Today’s guest blogger is a friend of mine who owns Gregg Irby Fine Arts in Atlanta, GA, a gallery specializing in emerging artists. I have been lucky enough to host two art shows for Gregg’s artists in my Nashville home, as she does a sort of “traveling trunk show” with her art (hello, fabulous idea!), and nothing is more fun than having your home turned into an art gallery for a couple of days. It’s a total gift to my kids to immerse them in original art, as well. Having an extra glass of wine after the show with Gregg, Walton and Besty (Walton and Betsy host the show with me and Betsy is the one who got Gregg to come) is pretty great, too! Knowing what an expert Gregg is at both spotting great art and displaying it, we asked her to put some thoughts together for creating the perfect gallery walls for your own home, no matter where you may live!
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Arranging gallery walls has become a pastime for me as the owner and operator of Gregg Irby Fine Art. One of the most fun things about running a gallery is working with the ever-changing paintings that come in and out. We are constantly hanging and re-hanging. Most of all, we love to create gallery walls, mixing our artists’ paintings together – whether by style, subject matter, palette, or just because it looks great! All you need is a hanging strategy. And I always start by choosing some of my favorite paintings that I want to work with, moving them around on the floor until I find a balanced grouping.
I find that it’s best if you start with a focal point.  This could be the largest painting or your favorite. The key is that this focal piece will set the tone for your wall.
One of my favorite homes by designer Benjii Jones featured in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. His unusual furniture adds to the feeling of an art collection built over time.
From Domino Magazine, design by Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke. Gallery walls transformed this staircase. The design duo used grass cloth to help mask nail holes from redo’s and changes!
This gallery wall adds interest over a seating vignette. Contemporary paintings mixed with antique paintings add a great edge.  Notice the wide array of presentations – ornate, antique frames; gallery wrapped paintings with no frames; simple, gold floater frames and wooden frames with glass. This goes to show that your frames don’t have to match.
Great mix that complements the purple and gold palette. It’s also nice to see that the focal point is not perfectly centered above the sofa.
From Apartment Therapy, these vintage portraits and landscapes make a very interesting and charming gallery wall. Â I love the creative placement toward the corner of the room!
Smalls mixed together with sconces balance the collection and console. Design by Celerie Kemble.
Keep going all the way to the ceiling – outstanding!
Kate Spade’s home photographed by Todd Selby.
Great group of photographs, paintings and works on paper. Look at the cool kid on the skateboard! He adds true originality to the placement.
From Sara Tuttle Interiors. The palette of the paintings pulls in the colors in the room. Very chic!
All the same genre, balanced by their size, which is a bit unexpected. (And I love anything unexpected!)
From Elle Décor, the architecture of this room lends itself to a fantastic gallery wall.
The sunburst mirror is a great addition to this wall. Remember that when creating gallery walls, you are not confined to just paintings. You can use mirrors and other wall décor objects as well.
Thank you, Gregg! Be sure to stop by Gregg Irby Fine Arts in Atlanta (www.greggirbyfineart.com) for affordable and beautiful art! You can also follow Gregg on her blog: theartselectress.blogspot.com