Playroom Refresh & How I Hung My Gallery Wall

I decided the other day that it was time for a refresh of the playroom downstairs.  My plan was to paint the walls white, and then hang a gallery wall.  The paint color I chose is “Decorator’s White” by Benjamin Moore.  The wall color contrasts slightly with the trim color (Chantilly Lace).  I really wanted white walls so that I have more freedom when it comes to adding other pops of color.

I’m pretty picky when it comes to choosing art, so I chose to hang a gallery wall of photos of my family on the large, bare wall.  I can change out the photos easily and the kids love looking at all their photos.  Some of the photos were pictures from our Disney vacations, so of course reminiscing on those memories made is always fun!

I am not always the best at hanging pictures on the wall, so hanging 12 frames was a little daunting.  I’m pretty anal when it comes to things being straight and level.  Once I got started, it really wasn’t that difficult once I got the hang of what I was doing.  I will try to explain the hanging method that worked for me.  There are probably better methods, but this is what I did:

1. Gather supplies.

I used 12 – 11 x 14 frames matted to 8 x 10, a level, measuring tape, hammer, nails, mounting putty, large piece of paper, scissors, pencil.

2. Make a paper template.

Trace the size of your frame on paper.  I used a piece of manilla tag paper that I had on hand, then made a hole in the paper where the nail would hang.  This would be my guide for placing my frames.  (I only made one template and then moved it as I went along.)

3. Lay out your frames on the floor.

Space them out on the floor and arrange them as you would like them to go on the wall.  Measure the width and height of your total gallery wall display, and make sure it will fit where you want it on the wall.

4. Mark the center of the wall.

I marked the center at the height where I wanted the bottom of my gallery wall to fall.

5. Use a level to mark the height of the bottom of the gallery wall.

I made about 8 small marks on the wall for each row.  I spaced my frames 4″ apart, so from the center mark, the first frame I placed on the left was 2″ from the center mark, and the second frame was 2″ from the right of my center mark (equalling 4″ total space apart).

6. Use your template to mark the nail hole location.

Lay the paper template on the wall at the correct height and make sure it is level with the marks you made on the wall.  Space them apart consistently.  When you have your frame template placed, poke a nail through the wall to mark your nail hole.  Then take down the template and hammer in the nail.

7. Hang your frame on the nail.

I used a small amount of mounting putty to keep my frames from moving on the wall.

8. Space your rows apart by using the width of the level. 

When doing the next row, I simply placed my level on top of the row of frames already hung and marked the next row.  This was the easiest way to mark the next row without having to measure.

9. Do one row at a time.

I started with the bottom row and worked my way up, doing 3 rows of 4.  (I’m sure it would also work to start at the top and work your way down.)  Repeat the previous steps for each row.

I have two cube shelves in our playroom (mine are from Ikea), but the our toy storage bins had seen better days.  I replaced our bins with these sturdy collapsable bins, which are the perfect size for our shelves.  Up until now, I have had trouble finding bins I liked that are the right side for our shelves, so I was really pleased with these.  I love the neutral color and the rope handles.  These ones that I purchased are no longer available, but these grey bins are similar.  (Be sure to check the dimensions of your shelves and the bins to make sure they are compatible!)

Now all I need is a new rug in here.  I am leaning towards this navy rug!  Thanks for reading today, and I hope my tips were helpful for hanging a gallery wall!

Other Playroom Posts You Might Want to Check Out:

An Organized Playroom

Playhouse Under the Stairs

Toy Storage Ideas