I like photo gallery walls. When I was a teenager, I had a dear friend whose mom had the entire wall of their living room covered with pictures. Against all logic and probability, not one of those pictures managed to be level either with each other or with the floor.
It was amazing. It was a happy wall.
Over the years I've seen more streamlined versions of gallery walls, and I've always wanted to attempt one. This summer, I found this trifold picture frame at a garage sale. It was real wood. Each opening had glass in good condition and a photo mat. For $5, I couldn't pass it up.
This project was quick. I uncrewed the hinges that connected the three panels, separating them into individual pieces. I sanded off the original finish to reveal the natural wood tones. Then I cut each of the three long panels at even increments, which essentially converted three long panels into fifteen separate picture frames ready to display.
The hardest part, quite frankly, was hanging the frames on the wall evenly. Instead of nails, I used Command strips, which I thought would be easy but gave me a bit of a headache as I tried to keep the spacing even. (After this process, I better understood my friend's mom's gallery wall situation. Keeping things level is easier said than done.)
The photos can be updated over the years. Keeping the palate black and white not only unified the entire wall, but also makes the entire display feel extra poignant.
And I can say this with confidence: It's a happy wall.
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