Tips for Creating a Vintage Art Gallery Wall with Online Printables

Here are some tips and tricks when trying to create a vintage art gallery wall in your home with online printables. It’s an affordable way to get a curated look for less!

Framed vintage art has become such a huge trend over the past few years. Whether it be original old paintings or affordable online prinatables, you can find them popping up all over in the design world.

I’ve been a huge fan of vintage art for some time now. I did my first gallery wall with vintage printables last year in our master bedroom makeover.

Since then, I have added them all over our house. And when I’m out antique shopping, originals are always on my list.

However, online printables are the perfect way to get that curated look for much less. I even wrote a blog post about where you can find vintage art online.

When I was looking to update the wall in our living room behind our sofa, I went for this vintage art prints gallery wall look once again.

Here are some tips and tricks I found along the way to make the overall process a little bit easier.

Always Look for Affordable Frames While Shopping

Frames are always on my running list of things I look for. It can get expensive to buy all new ones, so when I am out shopping I’m always looking for deals.

Sometimes I can find a great clearance deal at a big box store, or I find frames for just a dollar or two at bargain stores.

Check end caps at stores like Target for clearance items. Check Michaels for buy one, get one deals. Home Goods and TJ Maxx always have cheaper options when it comes to frames too.

When I am out shopping antique malls, Goodwill, and other thrift shops, I am always looking for old frames. Look past the cheesy artwork and just pay attention to how you can use the frame for something different.

Incorporate Different Styles, Colors, and Textures of Frames

This makes the gallery wall much more interesting. Mix wood, metal, brass, thick, thin, old, new, matted, not matted, etc. You don’t always have to have things coordinate perfectly. Sometimes it’s better to mix and match.

Customize Your Frames to Get the Look You Want

Something to always remember, is you can always change the color of a frame. New or old.

I used Rub’n Buff on my gold frames because I wanted a more antique look. If it’s a wood frame, you can sand it down to the raw wood and restain it. Or with any frame, you can just paint it.

You can also customize the matting to whatever size or color you need it to be. A good place to go to replace matting is Micheals or Amazon.

Hang Frames Before Ordering Art

I would highly recommend planning out and hanging your frames on the wall how you want them before ordering your artwork.

When you have a bunch of mismatched and different sized frames, it can be a puzzle to get them placed just right. Be patient, this part takes time! I usually lay them all on the floor and find a design I like, then up on the wall they go.

I order the artwork for each frame after they are on the wall. That way I can mix up landscapes with still art, and throw in some sketches or portraits. I make sure to have a variety of different art so it has a good flow and color pattern, and then I can order the extract sizes I need for each frame.

Where to Order the Most Affordable Prints Online

I have ordered a lot of prints for our home, and shared all my favorite places to find them in another blog post here: Where to Find Vintage Prints Online.

Where to Print

Once you purchase your prints, you can either print them from home, which I only recommend if you have a great printer, or you can order them to be printed elsewhere.

I always use Walgreens, because they almost always have coupons for 50% off. You just go online, upload them in the sizes you want, and they can be ready in the same day.

Frame Sizes and Sources of This Gallery Wall

I chose to do a mixture of frame sizes and colors. I think with vintage looking art you can mix and match to play off of the artwork colors and textures. I also wanted this particular gallery wall to have all matted frames so the artwork wasn’t too overwhelming with the amount of pieces I had together.

Here are the frames I used:

Here is the art I used:

Overall I just love the entire look. All the different frames, the prints, how they mesh so well with the natural, neutral look of our living room. I think it was definitely a much needed change!

Other Decorating Tips

• Five Tips to Liven Up a Neutral Space
• The Best Neutral Area Rugs and Where to Buy Them
• How to Decorate a Small Entryway
• Framed Vintage Paper Gallery Wall
• How to Decorate with Faux Greenery

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