Ditch Gallery Walls And Try This One-Of-A-Kind Home Decor Idea

If you're looking for suggestions on how to decorate a blank wall, one option you'll likely come across is a gallery wall. Gallery walls are an excellent way to dress up an otherwise boring and blank space with items that add texture, dimension, and interest. They're also highly customizable, which means they're great for showcasing your unique design preferences. Typically, gallery walls are composed of professional style art. Now, however, these original gallery walls are being replaced by something that's even more one-of-a-kind, a memento wall. This style of wall is similar to a gallery wall in principle but is made up of much more personal pieces.

Ask any professional interior designer and they'll tell you the importance of making sure your home decor isn't just chic and trendy, but is also a reflection of you. This new twist on the already-popular gallery wall is a design choice that focuses on this exact principle and will give you a gallery wall alternative that feels fresh and different. 

Creating a memento wall switches from displaying the standard art to instead showcasing personal pieces like letters, children's drawings, travel mementos, and more. This intentional choice adds more of a sense of home and a lived-in feel that every house needs. Gather up some of your favorite personal items and we'll help walk you through exactly how to create your own memento wall in your home.

Previously, gallery walls were dominated by carefully curated, usually professional, art pieces. Whether it was paintings, photographs, or a mix of prints, there was typically a sense of a polished finish. This new up-and-coming version of the gallery wall places much more emphasis on items with strong personal value and pieces that represent memories and relationships. If you've got kids, this is a great place to display some of their artwork, and for adults, consider items like cards, postcards from your favorite travel destinations, or family heirlooms. The key is to select things that are primarily personal, over more commercial or mass produced items.

These unique pieces are great stair and hallway gallery wall ideas that will stop you in your tracks, but you'll also want to make sure you display your collection in a way that feels intentional, not haphazard. The key to a successful memento wall is displaying intensely personal items with some connectivity. Whether you add a common thread through complementing frames or showcasing items similar in size, color scheme, or even even spacing, some aspect of continuity is important for a wall that feels cohesive. One expert tip is to start small and let the memento wall grow over time. It's also a great idea to lay out your pieces, ensuring you love their size and placement before nailing them to the wall.