Make nature home: Create a stunning gallery wall with botanical paintings
Botanical gallery wall
Botanical paintings are a super way to bring the beauty of nature into your home decor. They can add a touch of elegance, sophistication, and tranquility to any room. From original paintings to fine art prints there’s a multitude of styles and subjects to suit every taste and budget. One of the best ways to display your botanical paintings is to create a gallery wall. Being a gallery curator, fine artists (with a love for painting flowers and plants) and having a 10 year plus interior design career under my belt, I’ve got some easy to follow tips and inspiring ideas to help you create your own botanical gallery wall at home.
The natural touch
We all know spending time in nature has huge benefits for our physical and mental health. It can help reduce stress, improve mood, boost creativity, and even strengthen our immune system. When we bring nature into our homes, we can enjoy many of the same benefits. Botanical paintings are a great way to do this, as they can help to create a calming and relaxing atmosphere. They can also remind us of the beauty of the natural world and help us feel more connected to it.
Arranging a collection
Just in case you’re not familiar with the concept, a gallery wall is interior design speak for an arrangement of different artworks on a wall. It can be as simple as two or three paintings, or as elaborate as a large display with dozens of pieces. It just so happens to be my favourite way of displaying art at home. Creating a botanical gallery wall is a great way to add a personal touch to your home and to showcase your love of nature. It's also a relatively easy project to do yourself.
Choose the right botanical paintings or prints
When choosing botanical art for your gallery wall, consider the overall aesthetic of your home. If your home decor is modern and minimalist, you might choose contemporary botanical paintings with bold colours, clean lines and dynamic compositions. Neutral backdrops can be the perfect setting for displaying impactful art in an informal way. If your home is more traditional, you might choose botanical paintings with similar imagery, arranged in a more uniform layout. Either way it’s important to choose paintings that will bring you joy.
Tips for a stunning botanical gallery wall
Mix and match different sizes, shapes, and styles. One of the best ways to create a visually appealing gallery wall is to mix it all up in an eclectic and playful way. By creating an apparently random arrangement of differences on one wall, individual paintings start working together as a dynamic whole. The resulting display can be as dynamic and impactful as you dare to make it. A gallery wall arrangement is a really good place to start if you’re at the beginning of your art collecting journey. A number of smaller paintings or prints can make a big impact when displayed together. Small sections of wall also make ideal places to group artworks, turning overlooked corners of your home into destination places.
Making arrangements
It’s important to arrange your paintings carefully. Once you've chosen your botanical paintings it's time to start arranging them on the wall. Start by choosing a focal point for your gallery wall. This could be the largest painting in your collection or the painting that you love the most. Once you've chosen a focal point, arrange the rest of your paintings around it.
Template tricks of the trade
Cutting out paper templates, matching the size of your paintings and carefully tacking them to the wall can be a helpful tool in planning the layout for your gallery wall. It gives you the opportunity to visualise the finished look and play with different arrangements before putting a nail in the wall. Don't be afraid to experiment with different arrangements until you find one that you love. You can always move your paintings around until you're happy with the look.
Spontaneous composition
A spontaneous approach to gallery wall arrangements can also be fun, although I’d only recommend this if you have a confident eye for composition. With this approach I tend to start with an idea and often work from the corner of a room or wall. This gives me the opportunity to evolve the gallery display over time. After all it’s lovely to know an art collection has the potential to grow over time.
Breathing space is key
Leave enough space between each painting. It's important to have some breathing room between the paintings in your gallery wall so that they don't look crowded. A good rule of thumb, depending on the scale of the wall, is to leave 5cm - 10cm of space between each frame. Use a level to make sure that all of your paintings are hanging straight. This will help to create a polished and professional look for your gallery wall.
Reap the rewards
With a little planning and effort, you can create a stunning botanical gallery wall that will add personality and style to your home. By following the tips in this blog post you'll be surrounded by nature in no time.
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