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Tara Gavin, founder of On the Wall Framing in Toronto, recommends giving a gallery wall a clear design direction rather than relying on matching frames or white mats. Her approach uses deliberate color choices, varied mat space and, for family-photo collections, black-and-white prints to create cohesion.
Framing expert Tara Gavin, founder of Toronto’s On the Wall Framing, says a gallery wall works best when it has a clear design direction, outlining an approach built around color, matting and photo selection. In a project for a Toronto family of five, Gavin used varied frames and burgundy accents to compose a display on a wall just 31 inches wide.
Gavin developed the project with design studio Kessler Levitan. Rather than defaulting to all-white mats and wood frames, she combined oak and black frames with burgundy-colored mats and frames. The choices gave the collection a varied palette while retaining elements that linked the pieces. Gavin said oak softened the formality of the burgundy, while black provided contrast and helped tie the arrangement together.
Her first recommendation is to treat color as a design choice, not a fixed rule. Burgundy is one option; Gavin also suggests considering soft blue, olive green or a warm neutral, including shades that relate to furnishings in the room. She says different mat colors can change how a photograph reads, while a repeated or coordinated palette can help individual frames feel connected.
Gavin’s second suggestion is to use negative space around an image. A larger mat can give a small photograph more emphasis, and the available space can also accommodate multiple images in one frame. Rather than always centering a single photograph, her team sometimes uses several openings or places an image off-center. These are options, not required rules: the arrangement should be tested as a composition.
For family photographs taken at different times and under different lighting, Gavin recommends considering black-and-white printing to create a more consistent visual effect. In the featured project, the images were monochrome while the mats and frames supplied color. Gavin also stresses that a gallery wall need not rely on costly art: personal photographs can form its core.
A Narrow Wall Becomes a Display
The project offers a practical example for people who want to display photographs but have limited wall space or a collection that does not share one style. Gavin’s approach treats the wall as a coordinated arrangement: frames, mats, image sizes and placement all contribute to the overall effect. That can help readers make design decisions before buying frames or committing to a layout.
It also makes the advice relevant beyond professional art collections. Family photos can differ in color, lighting and format, and the source report presents monochrome printing and varied matting as ways to bring them together without removing their personal meaning. These are design recommendations, not guarantees of a particular result; the outcome depends on the images, room and chosen arrangement.
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The Design Behind Gavin’s Example
House Beautiful’s report presents Gavin’s recommendations through a commission for a Toronto family of five, curated with Kessler Levitan. The available width—31 inches—was a specific constraint of that project. Gavin described it as an opportunity to make a narrow wall a focal point rather than treating limited space as a reason to avoid a gallery arrangement.
The report does not describe a single prescribed layout or claim that every gallery wall should use burgundy, black-and-white photographs or multiple images per frame. Instead, Gavin’s stated principle is to establish a design direction, then make choices about scale, frame finishes, mat color and image positioning that support it. Her suggestions are based on her framing work and the project described in the article.
“My team and I love playing with scale, unexpected mat colors, different frame finishes, and the way photographs are positioned within a frame in order to keep them fresh.”
— Tara Gavin, founder of On the Wall Framing
What the Report Does Not Specify
The source provides no exact measurements for frame spacing, mat widths or the full arrangement, and it does not identify the photographs or explain how the final layout was installed. It is also unclear whether the family selected the color palette or how the display relates to other details in the room. The report shares Gavin’s professional recommendations, but does not include independent testing or reader outcomes.
Black-and-white printing is presented as an option rather than a requirement. Gavin’s example shows one way to combine monochrome images with colored frames, but the report does not establish that this approach suits every set of photos or interior.
Applying the Advice at Home
The report does not announce a follow-up project or provide a schedule for further guidance. Readers can use Gavin’s recommendations as a starting point: select a palette, decide whether mats will add useful space, and consider whether black-and-white printing would make a varied photo collection feel more cohesive. The source advises planning the positioning as part of the design, but does not give a step-by-step installation method or specific hanging measurements.
Before purchasing frames, homeowners can compare colors with nearby furnishings and test different image groupings. The final choices remain personal; Gavin’s central point is to make them intentionally rather than treating white mats and matching frames as the only option.
Key Questions
What is Tara Gavin’s main rule for a gallery wall?
Gavin says to begin with a clear design direction. She recommends considering scale, mat color, frame finishes and how each photograph sits within its frame.
Does every gallery wall need white mats and matching frames?
No. Gavin’s project combined burgundy, oak and black, and she suggests other colors, including soft blue, olive green and warm neutrals. The report presents these as options, not requirements.
Why use black-and-white family photographs?
Gavin says monochrome printing can make photos taken at different times, in different lighting and with different color palettes feel more consistent as a collection.
How can mats make a gallery wall more interesting?
A mat can give a small image more space and emphasis. Gavin also suggests using multiple openings in one frame or placing a photo off-center instead of always centering a single image.
Can a gallery wall work in a narrow space?
Gavin’s Toronto project was designed for a wall with 31 inches of width. The report says the limited area became a design feature, though it does not provide the exact layout or measurements for recreating it.
Source: housebeautiful.com
