Memory galleries can add a lovely, homely look to any space, and they remind you of all your best times, such as holidays, weddings, birthdays, and more.
You can add pictures, posters, photos, and anything else to your gallery, making it personal. It can be a bit daunting to start building a memory gallery in your home.
Here are our top tips for how to get your own gallery up for when you want a walk down memory lane.
Picture Rails
One of the first things you’ll need to think about is how to actually get your pictures up on the walls. A picture rail system can be a great way to display items without having to drill into the wall multiple times.
This is great if you can’t attach much directly to the wall, plus it gives you the advantage of being able to move things around as your gallery develops.
So, over time, if you want to replace a family holiday photo with a more recent, bigger one, you won’t have to fill and re-drill the wall.
Different Frames
One thing that makes or breaks a memory gallery is the frames you have. You might immediately think of getting all the same frames for your pictures, but this can make them look very formal and stiff. Instead, try mixing it up a bit.
Have a combination of wood, metal, plain, and decorated frames, as well as frames of different colors. This can really brighten up your memory wall. You can even look at how to make your own picture frames and create ones that really suit your photos.
Play Around with Placement
Placement can drastically change how a gallery wall looks. If you’ve got pieces that are all the same size, you might want them arranged in a grid.
If you’ve got a range of sizes, you could look at having the larger pieces in the middle with smaller ones around them. Or make a gradient with larger pieces at one side of the wall, getting smaller as it goes across.
There are plenty of ways to make the placement suit the room you’re in. Try to think about the lighting in your room as well and how the placement of lights will highlight certain memories on the wall.
Add Physical Items
As well as pictures, photos, and posters, you might want to add physical items to the wall. This could be anything from a sentimental piece of clothing or jewelry to a favorite childhood toy.
Whatever brings you good memories, you can mount it on a shelf or in a display box and add it to your memory gallery. You can even add a note stating what it is for any guests who are curious.
Custom Wallpaper
If you want to really tie your memory gallery together, consider custom wallpaper. This could be something using parts of important photos, or it could be a design that goes well with the general theme and colors of the pieces are you displaying.
There are plenty of guides for how to make your own wallpaper, to make something that’s unique and perfect for you. Just make sure it doesn’t clash too much and overshadow the important memories you want to focus on.
Summary
Creating a memory gallery can be a great way to decorate your home while reminding yourself of the best times.
While it might look like a big task, once you get a good hanging system sorted, it’s actually very easy to make this feature in your home.
Just think about placement and frames to make sure that all your photos and pictures stand out, and don’t be afraid to add some sentimental items and unique wallpaper for a truly personalized space.
