How to Build a Gallery Wall: Layout and Spacing

A gallery wall is a group of prints that reads as one composition. It works when the spacing is even and the group has an anchor, and it falls apart when prints are scattered at random heights. Plan it on the floor before a single hook goes up.

This guide covers how to lay a group out, how much space to leave between frames, how to choose prints that hold together, and how to hang the whole thing straight.

Table of Contents

• Start on the Floor, Not the Wall
• Spacing: Keep It Consistent
• Choosing Prints That Work Together
• Grid or Salon: Two Layouts
• Hanging the Group Without Chaos
• Why Birch & Banksia Prints Group Well
• Frequently Asked Questions

Start on the Floor, Not the Wall

Lay the prints out on the floor first. Move them around until the group looks balanced, then photograph it. That photo is your map, and it saves you from a wall full of trial holes.

Cut a sheet of paper to the size of each frame and tape those to the wall in the same arrangement. Now you can see the real footprint at real height before you commit. Adjust on paper, not on plaster.

Spacing: Keep It Consistent

Even spacing is what makes a group read as one piece rather than several. Pick a gap and hold it across the whole wall. Somewhere between 5 and 8cm suits most groups.

A pair of 50x70s with 6cm between them is a common gallery-wall standard, and it is a good default to build out from. The exact number matters less than keeping it the same everywhere. Inconsistent gaps are the fastest way to make a wall look accidental.

Choosing Prints That Work Together

A group holds together when the prints share something. The simplest shared thread is the paper and the frame. Prints on the same paper, in the same frame finish, read as a set even when the species differ.

That gives you room to mix. Pair Australian natives with Northern Hemisphere species, a banksia beside a maple or a pine, and the group tells a wider story while still looking deliberate. Vary the size too. One larger print anchors the group, and smaller prints fill in around it.

If you are not sure which species sit well together, our Find Your Print quiz is a quick place to start.

Grid or Salon: Two Layouts

There are two layouts worth knowing. A grid uses same-size prints in even rows and columns, with equal gaps. It is calm, formal, and forgiving, and it suits a set of matching prints.

A salon hang mixes sizes around a central anchor, filling the space more loosely. It carries more energy and handles odd numbers well. Grid for order, salon for movement. Both rely on the same even spacing to hold together.

Hanging the Group Without Chaos

Work from the centre of the group outward, and treat the middle of the whole arrangement like a single print, centred around 145cm from the floor. Hang the anchor first, then build around it, checking each frame with a spirit level as you go.

If you are renting, or you would rather not drill a dozen holes, the group hangs just as well on removable fixings. The damage-free hanging guide covers the methods, and paper templates mean you only place each fixing once.

Why Birch & Banksia Prints Group Well

Every Birch & Banksia print is produced on the same paper, 250gsm FSC-certified matte uncoated natural white archival paper, 0.29mm thick. That consistency is what lets a mixed group of species read as one set.

The images are historic botanical plates, digitally restored from public-domain archives. Nothing is invented, and nothing is taken from a living artist. Frames come in natural timber, white, dark wood, and black, so a whole wall can share one finish.

Sizing the group is half the job. The sizing guide covers which sizes anchor a wall and which fill in around them.

One percent of every sale, not one percent of profit, goes to native Australian reforestation. Build your wall from the range at birchandbanksia.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much space should I leave between frames on a gallery wall? Between 5 and 8cm, held consistently across the whole wall. A pair of 50x70s with 6cm between them is a common standard. Even spacing matters more than the exact number.

How many prints do I need for a gallery wall? As few as two, or as many as the wall holds. Odd numbers suit a loose salon layout, even numbers suit a grid. Start with one larger print as the anchor and build around it.

Can I mix different botanical species on one wall? Yes, and it usually looks better than repeating one. Keep the paper and frame consistent so the group reads as a set, then mix Australian and Northern Hemisphere species freely.

How do I keep a gallery wall straight? Plan it on the floor, transfer it to the wall with paper templates, and check every frame with a spirit level. Treat the centre of the whole group like a single print at about 145cm.