Style House, Home Design Ideas & Room Decorating Tips

Bring cherished photos out of albums and onto the walls where you can appreciate them every day. Our tips and complete wall templates let you turn a series of photos into a gallery–quality display.

Choose from our free downloadable wall templates, complete with exact frame measurements and spacing recommendations. Then print the template you like best and select frames based on that layout.

Read on for tips and ideas on creating successful photo displays. For dozens more, see our style recipe book Pottery Barn Photos.

Gallery 1: Colorful Accent Gallery

Draw the eye to a home gallery and unify a diverse group of objects by using a strong wall color like deep red, and accenting with decorative objects in a limited palette. To begin, hang a series of shelves and ledges. Once you've created that framework, assemble a mix of photos, artwork and other collectibles in two or three warm tones that complement the backdrop. Here, overlapping photos in assorted frames mingle with buff–colored book covers, walnut boxes, and found objects in shades of deep red. The result is a display that feels personal — and looks pulled together.

Gallery 2: Family Gallery

Artfully arranged, a black-and-white photo collection tells your family story and becomes everyone's favorite part of a room. For a casual effect (and freedom to change the display over time), lean the collection on wall ledges and allow the photos to overlap. Since family photos are often an eclectic mix of sizes, styles and ages, choose frames and mats in a limited palette. Vary the frame size and mat width for interest. To draw the eye with color and contrast, scatter sculptural accents in and around the display.

Gallery 3: Personal Gallery

Chronicle a favorite hobby or subject and make a personal statement through a group of photos, mementos or framed artwork that unify a central theme. The subject of this display reveals a love for nature with a collection of fern photographs taken by six San Francisco artists. By using a turn–of–the–century style of printing all images in black-and-white sepia, the artists have made it easier to showcase a collection of smaller images for a larger display.

Gallery 4: Family Vacation Display

Take a novel approach to vacation photos with oversized frames that track your travels. Mix and match old and new photographs. Start with an artistic rendering of a vacation–themed image, like the ships shown here, or a regional map of the site. Then attach snapshots from each stop you made along the way. Use a dry–erase marker to add your own captions, or let the images tell the story for you.

Gallery 5: Gallery Series

A grid of similar frames is a clean way to display a collection of photographs that capture an event or track the passage of time. This technique is ideal for showcasing a series of wedding photos, commemorating a child's first year, or tracing the progression to graduation day. To add visual interest and pacing to your display, vary the style of mats with portrait, landscape and horizontal shapes.

Download these free wall templates below, then use your favorite as a guide to creating the perfect gallery wall.

Gallery 1: Colorful Accent Gallery

		Gallery_1.pdf (40 KB)

Gallery 2: Family Gallery

		Gallery_2.pdf (36 KB)

Gallery 3: Personal Gallery

		Gallery_3.pdf (28 KB)

Gallery 4: Family Vacation Display

		Gallery_4.pdf (32 KB)

Gallery 5: Gallery Series

		Gallery_5.pdf (28 KB)

click on the image to the left to download
Adobe Acrobat Reader