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Gallery Walls: the ugly side!

Gallery Walls: the ugly side!

23 Feb

This post was most recently updated on September 23rd, 2019

You know me, I love gallery walls!

 

My living room gallery wall, before we started painting.

But despite my adoration of gallery walls, they do have an ugly side.

Apparently, that ugly side only reveals itself when you disassemble it.

If you have a gallery wall in your home like me, then you’ll relate to the little row of 3 pictures that didn’t line up quite right the first time…

  • so you hammer another 3 holes because, well, who’s gonna see it anyway…
  • and then later, you decide you don’t like that little row of pictures, so you change it again, and none of the first 6 holes will work…
  • so then you say, what the heck, what’s another hole, the wall already looks like swiss cheese, so you hammer a 7th hole…
  • only to discover that the new picture doesn’t look quite right there after all…
  • so then you decide to put 2 pictures there instead of that one, and you hammer the 8th and 9th hole.
  • Then you repeat.  (Another section of the wall needs to be changed, and, well, now you’re a ninja and any hammering inhibitions you once had are now toast).

Before you know it, the hole to art ratio is at least 4:1, and when you finally re-paint the room, it ends up looking like this…

 Seriously, I persuaded myself that I had butchered the wall beyond repair.

So when we started  to re-paint our main living area the other day (click to see that post), I had convinced my Dad (who is painting for us) that he would need to fill at least 57,491 holes before any painting could begin.  I think I even left the house when he started to fill the holes, lol.

But here’s the encouraging part!  It wasn’t so bad after all.  Yes, there were A LOT of holes.   But not nearly as many as I had imagined.  And they were pretty easily and quickly repaired  with nail filler and paint (and a fantastic dad).

Seeing that nice, perfectly repaired wall up there reminds me of one of my favorite blog posts by one of my favorite home decor bloggers, Nester.  In it she says,

“A nail hole doesn’t represent something broken that needs to be repaired, it represents opportunity and just about the lowest entry level risk taking possible in life besides getting no whip on your coffee or something.  Please, for the love of all that is lovely don’t be afraid to make a nail hole.  Whether you are a templater or not, just make the hole, hang the art, I beg of you.”  Source: Nester

Click here for her full inspiring post at Nesting Place.

So, while, yes, there is an ugly side of gallery walls, it’s a very short-lived one.

And, seeing the ugly side wouldn’t prevent me from nailing another 100+ holes in this wall again if it means the result will be a great art display.  (EEEK…I just hope my Dad isn’t reading this, lol.)

Need more persuasion?  Check out my Pinterest folder of inspiring gallery walls and collections: click here.

Catch you next time,

Kerri

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By Kerri, February 23, 2012 Filed Under: Home Decor Tutorials & DIY Projects, Wall Art Ideas & DIY Wall Art

About Kerri

Kerri Roche is the owner, editor and voice behind A Pop of Pretty, a Canadian home decorating blog, where she shares her love of modern coastal and cottage home decorating style, from beautiful Newfoundland, on Canada's east coast. Home decorating has always been in her blood, even while earning a Marketing degree and MBA, and working in strategy and planning in a busy ad agency for over a decade. She aims to inspire other style seeking home lovers to decorate their own homes with confidence, by sharing home decorating ideas, shopping tips, and DIY tutorials from her own suburban home and lakeside cottage - all l while juggling the schedules of a world travelling husband, 3 busy and energetic kids (including twins), and a scrappy little Havanese named Finnigan.

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Comments

  1. molly from chippy charm says

    May 8, 2012 at 3:08 am

    You know, like Carol-Anne suggested, I have been using the sticky square thingies (at least I think that’s what she was talking about). My apartment is very old and the walls are like cement or something so nailing is next to impossible unless I use a drill. But after reading your comment to her comment, I realized I’ve never actually tried to remove one! Haha. I guess I better just never redecorate.

  2. Carol-Anne (Use The Good Dishes!) says

    February 24, 2012 at 1:50 am

    I sound like I’m doing an ad for these…but really, I just love them: 3M Command Hanging Trip thingies! I use them all the time and this way, NO HOLES! (I only use nails for VERY heavy things).
    Loving your new paint colour!

    • Kerri says

      February 24, 2012 at 6:31 am

      I haven’t had much luck with these things; I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong, but I’ve taken off layers right down to the drywall when removing them. So I’ve sworn them off, until I can figure out how to use them properly, lol. Thanks for the suggestion, Carol-Anne. xo

  3. Tamara says

    February 23, 2012 at 11:34 pm

    Are you aware that a good grade stainless steel straight pin can support up to 50 pounds? No need for anything else to hang most items, and no repair after the fact. I have not used anything other than straight pins the last 20 years unless the item is extreme in size.

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Welcome! I'm Kerri. I love pretty modern cottage and coastal home decorating style. I aim to inspire style seeking home lovers to decorate with confidence, by sharing decorating ideas, shopping tips, tutorials + inspiration. Read More…

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Instagram post 2199546629053153974_180915959 I call this little area of our cabin entrance the boot drop 🥾 . The plan called for an open foyer, but I had nightmares of tripping over a dozen (or more) pairs of wet, snowy boots in winter, or sandy flip flops in the summer . So I added this little pony wall with a long storage bench behind it. So the boots stay hidden from sight of the entrance and I keep my sanity. Win win 🙌🏻. Don’t be afraid to use a little creativity with your house plan to make it work for you (and your quirks lol).
Instagram post 2198771720970315221_180915959 Happy Saturday vibes. Hope it’s a great one no matter how nutty it is with recitals and gift wrapping (shopping?) and decorating and parties and oh me oh my. This last stretch before Christmas Eve can be stressful. My plan: put my favourite Christmas music on blast and do some deep breathing 🙏🏻 . What are your favourite Christmas songs? For me: Snoopy’s Christmas, Do They Know it’s Christmas (1984), All I Want for Christmas is You 👏🏻
Instagram post 2198045651741073220_180915959 Hope you are having a happy Friday 🙌🏻 I used lots of plaid in my Christmas decorating this year! Plaid doesn’t have to be a traditional red to feel cozy or festive. This more neutral, grey and cream plaid ribbon does the job in this space without feeling too busy or overwhelming. Have a great day! #alltheplaid
Instagram post 2197584273452407676_180915959 Binoculars or magic Santa tracking 👓 ? 🤔 I’m sure they’ll be used as both in the coming weeks lol. We’re getting excited around here about the upcoming school break and Christmas festivities. Counting down the days! Are you feeling the holiday spirit yet?
Instagram post 2197275828505338429_180915959 Plaids and chunky cable knit textures are giving our cabin all the cozy vibes this holiday season! I think I’m going to leave the plaid pillows and throws out all winter. It’ll feel so bare in this space once the Christmas decorations come down. It’s usually so neutral and airy, but the red definitely makes it feel more festive. Do you love traditional plaid too this time of year?
Instagram post 2196821717846656015_180915959 Anybody else love a Christmas village as much as I do? 🙋🏼‍♀️ This little nordic village has been on my mantel a few Christmases now. (Swipe to see this year’s version.) These were white when I bought them, but you could always paint an older set. In fact, I think my friend Christina @thediymommy had a tutorial on her blog last month for a dollar store set that she painted white and they turned out 👌🏻. Have a great evening!
Instagram post 2195778852643198838_180915959 I have a feeling these might be the only snowmen we see this Christmas ⛄️ . We’re back to rain and high winds, after a pretty sprinkling of snow this weekend. My hopes of skating on the pond during Christmas are slowly dying.😭 Elsa, where you at? I need your magic. #frozen
Instagram post 2195310366066415524_180915959 My latest blog post is all about how to get a cozy lake house vibe in any space, and without adding too much extra decor. I’m sharing some pics of our cottage decorated for the holidays, along with my 5 best tips for cozying up your home with a rustic, cabin-y charm. I’ll link up the post in my bio, or find it on my home page at apopofpretty.com.🙌🏻 Hope your Monday is going great!
Instagram post 2195059738064742916_180915959 Just your 2-week-before-Christmas reminder to keep calm and carry on. This is the point in December when the frenzy gets real. But, my new motto is #dontgetyourtinselinatangle 🌲 It’ll all get done, it always does. And, even if it doesn’t, the world won’t come to an end. 🤛 Instead of stressing about my to do list, I’m going enjoy my kids’ excitement.
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