How to Create A Gallery Wall
I love a gallery wall!! What is it about a vintage gallery wall that warms the heart and makes a house feel like a home?
In this post, I share our thrifted vintage gallery wall. I’ll tell you how I did it, how you can do it, and why you might want to consider adding one to your home.
I LOVE this wall so much. It feels nostalgic. It has character. It’s timeless. It is pleasing to the eye. But most importantly, it tells a story…our story.
I have been thrifting and collecting bits and pieces for this wall for the past few years. Pinterest has been my friend.
I pinned many gallery walls to my Pinterest wall and dreamed of creating a vintage gallery wall in our home. I knew I had to do this in the future.
Don’t Be Intimidated to Do A Gallery Wall
Creating a gallery wall can be intimidating. Choosing the right pieces, placing the pictures on the wall, and finding a wall where they will look best are all considerations.
It takes time to collect the right pieces, and it takes a little creativity to get it on the wall in the right pattern, but if I can do it, you can 🥰
Why A Thrifted Vintage Gallery Wall
There are all types of gallery walls on Pinterest. You’ve got options and choices. For me, a thrifted vintage gallery wall was what I had been dreaming of and what I set out to create. I love to thrift. You can check out my posts on thrifting here: Thrifting Treasures: A Tale of One Day and Thrifting: How to Thrift and What to Look For
One of my favorite ways to decorate our home is to incorporate vintage alongside modern. I love the contrast, BUT the magic happens when you add in the vintage.
It adds the soul, the character, and the story. It brings a warmth and coziness that makes everyone feel at home and loved, and tells the story of who we are. It feels like home to me.
Collecting The Pieces For Your Gallery Wall
I started collecting bits and pieces a couple of years ago. Vintage frames from thrift stores, vintage pictures in frames that caught my eye, signs, an antique picture stand (on the bench), and mirrors.
Some made it onto the wall, and some ended up back on my storage shelves and will be used in another project on another day.
I have to be honest and tell you I added a couple of Hobby Lobby finds that are made to look vintage. Some blank spaces on the wall needed a different size or shape so I substituted vintage and thrifted with knock-offs.
I also bought vintage wall art from Amazon to put into the thrifted frames. They were very inexpensive and worked great.
My favorite pictures are those of my family. It makes the wall special and tells our story, which I love. Grab some of your favorite family pictures and strategically place them on the wall.
Below the gallery, you’ll find an antique bench I picked up many years ago. I placed a few more treasures on it to finish the look.
To extend the look on the wall, sitting on the bench, you will find vintage books, an antique picture holder with a vintage portrait leaning on it, a candlestick, a basket I thrifted for $2.00, and a Monstera plant I love.
Adding accent plants around our home has become a new passion. I love how plants cozy a room and add life and texture.
Why I Thrift For This Gallery Wall
- I’m a girl who likes to decorate on a budget and get the most for her money.
- I like old and thrifted pieces.
- I am rescuing something that would otherwise go in the garbage.
- I’m bringing soul, character, and a story into my home for another generation.
How to Hang Your Gallery Wall
There are very systematic ways you can place your pictures on the wall. You can trace all of your pieces, cut them out, and position them on the wall. This takes a little bit more work, but if you have a type A personality, this is probably for you.
You can lay them all out on the floor or table and move them around until you get it the way you like, and then transfer them.
Or you can start by placing pieces on the wall one at a time and see what happens. I experimented and did some trial and error by laying them out on the table and getting a basic pattern.
At this point, I slowly transferred each piece to the wall using nails and command strips. Command strips are a great option to minimize the damage to your walls. They are much more conducive to making changes.
However, if you happen to make a mistake with a nail, it’s okay, pick up some filler and fill in the hole. It’s a pretty easy fix as long as the hole isn’t too big. Or you can do what I do and use one of your other pictures to cover the hole 😘.
Don’t stress about perfection. This style of gallery wall lends itself to some freehand and a free spirit and will look great. Just do what feels right to you.
Gallery Wall: It’s More Than Just Decor
I’m on a mission to help moms rediscover the beauty of creating a home their family loves to come back to—a space filled with warmth, intention, and meaning. A cozy, welcoming home doesn’t just happen—it’s cultivated. And when you do, you’re building core memories that will draw your kids back even after they’ve grown.
Home is such a powerful part of motherhood. It shapes our rhythms, reflects our values, and becomes the backdrop for our family’s story.
Home is such an important part of motherhood. If you want to see how the two go together, check out my course. Intentional Motherhood & Home. It is a 5-module experience designed to help you bring intention into your daily rhythms, cultivate a Christ-centered home, and build lasting, heart-connected relationships with your children.
Part of that intentionality includes designing a home that reflects your family’s identity—who you are, where you’ve been, and what you live for. One way I love doing that is through gallery walls. They tell your story through art, photographs, words, and thrifted treasures.
So, what do you think? Have I convinced you to create your own gallery wall? Whether you’re ready to dive in or just gathering ideas, I hope our vintage, thrifted gallery wall inspires you to start telling your family’s story—right there on your walls. 🖼️❤️
At the end of the day, it’s not just about decorating walls—it’s about building a home where love lives, stories are told, and memories are made.
Much love,
Kim ❤️
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