Gallery Wall Layout: A Simple Plan for Canvas Prints

A gallery wall can look careless or calm, and the difference is mostly planning. You do not need a design eye. You need a few measurements, some paper and an hour on the floor. This guide uses our three most common canvas sizes, 12x18, 16x24 and 24x36 inches, so you can see the real numbers.

Start with an anchor

Most layouts that look good begin with one large piece. Frameology's formula puts one large frame in the center, two medium frames beside it and two small ones at the corners. The large piece gives the eye a place to start, and the others support it.

With canvas, the 24x36 is the natural anchor. Place a 16x24 or a 12x18 on each side. The group reads as one shape, which is what makes a gallery wall feel planned.

Use an odd number of pieces

The same guide suggests grouping three, five or seven frames for a more lively look. An odd number leaves a clear middle piece. Two or four pieces can also work, but they sit best in a neat grid.

If you want a simple start, hang three. Three vertical canvases of the same size make a clean row. Browse sets of three or sets of four if you want a ready pairing.

Keep the gaps equal

Frameology says to keep 2 to 3 inches between every frame. The exact number matters less than the fact that every gap is the same. Pick 2.5 inches and use it everywhere.

Here are some real widths with 2.5-inch gaps:

Layout	Total width	Total height
Three 12x18 canvases, vertical	41 in	18 in
Three 16x24 canvases, vertical	53 in	24 in
One 24x36 between two 12x18 canvases, vertical	53 in	36 in
Two 24x36 canvases side by side, vertical	50.5 in	36 in

Add up the widths and gaps before you buy. If the total is wider than the furniture below, take away a piece or choose smaller sizes. Our guide to canvas print sizes helps with this.

Find the center height

Treat the whole arrangement as one picture. Bob Vila says to center the group at 57 inches, and gives an example of four frames that total 32 inches in height, with 16 inches above the line and 16 below. Frameology gives a slightly higher range of 57 to 60 inches, measured to the visual middle of the group.

Take the one 24x36 between two 12x18 prints. The group is 36 inches tall, so half is 18. At a 57-inch center, the top sits at 75 inches and the bottom at 39 inches. See how high to hang pictures for the hook math.

Above furniture

When the wall sits above a sofa or console, both guides give the same advice. Leave 6 to 8 inches between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the lowest frame. If that makes the group sit well below 57 inches, keep the furniture gap, because the group needs to read as part of that corner of the room.

Plan with paper templates

Paper templates save holes in the wall. Frameology's steps are simple:

1. Trace each frame on kraft paper or newspaper and cut it out.
2. Mark where the nail or hook goes on each template.
3. Label each piece, such as "anchor" or "left vertical".
4. Tape the templates to the wall with low-tack painter's tape, starting with the anchor at 57 to 60 inches.
5. Leave them up for a few hours, and move them until the spacing looks even from where you usually stand.
6. Drive the nails through the marks, remove the paper and hang the canvases.

Bob Vila also recommends cut-to-size paper templates taped to the wall before mounting. Our canvases are 12x18, 16x24 and 24x36 inches, so you can cut templates to those sizes before you order.

If you want to avoid nails, read how to hang art without nails and plan strip positions on the templates instead.

Choose a theme that holds together

A gallery wall needs a link between its pieces. With botanical prints, the link can be one subject, one color or one source. A few ways to build a set:

• One subject. Three prints of roses or three of owls look related at once.
• One color. Choose from blue, pink or black and white pages, and the group will read as one palette.
• One style. The antique botanical collection gathers plates from old natural history books.
• One illustrator. Audubon bird prints share a drawing style.

Mixing flowers, birds and butterflies can work too, as long as the sizes and gaps are regular.

A short plan

1. Pick an anchor: usually the 24x36.
2. Add an odd number of smaller canvases around it.
3. Use one gap, between 2 and 3 inches, everywhere.
4. Center the group at 57 inches, up to 60.
5. Keep 6 to 8 inches above any furniture.
6. Tape paper templates up for a few hours before you commit.

When you are ready to choose prints, see sets and gallery walls or the full shop.

Sources

• Simple no-fail gallery wall formula, Frameology: anchor layout, odd numbers, 2 to 3 inch gaps, 57 to 60 inch center, 6 to 8 inches above furniture and the paper template steps.
• How high to hang pictures, Bob Vila: centering a group at 57 inches, the furniture gap and paper templates.