How To Create The Perfect Stairwell Gallery Wall

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It's easy to forget about the space behind your stairwell, but to add some spark to your steps, more fun to each flight, and a little love to your landings, try creating the perfect gallery wall. Whether your staircase is narrow and needs a solution that creates a sense of spaciousness, or it's the only focal point in front of a giant flat space, a gallery wall is one of the best ways to add personality and character to your home. There's more to nailing the look than hanging a few scattered pieces and calling it a day. According to Erika Dale, House Digest's interior design expert and founder of Erika Dale Interior Design, to create the perfect stairwell gallery wall, you'll need to pick artwork and frames that complement each other, carefully consider their size and scale, experiment with positioning and placement, and hang them very carefully.

"The most time-consuming part of building a gallery wall is curating the right art pieces," Dale told House Digest during an exclusive interview. "If you have a collection of beloved artwork at home that you can 'shop' from, then you're a step ahead of the game. But if you're starting from scratch, it can be a labor of love to find the right subjects, sizes, and color palettes to work together as one." The interior design expert said that while you can create an eclectic look that's still elegant, you should have a unifying thread instead of picking totally random pieces. "Whether it be theme, color palette, time period, medium, or even just vibes ... the pieces [should] complement one another for a successful arrangement."

"I look for art pieces in a variety of sizes and orientations ... as well as small objects or decor to layer," Erika Dale said during her exclusive interview with House Digest. According to the designer, you shouldn't be afraid of going a little larger with some of your picks. "One of my biggest pet peeves with any gallery wall is when all of the art is undersized, causing it to look dinky and cluttered." A few pieces should be substantial enough to add "wow factor." 

Choosing the right frames for your art can be tricky, but it's key to creating the perfect stairwell gallery wall. Matching frames can look uniform, but Dale cautioned that they can feel monotonous if you aren't thoughtful about size and orientation. Instead, she suggested creating "more of a curated look by assembling a mix of frame finishes and textures for an eclectic vibe." 

After you've got your artwork and frames picked out, it's time to plan your layout. According to Dale, it can be done in two different ways. "You can take the lazy designer's (me) approach and just lay the pieces out on the floor first to mimic the look on the wall." But the interiors expert said if you have a unique or angled staircase, it's better to mock up your layout on the wall itself. You can simplify your gallery accent wall placement with a paper hack. "Cut paper templates the same size as each framed piece, label them, and use painter's tape to mock up the layout on the wall," Dale explained.

Next, you'll need to figure out the spacing. "I typically leave about 1.5 to 3 inches between pieces ... and try to be relatively consistent throughout," Erika Dale told House Digest during her exclusive interview. "If the placement is totally random, it won't feel unified," Dale cautioned. She recommended finding common points, like edges or corners, that line up with each other to keep the pieces connected. "Staircase gallery walls in particular need to be stair-stepped or arranged diagonally to follow the line of the stairs, but this angle does not need to be perfectly uniform to work," the interior designer added.

In fact, Dale told us the only way to perfect your stairwell gallery wall is to focus on the overall feeling instead of measurements. "I tend to work on vibes — I play with which larger pieces look and feel right together, then slowly build outward with smaller pieces ... until the gallery wall comes to life," she explained. Experimenting on the floor until you get the arrangement just right minimizes the risk of damaging pieces and eliminates poking unnecessary holes in your walls.

Finally, it's time to hang your gallery wall. "Measure the hanging point for each piece and install them," Dale recommended. "When complete, use a Command Picture Hanging Strip on the bottom to keep the piece exactly in place where you want it," she suggested. The interior designer said this little trick works perfectly on high-traffic stairs, making sure your artwork doesn't become crooked if pieces are bumped as you or your family head up and down throughout the day.