How to Plan and Decorate a Staircase Gallery Wall: Ideas, Tips, and Tricks

Do you want to add a little personality and style to your home’s staircase? Would you love to include some of your family’s favorite moments in your decor? A great way to incorporate your family photos, favorite art, and other meaningful pieces is to create a classic staircase gallery wall. In this blog post, I’ve gathered some tips and ideas on how to plan out and decorate your own staircase photo wall. 

Creating a staircase gallery wall can seem daunting at first, but with a little bit of planning, it can be a fun project to tackle and will have an impactful result. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Choose the right location

 The staircase is often one of the most prominent features in a home, so it’s important to choose a spot that will best showcase your gallery wall. You want it to be seen! I put up my gallery wall at the top of the stairs in a grid style pattern. 

Decide on a theme or style for your staircase gallery wall

 Do you want your gallery wall to be whimsical? Elegant? Eclectic? Knowing the overall feel you’re going for will help you narrow down which pieces to include and what placement will look best. Frame color, black and white photos v. color photos, and the addition of other items to the gallery wall are all different things to think about when deciding on a theme for your gallery wall.

Decide on placement for your frames

If you are going for something with clean lines, you might try a grid-style gallery wall. If you are going for a more whimsical staircase gallery wall then you’ll have to play around with placement. Staircase gallery wall layouts can vary so much. If you are doing a gallery wall that goes up the stairs then you may have a more staggered gallery while if you do it on the top of the stairs or at a stair landing then you might consider a grid style. Either way, staircase gallery walls add lots of interest to a regularly blank space.

Gather your materials 

Once you have an idea of what you want you can start to gather your photos, artwork, and frames, that you’re planning on including on your gallery wall. Will you use black frames, white frames, or vintage frames? Or perhaps a mix of frame colors? If you have it handy you can use wrapping paper as a template or painter’s tape to plan out your gallery wall. Other things to have on hand would be measuring tape, a pencil, and a ladder.

Scale matters 

When designing a gallery wall so be sure to take into account the size of your staircase and the size of the wall space you’re working with selecting frame size. If you have a giant wall to fill, make sure you have large prints and artwork. 

Lay everything out before you hammer in any nails

 This is crucial, don’t skip this step! You’ll want to take the time to play around with different arrangements until you find something that feels just right. I highly suggest you look at some templates and examples of other gallery walls before deciding on something for your staircase walls. This will give you a good idea of the best way to execute your own gallery wall.

Have fun! This is your opportunity to get creative and really make your staircase gallery wall unique to you and your family. So enjoy the process! I hope these tips help you as you plan out your own staircase gallery wall. 

Let’s look at some layout ideas for staircase gallery walls.

Grid Style Staircase Gallery Walls

This grid style gallery wall on the wall of my stair landing is a fun way to share some of our favorite family pics. I had this same gallery wall in the living room of our last home. Grid style gallery walls are great for staircase walls.

My friend Taryn created this striking staircase accent wall that is immediately catches the eye. Consider painting the landing wall in your space a bold color before adding your gallery wall for an extra layer of style.

My friend Kelly has the most gorgeous and inviting home. I really love her black and white staircase photo gallery wall. The black frames against the white walls is the perfect contrast. This is a great way to display your favorite family photos in a way that makes a statement.

Feature Wall Staircase Photo Gallery

I love a feature wall gallery displayed on a staircase. Using oversized photos or artwork such as poster are great for this kind of gallery wall. This is a playful version of that staircase gallery.

A more classic version of a staircase feature wall is this gorgeous statement gallery wall. The large mats and black and white photos are strikingly lovely. I’m especially appreciate this style of staircase gallery wall in a grand entryway like this one.

Classic Family Photo Staircase Gallery Wall

Gallery walls along staircases that are filled with family photos are probably the most popular. Here’s one that’s done exceptionally well.

When creating a family style gallery wall, make sure to use different size frames and photo orientations to create visual interest.

If you’re looking to add some family photos to your stairway gallery wall, there are a few different ways you can go about it. You could choose to include black and white photos for a more classic look. Or if you want something with a little more color, you could opt for adding in some fun pops of color by using frames in bright hues. Another option would to create a staircase gallery wall that tells the story of your family by including photos from different generations.

Family photo gallery walls are a great way to incorporate some sentimental pieces into your decor. This black and white gallery wall uses a mix of white and wood frames. I like the way the wood toned frames pop in the sea of white.

Wrapping Up

Creating a stairway gallery wall is a great way to add personality to your home while also incorporating some of your favorite photos and art pieces. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to designing a gallery wall that is perfect for your home. Thanks for reading! I hope this was helpful.