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Framing expert Tara Gavin says a gallery wall works best when it has a clear design direction. Her Toronto project shows how colored mats and frames, generous mat space, varied photo placement and black-and-white prints can make a collection feel connected without relying on matching frames.
Toronto framing expert Tara Gavin recommends giving a gallery wall a clear design direction, rather than relying on identical frames or a standard layout. In a project featured by House Beautiful, Gavin used colored mats, mixed frame finishes, varied image placement and black-and-white photographs to make a narrow wall display feel cohesive and intentional.
Gavin, founder of On the Wall Framing, designed the display after being approached by Toronto design studio Kessler Levitan for a family of five. The available wall was just 31 inches wide. Rather than treat the limited width as a constraint, she used it as an opportunity to create a focused arrangement.
The display combines oak and black frames with burgundy-colored mats and frames. Gavin said the burgundy adds warmth, while oak keeps the composition from feeling too formal and black provides contrast. She also suggests choosing a mat color that picks up a shade already present in the room, such as soft blue, olive green or a warm neutral.
Matting and image placement are part of the design, too. Gavin’s team sometimes uses multiple openings in a single frame or positions a photograph off-center instead of placing one image in the middle. For family pictures taken in different lighting and at different times, she recommends considering black-and-white printing to create more visual consistency. These are design suggestions, not requirements: the report does not prescribe a single layout or palette for every home.
A Gallery Wall With a Clear Direction
The advice offers homeowners a way to make a collection of personal photographs and prints feel considered without needing a large wall or an expensive art collection. The example shows that cohesion does not require identical frames: repeated colors, deliberate spacing and a consistent treatment of photographs can help varied pieces read as one display.
Gavin’s emphasis on matting also shifts attention from the frame alone to the space around each image. A wider mat or an off-center placement can change how a photograph is viewed, while still letting the images remain personal. For readers planning a wall, the practical takeaway is to decide on a few recurring visual choices before hanging the pieces.
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The 31-Inch Toronto Project
The report centers on one commission, not a controlled comparison of different gallery-wall methods. Gavin created the display for a Toronto family of five with design studio Kessler Levitan, working with a wall measuring 31 inches across. The limited area made scale and arrangement especially relevant to the project.
Gavin describes her broader approach as experimenting with scale, mat colors, frame finishes and photo positioning. In this example, the framed photographs were printed in black and white while the mats and frames carried the color. That division allowed the images to share a treatment even as the surrounding materials varied.
“The secret to doing a gallery wall right is to make sure it has a “design direction.””
— Tara Gavin, founder of On the Wall Framing, as quoted by House Beautiful
Advice, Not a Universal Formula
The source presents Gavin’s professional approach and a single project example; it does not report testing that establishes one method as best for every room. It also does not give measurements for the individual frames, spacing between pieces or the finished display’s overall dimensions. Those details would affect how readers adapt the arrangement to their own walls.
Gavin’s recommendations are flexible. The report says black-and-white printing can help unify family photos, but does not suggest it is necessary in every display. It also does not identify a single color palette or mat width that would suit all photographs, furnishings and lighting conditions.
Plan the Wall Before Hanging
The report does not announce a follow-up project or a next milestone. For anyone applying the guidance, the next step is to gather the photographs and artwork, choose a limited set of colors and frame finishes, and test how different mat sizes and placements work together before fixing the pieces in place.
Gavin’s example suggests considering the room as well as the images: a mat color can echo an existing furnishing, while black-and-white printing can reduce differences between photographs. The final arrangement remains a matter of the collection and available wall space; the source offers no claim that one configuration will work in every home.
Key Questions
What does Tara Gavin mean by a gallery wall having a design direction?
She means making deliberate choices about scale, color, frame finishes and image placement so the display feels connected rather than assembled at random.
Do all the frames on a gallery wall need to match?
No. Gavin’s example combines oak, black and burgundy. Her approach uses color and composition to connect different finishes rather than requiring uniform frames.
Why use black-and-white prints for family photos?
Gavin says family photos may come from different times, lighting conditions and color palettes. Printing them in black and white can give the collection a more consistent look, though she does not present it as a requirement.
How can mats change a gallery wall?
Mats create negative space around an image and can affect how prominently it appears. Gavin also suggests using multiple openings in one frame or placing an image off-center for a less predictable arrangement.
Can a narrow wall work for a gallery display?
Gavin’s project for a Toronto family used a wall that was 31 inches wide. The report presents it as an example of working with a small area, but does not provide a standard layout for every narrow wall.
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