A gallery wall is several framed pieces hung as one group. Bring the pieces and your wall measurements, and we plan the frames, mats and sizes as a set before anything is cut.
A gallery wall is a group of framed pieces hung close together as one arrangement. We frame the whole group in our workshop at 1242 Davie Street, and we plan it as a set. The pieces are laid out on the counter, and the frames, the mats and the sizes are decided together before anything is cut. You take the finished frames home and hang them.
Matching frames or mixed frames
The moulding is the shaped length of wood or metal a frame is cut from. One moulding in one finish on every piece makes photographs, prints and drawings look like one collection.
Mixed frames are chosen on purpose, and they need one feature that stays the same across the group: one colour, one material, or one width. Black, natural wood and metal frames look planned together when all of them have the same thin width. Our guide to matching frames across a gallery wall explains the rule.
One mat rule across the set
A mat is a border of card with an opening cut for the picture. Use one mat colour across the group. Two different whites side by side look like a mistake. Then choose one rule for the border.
One border width on every piece. The frames are then different sizes, which suits a loose arrangement.
One outer frame size for several pieces. Each mat is cut with a different border, so pictures of different sizes fit frames of the same size. This is how a grid of equal frames is made.
Small drawings of one size make a grid of equal frames simple. Let Me Disappear is a coloured pencil drawing on artboard, 30 by 40 cm, of a figure with an arm folded across the face, and it is one of the originals in our gallery.
Glazing means the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front of a frame. Plain glazing reflects the room, and anti-reflective glazing has a coating that weakens the reflection. One of each side by side looks uneven, so choose one type for the group. If the wall gets daylight, choose a type with a UV filter, which slows fading.
Planning sizes on the counter
Each frame is larger than its picture by the mat border and the width of the moulding, on every side.
At the counter we add up the outer sizes of the frames and the gaps between them, and compare the total with the width and height of your wall space. If the group is too wide, the fix is a narrower border, a thinner moulding, or one piece fewer. If one piece looks too small beside its neighbours, a wider mat gives it a frame of the same size as theirs. Nothing is cut until the whole plan fits. Our gallery wall frame sizing guide gives the rules for spacing and height.
Canvases and deep frames in the group
A painting on canvas has no glazing. It goes in a floater frame, an open frame with a small gap around the canvas, in the same finish as the other frames. Our canvas floater framing page covers that work. A shadow box, the deep frame used for an object, stands further out from the wall than a flat frame, so decide its place in the group early.
A small canvas goes into a group in a floater frame, with no glazing. Tinsel & Tiny Joys, an oil on canvas of two children decorating a Christmas tree in snow, is 30 by 40 cm.
We fit hanging hardware to every frame, matched to its weight. Tell us which frames will hang in a row, so the hardware can go at the same height on the back of each one. Ask for the finished outer size of each frame too. With those sizes you can cut paper shapes, tape them to the wall and decide the arrangement before you make a hole. Our guide to hanging hardware describes the hangers and hooks.
Adding a piece later
Ask us to note the moulding, the mat colour and the glazing used on your set. A later piece can then be framed to match, for as long as that moulding is still made.
What changes the cost
The number of pieces, the size of each, the moulding, the mats and the glazing. Each piece is quoted separately, so you can see what a change of moulding or border does to the total.
What to bring or send
Bring every piece if you can, or the pieces you have and the exact sizes of the rest. Bring a photograph of the wall taken from straight in front, the width and height of the free space, the wall colour, and the position of furniture, switches and vents. If you live outside Vancouver, send the same list with a photograph of each piece. Sets for a workplace are covered under office and corporate art framing.
Walk in at 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. Enter your email on this page for a 10% framing code to show at the shop, and see custom framing for everything else we frame.
How it works
1
Bring it in, or send photographs
Walk in to 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. If you are not in Vancouver, send the dimensions and a photograph and we will work from that.
2
We look at the actual piece
What it is made of, what condition it is in, and where it is going to hang all change the answer. You get a straight recommendation and a price for your piece, not a rate card.
3
It is made by hand and fitted
Cut to the piece, using conservation materials, and finished with hanging hardware rated for the actual weight.
Common questions
Do I need to bring every piece for a gallery wall at once?
Bringing every piece for a gallery wall at once gives the best plan, because the frames, mats and sizes are decided together. If some pieces are still to come, bring the ones you have and the exact sizes of the rest. The moulding and the mat colour are then chosen for the whole group, and the later pieces are framed to the same choices when they arrive.
Can pictures of different sizes be framed so they line up on the wall?
Yes, pictures of different sizes can be framed so they line up on the wall. Several pieces are given frames of one outer size, and each mat is cut with a different border so that its picture fits. A small photograph gets a wide mat and a larger print gets a narrow one. Frames of one size then hang in straight rows and columns.
What do I measure on my wall before ordering frames for a gallery wall?
Before ordering frames for a gallery wall, measure the width and the height of the free wall space. Measure the furniture below it, and note anything that interrupts the wall, such as a switch, a vent, a thermostat or a door frame. Take a photograph of the wall from straight in front. Those measurements show how many frames fit and how large each one can be.
Will a shadow box look odd beside flat frames on a gallery wall?
A shadow box can hang beside flat frames on a gallery wall when it shares their finish. A shadow box is a deep frame built for an object, so it stands further out from the wall than its neighbours, and the difference shows most from the side. Place the deep frame at one end of the group or low down, where the difference in depth is harder to see.
Should every piece on a gallery wall have the same glazing?
Every glazed piece on a gallery wall should have the same type of glazing. Glazing is the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front of a frame. Plain glazing reflects windows and lamps, and anti-reflective glazing weakens that reflection, so one of each side by side looks uneven. Canvases in the group stay unglazed. If the wall gets daylight, choose a type with a UV filter.
How do I hang a row of frames so the tops are level?
To hang a row of frames with level tops, ask for the hanging hardware to be fitted at the same height on the back of every frame. One level line of hooks on the wall then gives a level row. A wire lets a frame hang lower and tilt forward, and the amount differs from frame to frame. Two fixed hangers on each frame, each on its own hook, give a more exact height.
Should the frames on a gallery wall be thin or wide?
Thin frames usually suit a gallery wall better than wide ones. The pieces hang close together, and each frame adds its width twice to the group, once on each side of the picture. Wide mouldings side by side can take up more wall than the pictures do. A thin moulding in one finish lets the group include more pieces, or larger pictures, in the same space.
10% off your custom framing when you show this code at our shop
We frame, stretch canvas and reframe by hand, in our own workshop inside the gallery at
1242 Davie Street. Enter your email and your code appears right here. Show it at the
counter and we take 10% off the job. The code does not expire.
Send the measurements, what it is made of, and a photograph. We will tell you what it actually needs, including when the answer is that it needs less than you expected.
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Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
I got my order today and your work is really good. I didn’t expect to get a certificate for this painting, it was a surprise. Thanks for caring about small details.
The support team was really helpful and followed up nicely, wich I really appreciated. The painting is just like the photo – great quality and very detalied. I just wish it arrived a bit sooner, but honestly it was worth the wait.
I received my painting today. The support team was great and very responsive. The artwork is exactly what I was hoping for – even more beautifull in person. Truly a valuable piece. I’ll definetely order again. Thank you!
