The Gallery Wall: an exercise in patience!

It turns out that I wasn't finished with my gallery wall in my living room after all.

It also turns out that this gallery wall is just one more thing in my life that is going to make me crazy!

When I went in search for gallery wall inspiration, the examples I found all seemed so, well, perfectly imperfect. For me, their 'perfection' came from being imperfect. It didn't matter that the distance between each element was inconsistent, or that something was a little off-center.

So why is that I keep asking myself...Is that picture centered? Should it be? Is that picture level?  (I swear it was yesterday!) Should I fill that empty spot? Is it too crowded? Yes, each and every time I sit in my living room, I stare blankly at the wall and think...hmmm...that needs a little adjusting here...and that could be better there! 


But despite those little irritations, I really enjoy this wall.  I realize that gallery walls are not for everybody, but they are high on my list of favorite things. And, this one has really grown on me over the past month.

Here's where I started out...

Here's where I was with it the last time I posted about it:

At that time, I really felt that something was off.

The more time I spent with it, the more I determined what needed to change.

I determined that the sconces needed to go.  Because the large canvas was centered between them, it felt like everything else was just floating on top.  It felt like two separate wall groupings, rather than a cohesive 'gallery'.

I also felt like it needed more personal relevance and personality.  It needed to be meaningful, not just a bunch of pretty things. So I added more of my favorite photos, as well as my favorite rustic sign and a little chalkboard.  It now incorporates so many of the things I love - my favorite photos of my babies and my niece/nephew, a bird and a butterfly, french wine labels, pretty plates (one with the Eiffel tower), a chippy vintage sign, and a chalkboard.

And, tada, here's how it looks now...

 And here's a closer look at some of the elements I used...

 

I know it will probably be tweaked again later, but for now, it makes me happy. And isn't that what decorating is all about? :-)

 So how do you feel about gallery walls? Love em or leave em?





PS. I'm sharing this at