The perfect mix of classic and avant-garde, a stairway gallery wall is among the easiest ways to make your family photos look chic. Not that the treatment is reserved only for snapshots of your nearest and dearest, of course! A stairway gallery wall can be created with original artwork as well as mirrors, or other wall decor, like signs, intaglios, or even mounted antlers. If you’re wondering how to decorate a hallway or stairwell with a gallery wall, read on. We have tricks and tips that will help you pull it off like a pro!
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Why Use a Stairwell as a Gallery Wall?
Stairwells often possess the highest ceilings in the house. This in turn creates towering walls that are the perfect canvas for art or photos. Since stairway walls have a natural ascension, hanging a single piece of large art can feel off-balance. A grouping of small artworks, however, allows you to follow the natural ascension of the wall and accentuate the height increase—not fight it. Undressed, stairwells also have a knack for feeling uninspired. Decking them out in art or photos can make them feel decorated and can stylistically tie the area into the rest of your home.
What Should You Do First When Creating a Stairway Gallery Wall?
First and foremost, decide on what theme you want for your gallery wall. If you’re opting for a classic family photo wall, make a call on whether you want to integrate archival photos, or you want to stick to pics only from recent years. If you’re looking to create a wall with collected art, do you want to build one around a subject theme or color theme? Botanicals are a popular choice for stairway walls, as well as nautical themes, horse or dog themes, or even portraits.
After you have an idea of what kind of wall hangings you want to use, begin gathering your photos or art and generating ideas on how you want to mat and frame them. Do you want all of your photos to be the same size, or are you more interested in shape variance? You might also consider if you want to intermix other shapes besides rectangles and squares. Oval-framed photos, for instance, can really shake things up.
What Are Some Tips for Creating a Stair or Hallway Gallery Wall?
1. Don’t use too few photos or too few art pieces. A stairway art wall should take up most of your wall space, regardless of how big that area is. Make sure your gallery wall not only has sufficient length, but substantial width as well.
2. If you’re working with large photos, mat them. While you can get away with small framed photos looking polished without mats, the same isn’t true of larger photos. Always mat them!
3. Vary your frame sizes. Unless you’re looking to create an orderly grid in a stairwell corner, use a mix of frame sizes. Using different size frames creates interest and makes a layout look more expertly-designed.
Lead image by Laurey Glenn
