Photo Gallery Wall | Small House Living

Create a dynamic and bold photo gallery wall that matches your style.

I’m sharing how I created a small gallery wall on a budget and tips on making it a moveable gallery wall.

“This post is sponsored by Walmart Photo.”

Modern Photo Gallery Wall | Small House Living

We’ve been spending a lot of time at home for the last few months, which means lots of DIY projects!

Last month we put in garden beds and expanded our outdoor living space.

And with less time spent running around, taking kids to school, sports, and the general busyness of life, we’ve had more time to focus on checking off the boxes on our ever-growing house project list.

One of the many things on our to-do list was sprucing up the living room.

We’ve added eye-candy gorgeous blue chairs and a new rug, and we have plans to upgrade the couch.

But in the meantime, I wanted a budget-friendly project I could tackle in a day. 

To the window, to the wall. Yes, the wall needed something.

I’ve had my eye on the wall space behind our living room sofa for a minute.

We have a small living room, so every piece and every choice must be the right fit.

I’ve seen many ideas for creating a gallery wall, but they all looked the same. I wanted a dynamic, bold look.

I needed a fresh feature wall to match my vibrant personality.

I also wanted to create a small gallery wall I could move around.

To know me is to know I love to move furniture around and change things up from time to time.

Yes, ask my family how much they love when I have a new idea that involves reshuffling our home! Ha!

However, a photo gallery wall was something I could do on my own, with no help needed.

Here’s how I created my modern photo gallery wall.

And I did it for the low low which is also a plus when it comes to redesigning on a dime. 

How To Create A Photo Gallery Wall You Can Move Around

Gallery walls are a great way to add color and make any space pop!

It’s a fun way to display your family photos and favorite art pieces and quotes.

Gallery walls are also a way to show off your style and give your room character.

Gallery walls consist of photos, art, and a little mix of this and that.

From the vintage piece you picked up at an art show to your family vacation photos, wall art is an expression of who you are, so make it yours!

Budget-friendly gallery wall with Walmart Photo

Creating a photo wall with numerous prints and frames can add cost.

However, I have a budget-friendly solution. Walmart Photo offers same-day service on many prints and photo projects.

Once I selected the photos I wanted to use, I went to Walmart Photo and clicked on the same-day photo services.

I browsed around using their user-friendly website to determine what size prints, photo posters, and mounted photos I needed for my gallery wall.

It was easy and incredibly user-friendly to customize the perfect pieces for my living room makeover with just a few clicks.

We created free wall art you can download and use. (See at the end of the post) 

I placed my order mid-morning, and it was ready in the afternoon.

While picking up your prints and need frames, Walmart Photo carries a variety of styles and sizes.

Head over to their website to learn more.

Pick your design

Before you start putting nails in the wall and hanging frames, start by asking yourself what type of gallery wall you want?

You can scour Pinterest to find thousands of ideas, but it comes down to this one thing- what do YOU want?

I knew I wanted a bold design to match the aesthetics of my living room and my mix of bohemian and modern styles.

I started my design by using dynamic wallpaper. Go bold or go home was the motto! 

You can skip the wallpaper if you want a clean, simple look.

I knew the wallpaper I selected was a little on the busy side, and it was noticeable once I hung up the frames.

But it stands out, giving me the bold look I wanted with this gallery wall design.

We’re also using removable wallpaper, so when we’re tired of this design, we can easily take it down and do something different.

We recently added a mural wallpaper from Photo Wall in the studio, which is a great choice if you want something bold and dynamic. 

Photos and more photos

Next, pick the photos you want to go on your wall. I selected pictures from last year’s family photo session and photos from our Europe vacation. I looked for photos that carried priceless memories and feel-good vibes.

Growing up, my mom would have family photos, wedding photos, and collages on our coffee table and living room wall.

I wanted to mimic this same idea but with a cleaner look.

It was also fitting to include my parents’ wedding photo on our wall gallery as a reminder that while they are both gone, they are still here in my heart.

Once you have your photos, it’s time to build your gallery wall.

Before hanging the photos on the wall, I laid them on the floor and played around with the layout.

Deciding where to place each frame is where I spent the most time.

I highly recommend playing around with the frames and photos before mounting anything.

Pro-tip: Get some butcher (brown) paper and cut out paper frames.

Add the frames to the wall so you can get an idea of what size you need and the placement of the photos you may want to use for your wall.

Make your gallery wall moveable

When we decided to create a gallery wall, we wanted a moveable gallery wall, with the idea of swapping out photos and wall art. Using picture ledges gave us the option we needed.

We purchased four picture ledges (Walmart also carries these!) and mounted them on the wall after installing the removable wallpaper.

What tools do you need for a gallery wall?

Be sure to gather all the tools you need to hang your frames. 

• Hammer
• Picture Hanging Nails or Hooks
• Level 
• Measuring Tape

By using picture ledges, I made my job of hanging the gallery wall very easy.

Once I mounted the few frames to the wall, making sure they were level, I placed the rest of the frames on the picture ledges.

You can see I made changes from the floor layout to the wall layout.

This is where having a moveable gallery wall gets fun!

And since Walmart Photo offers affordable prints and posters, you can swap out your current photos and create new ones using their same-day service.

Walmart Photo Mounted Photos are giving my life! 

One of the Walmart Photo options I loved was the mounted photos. “Use your favorite images to create beautiful art on your desk or walls.

The photo mount has a 3/4″ black edge and a durable mounting board ready to hang or stand on a table. These prints are suitable to place in any room in your house.”

What I loved about using mounted photos for this gallery wall is the easy way to move the photos around.

This is another way to save money on your gallery wall.

Using sturdy-mounted photos means you don’t necessarily have to invest in frames. That’s a win-win for me! Sizes for same-day are 5″×5″, 5″×7″, 8″×8″, and 8″×10.

And the mounted photos come with a pre-drilled hole on each side or display on a table/shelf with an included stand.

Can you see why I love this photo option from Walmart Photo?

After I finished the gallery wall, I added a few pillows for additional pops of color.

This is also a quick way to upgrade your living room on a small budget.

Adding a variety of pillows to your couch brings vibrance to your gallery wall and gives new life to your couch.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating a gallery wall

Don’t be afraid to go big and bold. Create your own style.

There are many tutorials and guides on creating the perfect gallery wall. It’s your style and your house. Make it your own.

Feel free to mix and match the frames and sizes. I decided to keep my frames all black and white, but don’t be afraid to mix up the frame finishes.

When adding artwork and photos, you can go with all color or black and white.

Since I went with color, I incorporated masks that added texture and aligned with the color and style of my gallery wall.

For size, the rule of thumb is 2″-3″ spacing between pieces.

I’m not a fan of having a ton of space between each frame, so I prefer to have my pieces a little closer together.

Create your own nature photos. Instead of spending a ton of money on buying nature photos, take your DSLR or camera phone and head off to the woods.

You can spot a few of Derrick’s nature photos in our wall gallery.

I was able to use Walmart Photo’s same-day service to print these 5×7 prints and place them in frames.

Gallery walls are a way for you to add flair and character to your living space.

You can go all black and white, neutral colors, or go bold with color. Either way, Walmart Photo’s same-day service can help you print every picture and art piece you need for your gallery wall.

We created wall art printables you can download and use.

I was impressed by the quality of the photo poster I selected for our words.

Once framed, they look like a piece of work you would buy at the store.

Head over to Walmart Photo and get started on creating your gallery wall.

You can also find other same-day photo services to help you finish some of those home projects on your to-do list.

Free Wall Art Printables