How to Turn Family Photos into a Gallery Wall That Feels like Art

You don’t need a big budget or even a big wall. Design experts reveal the small choices that make a collection of family photos look polished, personal, and intentional.

Those priceless family photos on your phone or gathering dust in the attic may be just what you need to spruce up an empty wall in your home.

A box of old photographs | Source: Pexels

According to Tara Gavin, founder of On the Wall Framing in Toronto, they can become “some of the most meaningful art” in your home.

“You don’t need an expensive art collection to create a beautiful wall,” Gavin says. The secret is turning your photos into a gallery wall with a “design direction.” Here’s how.

Start With Black and White

Your photos through the years will register different colors, and grouping them together may feel mismatched. To create a cohesive gallery wall, the easiest fix is to convert them to black and white, which Gavin says brings “a sense of consistency to the collection.”

A wall of framed black and white photos | Source: Pexels

Rethink Your Frames and Mats

Your choice of matting and framing is just as important, and while you may be familiar with the classic white mats and wood frames, you don’t have to stick to that. For one family’s gallery wall, Gavin mixed oak and black frames with burgundy mats and frames. “The burgundy introduces warmth and richness, while the oak keeps everything from feeling too formal,” she says.

Instead of white, which tends to be the go-to color, you can opt for rich burgundy, soft blue, olive green, or warm neutrals. Choosing a color that matches something in the room can also help the wall feel connected to the space.

Give Photos Room to Breathe

To draw focus on your photos, Gavin suggests creating a wide negative space, which is the area of matting around each image. A wider mat draws people closer to your photo. She also suggests placing more than one photo in a single frame, or situating photos slightly off-center. “It’s a small detail, but it makes the whole gallery wall feel more interesting and a little less predictable,” she explains.

Photos with wide matting on the wall of a living room | Source: instagram/housebeautiful

Find a Common Thread

To avoid a cluttered feel, make sure there is something that ties your photos together. “Whether it’s through tone, subject matter, or framing, establishing a common visual language helps the composition feel cohesive yet dynamic,” say designers Mallory Robins and Elizabeth Bennett of Kobel+Co. Before hanging the frames on the wall, they suggest experimenting with different layouts on the floor to see how the photos would gel best.

A floral photo gallery wall above a cabinet | Source: instagram/housebeautiful

Don’t Overlook Small Spaces

A photo gallery wall doesn’t necessarily require a huge space to create an impact. In one family’s gallery wall, Gavin worked on a space just 31 inches wide, calling it “a great example of how a relatively narrow wall can become a perfect design moment.” You can also work with different spaces, including casual areas like hallways and family rooms, as well as staircases and corner nooks.

A gallery wall by the staircase | Source: instagram/housebeautiful

While it can be tempting to complete the project in one go, sometimes it’s better to leave room for the collection to grow, according to designer Amy Studebaker. Start with images you love, and as you collect more images through the years, you can keep adding more frames.

Now that you have an idea of how this works, it’s time to bring out those photo albums and start creating your photo wall.