. The entire time he's saying, "I feel like there's a certain way to do this, maybe you need to look it up". I'm not patient enough…
.-= carlee´s last post ..Craft Hope: Still Open =-.
I'm a big chicken, so it takes me eight to ten years to hang a gallery like that.
You could try that thing Candace Olson uses on her show where she tapes a preprinted sheet to the wall with all of the frames already laid out.
.-= Bromeliad´s last post ..A Detacher's rose pillow =-.
I tell myself that I have "an eye" for this type of thing and hammer and pull nails and renail and pull, again, then I just ignore the holes. I just posted one of my walls a couple of weeks ago here:
http://theoldpostroadblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/ad…
I like how it turned out.
-Trish
.-= Trish @TheOldPostRoad´s last post ..Busy as a Bee =-.