Gallery Wall Calculator

How to plan a gallery wall that looks balanced

A gallery wall lives or dies on its spacing and alignment. Frames scattered with uneven gaps look accidental; the same frames in an even grid, consistently spaced and centred at eye level, look designed. This gallery wall calculator does the arithmetic for you: it works out how many frames fit across and down your wall, then suggests a concrete rows-by-columns arrangement and tells you exactly where to centre it.

Rather than return a bare number, it gives you a layout you can mark on the wall — the grid, the gap between frames, the overall size of the block, and the height to hang it.

The two rules that matter most

• Consistent spacing: keep the same gap between every frame — 5 to 8 cm is the classic choice. Even gaps are what make a grid read as intentional.
• Eye-level centring: hang so the centre of the whole arrangement sits about 145 cm from the floor, the standard galleries use. Over furniture, keep the bottom row 15–25 cm above the top of the piece.

Grids vs. organic layouts

This tool plans an even grid, which is the most forgiving layout and the easiest to hang straight. An organic, salon-style wall of mixed frame sizes can look wonderful too, but it is harder to balance — the usual trick is to treat the whole cluster as one rectangle, keep the outer edges roughly aligned, and hold a consistent gap throughout. Either way, cut paper templates and tape them up first: it is far cheaper than a wall of extra holes.

Frequently asked questions

How much space should I leave between frames? 5 to 8 cm is the sweet spot for most walls. Tighter than about 5 cm and the frames start to feel cramped; wider than 10 cm and the group can lose its cohesion and read as separate pictures rather than one arrangement.

How high should a gallery wall be hung? Centre the whole composition at about 145 cm from the floor — the same eye-level standard museums use for a single picture. When the wall sits above a sofa or console, keep the bottom of the frames roughly 15 to 25 cm above the furniture so the two read as connected.

What if my frames are different sizes? For the grid plan here, enter a typical or average frame size to get the layout, then adjust by eye. Mixed sizes often work best arranged around a central line or a large anchor piece, with the gaps kept even throughout.

Should I hang the frames before or after marking the wall? Mark first. Cut paper rectangles the size of each frame, tape the whole layout to the wall with painter's tape, and step back. Only when the arrangement looks right do you commit to holes.

These are planning estimates for an even grid. See our decorating guides for anchoring heavy frames and hanging hardware.