Long Dining Room Gallery Wall

I recently changed up the gallery wall in our dining room. I was content with the previous set up until I took this photo on Instagram:

After getting past the loving adoration I have for my husband, I couldn't help but think how bare the wall looked! I have struggled with how the corner wall does not meet up with the buffet display in the past and decided to take a different strategy of just covering the whole wall.

So after staring at the wall for a couple days (which is my normal way of changing up decor--obsessively staring until I can get it right!) I decided to try out a few new pieces of art I had picked up at the thrift store. I have not been thrifting in ages but we found a new thrift store just down the street I had to check out. I came home with these pieces of art just to use the frames. But as they sat out, the art started to grow on me. So they were my first step at changing things up. The cold tones of the blue and green were just the right color variety I needed with my existing gold and pinks.

I used all the art that was on this wall last year, as well as a few other additions I had around the house. I wanted to keep the gold mirror on the wall to add reflection and light but this is the first time I have used it in a gallery wall versus it being on it's own.

I love the gallery wall but the lush orchid plant, gifted from my mom, really pulls the whole space together with a touch of pink.

It is amazing how though I am using all of the same art (including that chalkboard that has been this way for ages!) the display can look so different when arranged in a new way. The last few displays I have made on this wall have felt much more yellow and gold. By using my new art with cool tones along with the black and white contrast in the chalkboard, the wall feels more balanced in color creating a more eclectic look.

I am also picky about the books I display. I will purposely pick certain books to be placed in specific places based on the color. The blues and reds in this book variation pull out the color in the art that might otherwise get lost in the masses of frames.

Because the mirror is so big, I broke up the empty space with a tissue paper banner my friend Mandy made along with a few pictures. The little boy in the photo is one of our Compassion International sponsored children. Having their photos in the mix remind me to keep them in my thoughts and prayers.