How to hang a collection of pictures?

As one piece rather than as separate frames, with the group centered and the gaps kept even. Our guide to hanging art has the heights and the spacing. If you would rather not do it yourself, our crew measures the wall first and hangs collections in and around Orange County.

Are gallery walls outdated in 2026?

It depends on the room more than the year. We still frame them, from four matched prints beside a pool table to a salon hang climbing a stairwell, and our crew designs and hangs them too. We treat each wall as one commission, not twenty: mouldings that belong to each other, and sizes that step rather than repeat.

What is the best way to display hundreds of photos in my home?

Usually by choosing rather than framing them all. Pick the photographs that belong on the wall and frame them as one set; small ones can share a single mat with several openings. If an original is fragile or one of a kind, our print lab can scan it at up to 600 dpi and frame the reproduction.

What is the 2/3 rule for hanging pictures?

It is the habit of making a piece, or a group, about two-thirds the width of the furniture below it, such as a sofa or a bed. A group of frames can make up that width together, which is why the sizes in a set are best planned with the wall in mind.

How to Frame a Collection So It Reads as One

Framing a collection so it reads as one

To frame a collection so it reads as one, settle three things before the first frame is cut: whether the set is matched or mixed, the finish that ties it together, and one mat width for every piece in a grid. Matched frames suit a grid; a mixed set needs mouldings that belong to each other.

Matched or mixed?

Matched if the wall should read as a single piece, mixed if it should look collected. A matched set repeats the same moulding, the same mat and the same spacing, so four frames read as a single wall rather than as four frames, like the game room at the top of this page. Our matched walls have held six botanical photographs over a bed, five line drawings across a headboard and sixteen archival blueprints up a double-height lobby. A mixed set, like a salon hang, puts black, gilt and natural mouldings side by side, with small pieces filling the gaps between the large ones. It is harder to hang than a grid, because nothing lines up by default, so the frames have to be chosen as a family.

One finish, or a family of finishes?

One finish is the simplest way to hold a set together, and it works even when the pieces are nothing alike. A family of light finishes works the same way. On a coastal dining wall framed a few steps from our counter, a vintage swimsuit in a shadow box, surf pennants, prints, oars and a fish study went into white and natural wood mouldings, all light, so the mix still reads as one collection. Objects like the swimsuit go into shadow boxes deep enough that the glazing never touches them, in a finish from the same light family as the flat pieces around them. A family of finishes works too, when it is chosen on purpose: in one guest suite, a floated canvas went into a white float moulding and a matched pair into gilt, in the same room. Either way, the finish is chosen at the counter from hundreds of corner samples, pale pine, walnut, black, gilt and carved, held against the pieces themselves. When no catalog carries the finish you are matching, we mill the moulding in our own wood shop and hand finish it.

One mat width for every piece?

Yes, in a matched set. In a grid every mat is the same width, so every frame lines up with the one beside it; a grid leaves nowhere to hide. On a commercial wall we hold one frame spec, one mat and one hanging height across the whole wall. A common starting point for the border is 2 to 3 inches on small and medium pieces and 3 to 4 inches or more on large ones, and our frame and mat size guide has the numbers. Every mat we cut is acid-free. If the pieces are small, the set can also go into one frame: several openings can be cut in a single mat on our computerized mat cutter, so a set of keepsakes is framed together.

Same size, or sizes that step?

Either works, as long as the sizes are planned as a set. A grid repeats one size. A run can step instead: five line drawings across a walnut headboard wall, in five sizes with matching black mouldings and mats, were sized so the run clears the bedside lights and stops short of the window. In that same guest suite, the abstract over the bed and the gold-framed pair of aerial photographs over the seating were each sized to its own wall, so the room still reads as one commission from the door. Every custom frame we make is cut to the piece it holds, so the sizes follow the plan, not a stock list.

Who plans the layout and hangs it?

You can, with our guide, or our crew can. The layout is a separate job from the frames, and the heights, the spacing and the paper templates are all in our guide to how to hang art. For installation, our crew comes to the wall first, measures it and talks through what goes where and at what height; for a gallery wall, that is where the job is decided, and the scope and any fees are discussed with you first. Then the crew that made the frames hangs them, in and around Orange County. Delivery is available for an additional charge and is quoted separately. We treat a wall as one commission, not twenty.

How do you start?

All you need is your art. Bring the pieces, or the ones that matter most, to 1671 Placentia Avenue, Costa Mesa, Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm or Saturday 9am to 1pm, no appointment required, and we will hold the frames and mats against them at the counter. A collection is quoted in person once we have seen it. There is no price list: the size, the moulding, the mats, the glazing and the mount are what change the quote. You can also call (949) 791-8780 or send the quote form, and designers and businesses can open a Pro Account.