How to Make a Gallery Wall on a Budget (DIY)
From our professional wedding photos to everyday iPhone photos of my little kiddo playing in the backyard, family photos are one my favorite ways to decorate our home & add that little personal touch that really makes our house feel like a home.
From the framed photo of my husband and I on our honeymoon that carefully sits on my nightstand to the Christmas card photo of my little family of three at the pumpkin patch last year that hangs over my desk, there’s not a room in our house without some sort of sweet memory hanging on the walls in picture form. But for those everyday snaps of my little monkey being his adorable little self or our fun family vacation photos on the beach, I wanted to find a way to display these everyday moments in a way where I could easily update them with new photos as we keep creating new memories & without breaking the bank...
I’ve always loved the idea of gallery wall, but not so much the price point! Everything I found was always so expensive... those fancy websites that custom frame your favorite photos & create that perfect Pinterest-worthy wall of photos? Hundreds. So instead of paying someone else to do the work, I decided to get creative & come up with my own DIY version of a gallery wall that stills make a stunning statement but without the hefty price tag. Here’s how I did it!
How to Do Gallery Wall on a Budget
(DIY)
By using the Shutterfly app for free prints (you just pay a small shipping fee!) and picking up some unique but rather inexpensive frames, I was able to create a statement gallery wall for just a fraction of the price! Here’s the step-by-step process to create your own gallery wall on a budget!
STEP #1
Gather your favorite photos in the Shutterfly app and create a coordinating collection of photos. From complementing colors schemes to seasonal themes, you could pick a collection of vacation photos of just everyday shots of your kiddos.
TIP: Vary the shots from close up to far away to create a cohesive look when you’re designing your gallery wall later on.
STEP #2
Pick your print size (either 4x4 or 4x6) and order! I went with the 4x4 size because it has a really fun, modern look! Also, you’ll want to order between 2-3 extra photos depending upon the size of your gallery wall, so you’ll have a few different options to choose from when you’re designing your gallery wall later on.
TIP: In order to get the full effect of a gallery wall, I suggest doing at least 6 photos total but 9 would be a great option, too! I could have easily done 9 photos for my gallery wall and make it span down the entire wall, but I didn’t want my little toddler to be constantly trying to pull the lower photos off the wall and risk hurting himself... and I actually really like how it turned it with 6, the rectangular shape fills the wall really well and creates the perfect statement I was looking for!
STEP #3
Shop for inexpensive yet statement making frames. There’s a ton of fun options out there for the 4x4 photo size, and some of my favorites are the ones with a glass inset because it really makes your photos pop! The larger the frame is compared to your 4x4 photo, the bigger statement it’ll have when hanging on the wall.
TIP: Pairing a larger frame with your 4x4 photo is how you create a statement gallery wall that fills a large open wall for a fraction of the cost & keep the ability to update your wall and change out those free 4x4 photos as often as you’d like! Both Target & Hobby Lobby have great frame options! I found these black wood ones on sale at Hobby Lobby.
STEP #4
Arrange your photos in the order you like & then hang them up! I like to lay out the photos on a table and plan around with different combinations before I put them in the frames and hang them up. It gives me a better idea of how it’s going to look on the wall & saves me tons of time from having to rearrange them later!
STEP #5
Swap out the 4x4 photos every season or anytime you feel like you need a change! I started with a summer theme of blues and yellows & then transitioned it this past fall to more olives and neutrals with our recent family photos! But honestly, I loved having the summer photos up all year long because it brought a nice little ray of sunshine to some of those cold & dreary winter days! So have fun with it & enjoy looking back on some of your fav family memories!
THE BEST PART: You can switch up the whole look of your wall by just swapping out the photos!
Pin it to Pinterest?
Don’t forget you can pin these photos to Pinterest + save them for later! Keep them on your Home Decor/DIY Board for inspo you can come back to again and again… Use the Pinterest button below or simply click on any photo to save it.
xo
Adrianna
