How to Plan a Gallery Wall Before You Drill a Single Hole

Most gallery walls fail for one boring reason: people start drilling before they know where anything goes. A hole in the wrong spot is a patch, a sand, and a repaint. Here’s how to get it right the first time.

1. Start from a photo of your actual wall

Don’t plan on graph paper — plan on your wall. Snap a straight-on photo of the empty wall (stand back, keep the camera level) and use it as the background. Now every frame you place is sized against the real thing: the sofa, the window, the light switch.

Rule of thumb: the artwork cluster should span two-thirds the width of the furniture below it, and the centre of the arrangement should sit at eye level (about 145–150 cm from the floor).

2. Lay out frames before you commit

Drag your frames around until the spacing feels even — 5–8 cm between frames is the sweet spot. Keep one consistent gap and the wall instantly looks intentional. A few things that help:

• Anchor the layout on a strong horizontal or vertical line (top edges, or a centre line).
• Mix sizes, but repeat at least one frame size so the eye has a rhythm.
• Leave breathing room around the edges — frames shouldn’t crowd the corners.

3. Check the budget while you design

Frames add up fast. As you place each one, keep an eye on the running total so “a few frames” doesn’t quietly become a few hundred dollars. Decide what’s worth printing large and what can stay small.

4. Mark the nails, then drill once

This is the whole point. Once the layout looks right, you want the exact nail position for each frame — not the frame’s centre, the hook position. Measure from the top and the side, mark with a pencil, and drill. One pass, no patching.

Plan it in HangPlanner

HangPlanner does exactly this flow: upload your wall photo, drag real frame sizes into place, see the spacing and the budget update live, then export a 1:1 install guide that tells you precisely where every nail goes.

You go from “I have frames” to “they’re hanging” in one afternoon — and you only drill where you mean to.