The last time I shared about my rainbow stairs, here is how it looked. I am IN LOVE with my new stairs. While I was painting them, I got the idea to hang art up the stairs in the same colors as the stairs. A rainbow gallery wall if you will! It’s like the space was speaking to me- I just had to do it!
THE ART
Paris, j’adore (blue houses), Unicorn Dance Art Print, Havana Florals Art Print (purple flowers), More Than Enough Art Print (pink abstract),mini study #2 Art Print (yellow abstract), Heirloom Pear Art Print, Sky Coasters Art Print, Splendid Spring Art Print (green abstract), Valley Art Print (blue abstract), Delightful Spring Art Print (blue flower), Orange Flirt Art Print, Sunny Florida Art Print, ABC Rocks Art Print, Can’t Stop Art Print, Oh, Zebra Art Print, Painted Geo Overlay Art Print (pink circles), Perched Art Print (green bird), Blue taffy Art Print, And I waited there Art Print (light pink food), I Love Los Angeles Art Print, Little Pup Art Print, Wake II Art Print (pink sunset abstract), Custom Silhouette Art Print (mint),
So I ordered the art from Minted– 23 pieces of art in the perfect gradient of colors! When shopping for the art, I was looking for a strong color story. I choose pieces that were the colors I wanted to match my stairs. Next, I looked for fun pieces- this is a lighthearted area and I wanted the art to reflect that.
I ordered a variety of sizes and it was like Christmas when they arrived! If you’re on Instagram, I shared the whole process of unboxing the art and hanging it on my Instagram Stories. I have a highlight called stairs if you want to see how it all come together in real time.
As I unboxed the art, I laid it out in rainbow order.
hanging the art
With all the time I spent finding the perfect art, I didn’t actually plan how it’d go up on the wall. But I did figure it out! So if you’re looking for tips on how to hang a stair gallery wall, here’s what worked for me.
step 1- start in the middle
I decided that starting in the middle was the best idea because I didn’t want to start at one end and have extra art left at the end. Plus, starting in the middle gives the design a clear focal point.
step 2- let the art breathe
The number one rule I gave myself was to let the art breathe. I wanted enough space between images so they could stand on their own. When they were too close together, they looked cramped and messy.
step 3- step back and look it over
After I hung some pieces, I would step back and inspect the art. I stared at it and was brutally honest with what worked and what didn’t. I wasn’t shy to pull out the nail and re-hang it. A few pieces, I rehung pieces 3 times before I got it where I wanted!
Yes, there is the option to trace each piece of art on paper and map it out on the wall that way. For me, I’m too visual and this gallery wall depended too much on the colors working together, it didn’t seem like a good option. I only ended up having to patch 3 holes (the rest of the holes are covered by the art). Sometimes, trial and error works just fine ;).
after
Here she is!!! Are you crying over this rainbow gorgeousness?! This was the MOST fun project to do! It was really exciting seeing the art go up and how it coordinated with the stairs!
The colors are really beautiful in person. And, though I choose a lot of bold and fun art, it flows so nicely!
rainbow gallery wall
Before I hung my rainbow gallery wall, I Googled and Pinterest searched for a similar example of a colorful gallery wall arranged in rainbow order. I couldn’t find one. That really surprised me! I feel like I gave the space what it needed and am really happy with how it turned out.
When all was said and done, I ended up having some extra pink art pieces that ended up going over the door frame. Which made me grateful that I started in the middle!
These stairs are possibly one of my favorite project I’ve done ever. Hands down, the art absolutely made the space! Tell me, would you hang a rainbow gallery wall?
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I love this! It is stunning!
Thank you so much Christina! Happy Monday!
I usually don’t like so many colours at one place, but these stairs with the art look just amazing! Really great work!
You are SO talented! I just have no words for how talented you are! You do more in one month than people like me do in years!!! I just don’t know HOW you afford it though! Each one of those art pieces with the frame are $200! How do you do it?
Hi Claire- thank you! Minted sent over the art in exchange for an Instagram post. BUT there is definitely a budget friendly way to do this. You could buy colorful art as printables on Etsy for less than $5 a piece. Or frame scrapbook paper that $0.25 each. When I’m on a tight budget I buy $0.50 frames from the thrift store and paint them. There’s usually a way to get the look you want even when there’s not much to fund it!