I have been needing to get my gallery up for a while…make that three years!  That’s how long we have lived in our house.  I don’t know why I kept putting it off.  My sister is our photographer and it’s not like it’s hard for me to order prints or anything.  I guess I have just been intimidated to put up a gallery wall because I have never really done one before now and I feel like you either nail it or you totally fail it.  I feel like I nailed it with this IKEA gallery wall that I did.I feel it very important to get the right frames for your pictures.  I decided that I wanted all white frames with no matting.  The reason I decided this is because I wanted all of my pictures to be colored (not black and white, sepia, etc.) and I needed to add color to my boring wall.  Because I chose to do all color pictures, I felt it crucial to have only one color of frame throughout the collage so that it didn’t look too busy.  I love the clean look that the white frames give to the wall.  The reason I took the mats out of the frames is because I wanted more picture than frame.  Big, beautiful pictures!

So how did I choose the frames for my gallery wall?  Well, I knew for a long time that I wanted white frames and IKEA is my go-to place for frames.  They are very well-priced and again, I love the crisp, clean look that they give.

Let me give you the sizes and frame names that I used:

 IKEA Gallery Wall Frame Guide

1.  VIRSERUM IKEA frame, 22 3/4×30 3/4
2.  RIBBA IKEA frames, 16 1/2×20 1/2
3.  KVILL IKEA frame, 7×8 1/4
4.  RIBBA IKEA frame, 9 3/4×9 3/4
5.  VIRSERUM IKEA frame, 10 1/4×12 1/4
6.  VIRSERUM IKEA frame, 15×19

So would you believe that I mapped the layout before I even bought the frames?  I used IKEA’s website to see what frames and sizes I wanted first.  I clicked into the frame and scrolled beneath the picture.  I clicked on the ‘product information’ tab and read all of the measurements.  I first got the measurement of the frame as a whole, or ‘frame width’ and ‘frame height’.  This is what gave me a good idea of what sort of cut-out to make from my wrapping paper (see picture below this one).

So I played around a lot with different sizes and shapes of cut-outs I had made from the dimensions given to me on IKEA’s website.  I would just measure the frame’s dimensions onto wrapping paper and cut them out.  Below is what I had come up with, then I added the ‘W’ and a circular object that I could use for a clock, an embroidery hoop…etc as fillers.

I taped them to my wall how I wanted them, measured spacing, etc., and then headed down to IKEA Draper (my nearest store) and got all the frames.  Once I got them home I simply measured where to nail the holes into the wallpaper, ripped the wallpaper off, and then hung the frames on the existing nail holes!  It was that easy!

ORDERING PRINTS for IKEA FRAMES

If you have ever bought an IKEA frame you already know that the sizes of the frames are off a bit.  When I ordered my prints to fill these frames I looked on the website again, under ‘product information’, and saw the dimensions for ‘without mat’ (because I didn’t want my pictures matted).  I wrote down each of the dimensions for the frames I had and then when I had my photographer order them for me, I told her to order the size slightly larger than the dimensions I gave her.  She allowed a little more space when she cropped them because she knew that I would be cutting a little off of the sides, top, etc.

When it came down to it, I didn’t have to cut a whole lot of space off.  Maybe an inch or two here or there, but they were pretty small strips.  Every picture fit perfectly into their frame after that and I love how they turned out.

 I needed a few “fillers” to break up the frames a little bit.  In the frame above I inserted this darling print from Modify Ink.  Have you visited their site?  You can design the prints of your liking to whatever colors you need it matched to.  It’s amazing.  They print them off for you and send them your way.  I love, love, love how this print fits into the oval shape of this frame!

 I knew I wanted a W on our wall somewhere to represent our last name.  I found the one above at Hobby Lobby.  Don’t forget your coupon!
The world map was made by me.  I will share the tutorial later but for now you must remember that this darling map paper came from Hazel and Ruby.  They have some pretty cute patterns!

I feel it quite important to keep the space around your gallery wall simple, yet corresponding.  I added this wicker chair from IKEA topped with the darling pillow cover, also from IKEA.  The table next to it is the HEMNES from IKEA and the pot and greenery are also from IKEA, surprise!!  Why not just buy all your stuff at once at the best store around?!!  The little, white bird was found for $5 at TJ Maxx.

I love the transformation that I gave this wall.  The IKEA gallery wall has added so much brightness to our great room and I get so many compliments on it when people come over.  This is a huge impact that you can add to your wall without breaking the bank.  IKEA’s prices are spot-on and I think it’s a great choice when deciding to give your wall an update!