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In this post: Tips and trick for hanging a stairway gallery wall. Transform your blank stairway wall with this easy DIY project. Advice for frame spacing and size.

Stairway Gallery Wall

I finally did it. I hung my stairway gallery wall after several months of looking at a big piece of blank space. This is one of those jobs that I had been putting off and was honestly dreading. I was pleasantly surprised when it took just a few hours and was relatively painless. In no time no time at all my blank wall went from this…

Refinished Staircase - go from drab to fab!to this!

Stairway Gallery Wall ~ On Sutton Place

Stairway Gallery Wall Steps

  • I measured the stairway wall space and plotted it out on my living room floor with painters tape. (Even if you use a carpeted surface, the painters tape still sticks.) I then laid all the pictures on the floor inside the tape lines.
  • Next I moved them around until I was sure the arrengement was balanced. I was able to stand back and look at it, which was the key to getting everything in the right place.  I decided to hang the pictures much closer together than the previous arrangement.
  • I started on the left with the first picture and worked my way up the stairs.
  • To hang each picture, I used a hanging tool similar to {THIS.} It worked like a charm, I didn’t have to measure anything, and there were no extra, random holes in my wall.

For a split second before I pounded in the first nail, I thought about painting all the frames a different color…white maybe. I quickly talked myself out of that and kept all the frames black. They are varied in size and the frames are different styles. The fact that they are all black is what gives it a cohesive look. Besides, every home needs a little bit of black!

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39 Comments

  1. Pingback: Refinished Staircase - On Sutton Place
  2. Ann,

    I love gallery walls. Going up the stairs is a perfect way to display photos. Your staircase is beautiful with the natural wood. I’ve thought about doing that with my basement stairs (the only staircase in my home) Love the color of the walls. I like the black frames. I bet everyone who comes over stops on those stairs to look at the photo gallery.

  3. What perfect way to display pictures on such a hard place, the stairway landing! I also love the steps, I saw you at Savvy S. and I might be copying what you did to them!

  4. I just saw your feature over at Kim’s and had to come over and tell you in person how amazing your transformation turned out to be. I know you said it was a lot of work, & that’s very obvious, but it is absolutely gorgeous! Well done, Ann!

  5. I love gallery walls! This is so pretty. I have several in my home but I keep putting off the stairway too. Beautiful job!

  6. Great job, Ann. It looks wonderful. I totally know what you mean about putting this job off for a while. I had a family gallery on the landing upstairs, and I took it down years ago to paint. I knew I wanted to make a change, and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We finally bit the bullet and completed it last year. I am like you, it was worth the wait.

  7. I admit I’m having a little stairway envy right now! The gallery wall is perfect! And, you’re so lucky to have your own bittersweet! I’m always searching the markets for real bittersweet for decorating this time of year!

    Blessings,

    Doreen

  8. Your gallery is gorgeous! Love that look with all of the black frames.

  9. Have you thought about painting the hand rail black?

  10. Ann, it looks so much “lighter and cleaner” than before (with old carpet and wall color). What a great change and the picture grouping looks great!

  11. Looks beautiful, Ann! I love black frames…and black and white photos.

    xo
    Pat

  12. Jill Flory says:

    I love it! Yours is so much easier to photograph too! Mine is really hard to get photos of because it isn’t patially open like yours. I went with white frames this time – we painted all my black frames white!

  13. Omg I love it……I’ve been gathering pictures to do mine…hopefully soon! Great job!

  14. Ann, I love the gallery wall. So pretty and frames are pretty as well.

    Cynthia

  15. This looks wonderful, Ann!

    I love the bittersweet too.

  16. Dolly Sarrio says:

    Great job! That is something I have wanted to do for years. You inspire me to give it a try…thanks!

  17. It looks beautiful ! That is exactly what I want to do, and can you believe I have had pictures leaning on my wall , waiting to be hung, for about 3 years ! Ridiculous ! Will be looking forward to hearing about the tool you used so I can get one, and get going ! Lovely home…….

    1. You make so many great points here that I read your aticrle a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers.

  18. I love your gallery wall. I have the same kind of stairway and I want to do the same thing. I will also use black frames. I can’t wait to hear about the tool you used. Why is this project so hard for me to start?

  19. Hi Ann,
    Your stairway gallery wall looks marvellous! I’m glad you left the frames black, they really pop against the blue wall, I like the contrast. I hope you do, too.
    I don’t think bittersweet grows here, I’ve never seen it anywhere.
    have a wonderful week.
    Hugs, Cindy

  20. Brenda Kula says:

    I think the black frames hung close together give it a very cohesive and elegant look, Ann.
    Brenda

  21. I like them black too Ann, looks great on your wall and I also like them closer together!

  22. Wow! Looks so professional. Love it. Linda

    1. Posted on Yo, thanks for the shout-out! Part 3 is plabobry coming sooner rather than later, detailing JLA #111 and bringing people back up on to speed on Libra (who DC has been pushing as a factor in FC recently). That’s his one and only appearance, and there’s a lot there to suggest connections with G-Mo’s themes.Again, glad to hear you liked it!

  23. Sweet Posy Dreams says:

    That looks wonderful, and will be such a pleasure to see the family faces every time you go up or down the stairs.

  24. Beautifully done Ann!!

  25. Mary Alice Patterson says:

    Your gallery wall is wonderful, and I’m glad you didn’t paint the black frames. :-) I’m also liking the pictures hung closer together.
    Mary Alice

  26. Looks beautiful Ann! I love gallery walls and wish I had more space to create one myself.

  27. Barb @ The Everyday Home says:

    Oh Ann its just lovely! We have a one story home and when I see a beautiful staircase like yours I miss not having a 2d story for that reason. (not climbing the stairs, though) LOL I like that they are hung closer together. Good job.

  28. I love the wall, Ann! The pictures and frames go so well with your wall color! You did a nice job!

    XO,
    Jane

  29. Katie @ Wildwood Creek says:

    Love the gallery wall! The black frames add a nice contrast.

  30. I love it. I have saved your picture on my desktop so I can use it as a pattern on rearranging the pictures on my stairway.

  31. Your gallery wall looks wonderful! I can only imagine the patience in taking that on…trying to get it all straight on an incline. You did a super job, Ann.

  32. Keeping it Cozy says:

    It looks great! I love gallery walls… I think family pictures should always be incorporated into a home’s decor! Okay, I have absolutely no idea what bittersweet is, but it is gorgeous! Now I have to do some research.

  33. Olive Cooper says:

    Ann, the gallery wall looks lovely and I like black frames against your paint. xo, olive

  34. It looks great. I agree with the others that the black frames pop in that area. I like the way you hung them with some straight lines matching up.

  35. Ricki Jill Treleaven says:

    Your gallery looks great! LOVE the black frames against the pale blue walls.

  36. Penny @ The Comforts of Home & Flea Market Makeovers says:

    Your stair wall of photos look great Ann. I love them closer together like that.

  37. Anne Boykin says:

    Ann, Your pictures came out great! I like that you kept the frames black. I’m looking forward to learning whatever tool you used to do this – I’ve got some pictures to hang too.