Art-loving homeowners have taken a cue from galleries to showcase their most cherished art and beloved family photos. Creating a gallery wall in your home is a great way to shine the spotlight on your art collection and bring your walls to life. Read on for my top tips for creating your own gallery wall at home, no matter what your style is.

First, what the heck is a gallery wall? You might be envisioning an art gallery, but this is something a little different. A cohesive grouping of artwork, photographs, favorite mementos and collections is my definition of a gallery wall. These can be formal with symmetry and a coordinating theme, or informal with an eclectic blend of artwork displayed in random order.

Set the tone. The color of your walls will influence the look of your artwork, and you may improve the appearance of your collection by adding a new coat of paint. A strong neutral shade can help your images stand out, while lighter colored walls really complement a more minimalist gallery wall and a dark color can make it pop. Think black and white prints with generous velvety mattes. Remember that painting a single wall is a minimal time commitment—if you don’t like how it looks with your artwork, just paint over it.

Choose your layout. Try laying your pictures on the floor to create your composition before getting started. Take pictures to remember your layout—and don’t feel like you have to choose only one! You can even trace the frames on a large piece of craft paper to tape to the walls as a guide.

Here are some cool ways to display your pictures:

• Straight line: This formal and traditional format keeps all of the frames lined up horizontally and is ideal for frames of identical sizes.
• Column display: If you’re hanging pictures in a vertical configuration, try lining up pictures that are oddly shaped or have a landscape image. You can pair up smaller frames or line them up in ascending or descending sizes depending on your preference. This technique looks great on columns and in atriums or two-story spaces of your home.
• Circular display: Place pictures of various sizes together. A larger piece of artwork in the middle can serve as an anchor with smaller images around it.
• Eclectic: If your style is more laid-back, take a relaxed and organic approach to arranging your artwork. Blending photos and paintings of varying sizes, colors, and subjects can give your gallery wall a fun, funky feel. Bring a mix of small and large pieces of artwork, photographs, and sculptures together. Faux taxidermy, starburst clocks, and vintage finds on cool little shelves are clever additions.

Try a traditional display. If your design style veers toward the traditional, consider hanging your artwork in a rectilinear or grid fashion. The straight lines will feel orderly and will make for a more subdued style. Picture rails and shelves can help display your artwork in a uniform manner as well, a great option for rooms where you’d like to swap out images or change matting or frames.

Choose a theme. One way to create consistency is to choose a common message or theme. Your gallery walls could be unified by color, design style, subject, or even the frames. Your options are limitless!

• Kids’ Rooms: Animals, nature, athletic teams, and kids’ own artwork are a perfect fit for themed walls.
• Living Room/Hallway: Family photos that carry a nostalgic theme, progression photos showing the growth of pets or kids, family athletic events, and past holiday get-togethers unify the family on a gallery wall.
• Abstract: In a home office or a dining room wall, try an abstract theme. Also look for artwork with gorgeous colors and patterns but no specific subjects that work beautifully together.

Creating a gallery wall in your home doesn’t have to be difficult. Regardless of the style of your home, you and your family can display their photographs, artwork and even crafts to let their personalities shine. Remember, just like with art, there are no real rules—follow your instincts, and you’re sure to create a gallery wall that will evolve with you for years to come.

Laurie Laizure is the CEO of Customized Walls and founder of the largest online community for design pros, Interior Design Community. Laurie’s work has been featured on HGTV, Food Network, Bravo, and Hulu Plus and also seen in New England Home and Country Living magazines. She also writes on her own blog, William Sonoma Designer Marketplace and for Shutterfly.com. Connect in with her here: Google+