Designer Claire Zinnecker shares her tips for building a personalized gallery wall.
By Courtney Runn, Marketplace photos by Facebook, Gallery wall picture with dogs by Claire Zinnecker, Vertical gallery wall by Courtney Runn
Designing a Pinterest-worthy gallery wall can be an overwhelming task. So, we asked Claire Zinnecker, Austin-based interior designer and star of NBC’sGet Out of My Room, to share her tips for creating a dreamy gallery wall.
In November, Zinnecker partnered with Facebook Marketplace to decorate an East Austin home with items curated from the e-commerce site. (Facebook’s version of Craigslist, Marketplace comes with the added perk of Facebook stalking your potential seller.) Visitors could admire Zinnecker’s design but also purchase any item in the house at the same price it sold for online. Two of the most eye-catching displays were Zinnecker’s gallery walls, which not only featured traditional frames, but also woven bowls, jewelry and hats.
During the open-house weekend, Zinnecker hosted several classes, including one about her secrets to creating an easy but visually stunning wall that represents your story and fits your house.
Here are five of her tips you can take home:
1. Don’t be intimidated.
“Your gallery wall should be a story or reflection of you. Have fun with it. If you don’t like something, just change it up. [The] only mistake you can really make is overthinking it!”
2. Switch up your keywords when hunting online.
“Try changing things up in your Facebook Marketplace search, like ‘vintage’ versus ‘antique’ to expand and change your results. Click ‘follow’ on your searches for new items to update daily.”
3. Play around with what you include.
“My rule is anything goes! I love to play with two-dimensional items like prints and photos and mix in three-dimensional pieces like a camera or a hat. This creates visual interest, depth and texture. Just make sure to disperse the items throughout evenly (i.e., 3D objects scattered throughout; don’t clump together frames all the same color/size, etc.).”
4. Don’t worry about it being perfect.
“I say don’t line anything up. If no lines match then the puzzle is intentional. Use museum corners on prints to make sure the frame hangs and stays straight.”
5. Make sure it reflects you.
“Let it be the story of your life, passions, interests. Mine is constantly changing depending on my color interests that month or if I happen to find a great vintage piece of art or hat. If you have fun with it, that will show in your wall, creating an incredible conversation piece.”
