TL;DR
Get cleaning gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Toronto framing expert Tara Gavin says a gallery wall works best when its frames, mats and photographs follow a clear design direction. Her examples use burgundy accents, varied mat spacing and black-and-white family photos to bring visual consistency to a compact display.
Framing expert Tara Gavin recommends giving a gallery wall a clear design direction, rather than relying on a uniform set of frames and evenly centered pictures. In advice published by House Beautiful, the Toronto framer describes using colored mats, varied framing and black-and-white photographs to make a collection feel connected while still allowing individual pieces to stand out.
Gavin, founder of On the Wall Framing in Toronto, developed one example with design studio Kessler Levitan for a family of five. The available wall was just 31 inches wide. Rather than treating the narrow space as a limitation, she used a mix of oak and black frames, with burgundy-colored mats and frames on some pieces.
Gavin said burgundy adds warmth, while oak keeps the arrangement from feeling too formal and black frames provide contrast. She suggested choosing a color that also appears in the room’s furnishings, so the display can feel distinctive without becoming disconnected from its surroundings. White mats and wood frames remain an option, but she argued they are not the only workable palette.
Her other recommendations focus on the images and their arrangement. Gavin’s team uses negative space—including the mat area around an image—to draw attention to smaller photographs. She also uses multiple photo openings in one frame or positions pictures off-center instead of automatically centering a single image. For the Toronto project, the family photographs were printed in black and white to make pictures taken at different times and in different lighting feel more consistent as a group.
A Cohesive Wall Without Matching Frames
Gavin’s guidance addresses a common design problem: family photographs and collected prints often vary in size, age, lighting and color. Her approach offers a way to make those differences feel intentional without requiring a collection of expensive artwork or identical frames. Consistent choices across mats, colors or photo treatment can tie pieces together, while differences in scale and placement keep the arrangement from looking mechanically repeated.
The narrow Toronto installation also shows how a gallery wall can be planned for a specific space rather than assembled according to a single template. That matters for renters and homeowners working with limited wall area: the example uses a small footprint, but the report does not claim that one arrangement or palette will suit every room. The practical takeaway is to decide what connects the pieces before hanging them, then use framing and spacing to support that direction.
Products Worth Considering
Philips Hue Large Smart Light Tube, Black – White and Color Ambiance LED Color-Changing Light – 1 Pack
Shark Navigator Robot Vacuum with 30-Day Self-Empty Base, White (AV2110S)
Philips Hue Secure Wired Video Doorbell, 2K, Black
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The Toronto Wall Behind the Advice
House Beautiful’s report presents Gavin’s recommendations through a commissioned project for a Toronto family of five, curated in collaboration with Kessler Levitan. The wall offered only 31 inches of width, and the arrangement mixed family photographs with different framing treatments. The article identifies the project as an example of her method; it does not provide a full installation plan, measurements for spacing, or a list of every image used.
The report’s three main design choices are to use a considered color palette, make room for negative space and create consistency in the photographs. Those choices can be adapted independently. For example, Gavin said rich burgundy, soft blue, olive green or a warm neutral can replace white mats, while black-and-white printing is a recommendation rather than a requirement.
“The secret to doing a gallery wall right is to make sure it has a “design direction.””
— Tara Gavin, founder of On the Wall Framing
Choices Depend on the Room
The report does not give exact hanging heights, gaps between frames, hardware specifications or a step-by-step installation sequence. It also does not establish that black-and-white printing or burgundy accents are necessary for a successful gallery wall; both are choices Gavin used or recommended as options. The best palette and arrangement for another home will depend on the wall dimensions, furnishings and photographs available.
House Beautiful’s source text provides no publication date, so the timing of the article cannot be stated more precisely here. No independent evaluation or measurements are supplied to compare Gavin’s approach with other framing methods.
Plan the Layout Before Hanging
For readers applying the advice, the next step is to set a direction for the collection: choose a frame and mat palette, decide whether the photographs should be converted to black and white, and test how different mat widths and image positions look together. Gavin’s example suggests considering the surrounding room and the space available before settling on the final mix.
The source does not report a follow-up to the Toronto project or announce further guidance from Gavin. Any layout decisions beyond the principles she described—such as exact spacing or mounting methods—remain matters for the individual wall and installation.
Key Questions
What does Tara Gavin mean by a gallery wall having a design direction?
She means choosing a visual approach that connects the display, such as a related frame palette, colored mats or a consistent treatment of the photographs, rather than assembling pieces without a common plan.
Does a gallery wall need matching frames?
No. Gavin’s Toronto example combines oak and black frames with burgundy accents. Her advice is to make the different elements work together, not to use identical frames throughout.
Why use black-and-white family photographs?
Gavin says monochrome printing can create consistency when photos were taken at different times, in different lighting and with different color palettes. She presents it as an option, not a rule.
How can negative space change a gallery wall?
A wider mat can give a small photograph more visual room. Gavin also suggests placing several photo openings in one frame or positioning an image off-center to make the composition less predictable.
Can this approach work on a narrow wall?
Gavin’s example was designed for a wall only 31 inches wide, showing that her approach can be applied to a compact space. The report does not provide a universal layout or spacing formula for other walls.
Source: rss
