Do you ever have one wall in a room that bugs you because you can’t seem to decide what to do to pull it together with the rest of the room? Our long wall on the right as you enter our family room was THAT WALL for me. It was longish, with no windows.

We used to have a TV on that wall, but when we did our kitchen and family room floors, we moved the big TV upstairs to the “media room” (it sounds so fancy when I say that, but really it is just a big bedroom with a TV and a sectional in it haha). After it was gone we decided we really didn’t miss it in the family room, at least one that big.

So that left the big long wall with no real purpose. Our sofa faces that wall so it just seemed awkward for everyone involved. Why do we face the wall? We don’t know.

We could turn the sofa against that wall to face the other way, but then we couldn’t have the room for a dresser or any other storage, which we need. Plus, the ultimate goal is built ins on the long wall so the sofa needs to be across the room.

So, what to do in the mean time?

We didn’t want a big mirror or big art over the dresser, because we already have one big mirror on essentially the same wall in the adjoining kitchen. Ah, the trials and tribulations of room arrangements. So many things to think about if you want a room to feel right all the way around.

Finally we decided just a simple collection of frames and mirrors would be enough to finish off the wall above the dresser.

I wanted to hang up some of the art that I’ve collected from places we’ve traveled. I’ve missed seeing those water color memories up on the wall.

After a quick trip to Target, I had frames and some very pretty Target Threshold gold sunburst mirrors which would bring just a touch of “glam” to my more rustic beachy vibe. And of course, the mirrors played up the gold on my newly fancied up dresser hardware quite nicely!

Gallery Wall Tip:

I get asked often about how to do a gallery wall and the reality is, I just wing it by laying it out on the floor first and then taking a few measurements and start hanging, hoping for the best.

But, I think the BEST way to do a gallery wall is to cut out a piece of brown craft paper the exact size of your framed art and punch a hole where the hook is.  Then you can tape the paper up on the wall until you get the right arrangement.

I love how pretty and classy the gallery wall looks, while still making sense with my eclectic rustic casual style. The small gold starburst mirrors are the perfect finishing touch since they don’t overwhelm the small collection of art, nor do they steal the show from my focal point fireplace or the large mirror in the kitchen.

Basically I needed to keep this gallery wall on the smallish side so it didn’t over power the room or existing features.

I always have several considerations when I am hanging things on a wall, one is obviously how it looks when you look right at the wall. But the other very important consideration is how does it look in context of the room and even in the house itself?

In order to give my eyes a place to rest when I scan the whole room to see how everything works together. Sometimes that balance might be hard to convey in pictures, but I definitely prefer to decorate for real life and not just to stage it for a photo.

I am probably the weirdest decorator on the planet but I even start at the front door and walk through the house to see if things feel right in each room before I decide on an individual wall.

My favorite thing about this wall? I love that the art in the gallery brings back happy memories!

See you here tomorrow for the Summer House Tour!

 

Wall color: Glidden Polished Grey