Every homeowner sets out to decorate their home to make it feel as inviting and comfortable as possible. However, there are still a few common mistakes that can make your place look a little dated or out of style. This often comes when well-intentioned amateur decorators take inspiration from trends—only to mishandle the execution in the end. And according to one interior designer, there’s one easily avoidable misstep that’s making your house look cheap.
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If you’ve kept up with design trends over the last decade or so, there’s a decent chance you’re familiar with the gallery wall. Simply put, it involves creating a decorative display by hanging art, prints, or photos and arranging them how you see fit. Some opt for various sizes and shapes, while others prefer to keep things symmetrical.
Sounds easy enough, right? Maybe not. In a recent video, visual concept designer and TikTok user @obtainedvisions demonstrates just how quickly the relatively simple motif can go wrong.
The video first shows inspiration photos for a gallery wall, with six equally sized frames forming an impressive spread. But @obtainedvisions points out that most people actually end up using frames that are too small or take up too little space on the wall. Most notably, “skimping out” by not using matted frames with ample neutral borders is a mistake that “immediately cheapens” the home, she says.
In the video’s caption, @obtainedvisions explains that while this can be an aesthetic misunderstanding, people usually go for the smaller frames to save some cash. However, she encourages homeowners to invest in “those luxury oversized matted frames for the modern gallery wall of your dreams” instead of holding back.
“Don’t buy teeny frames and mount them six inches from the ceiling,” she warns in the caption. “[And] skip adding 100 of them to make up for the teeny size. BUY the 20×20 oversize matted frame, if that’s your inspo.”
She cautions, “Skimping out on it by trying to save a dollar is only going to result in you still not being happy with your gallery wall, and it’s going to look cheaper in the long run—because it is!”
When all is said and done, @obtainedvisions says you’ll end up wanting the bigger ones and will have “wasted all the money you spent on the original too-tiny ones.”
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Other experts agree with her take. Home design expert Kate Fuller (@KateFuller) said that while she doesn’t love gallery walls in general, she has some tips for those who want to do so correctly.
“First and foremost, I would do all the photos in black and white,” she says. “Black and white photos are more timeless and sophisticated, in my opinion, and so I’d always opt for those.”
Her second tip also echoes @obtainedvisions: She would never have a gallery wall without matted frames. “Matted frames always give a more completed, luxurious look that has an overall balanced finish,” Fuller says.
Ready to grab the frames of your dreams? Affordable home design expert Kiva Brent suggests taking some measurements before you head to the store.
In a TikTok video, she offers an equation for anyone who wants a symmetrical gallery way. First, multiply the width of the wall in question by 0.67. Then, subtract the total number of inches you’d like between each column from that number, which you should then divide by the number of columns. You should also repeat this step for the height of the wall.
“For an asymmetrical gallery wall, you just want to do the height of the wall [multiplied by] 0.67 and the width of the wall by 0.67,” Brent adds. “Just don’t allow the galley wall to extend beyond the calculated heights and widths!”