How to Create a Photo Ledge Instead of Gallery Wall

Duncan lives in a 1,050-square-foot home in Royal Oak, Michigan, that’s filled with art and light. “I am definitely not a minimalist. I love art and color,” she said in her house tour. Her design style is really bold and glamorous, with gold accents and fun shapes around every corner. And in nearly every single room, there’s a different collection of cool, colorful art.

The real show-stopping display is in Duncan’s favorite room: the study. The walls are painted a matte gray which could make the room feel dark and gloomy, but there’s entirely too much colorful art to let that happen. Every piece of art that Duncan has in this room is framed — but instead of hanging a gallery wall, she hung floating shelves. The result? A unique photo ledge.

Instead of creating one long ledge and placing all the art on it, Duncan decided to go with two black ledges that are the same exact length, mounted parallel to each other. Then she styled each shelf with three different pieces at varying heights, giving the display a little depth and visual interest. What’s even more interesting is that she displayed three more pieces of art on this wall, not on a shelf, but simply on the floor leaning against the wall.

This is a unique, budget-friendly, and time-saving way to display your art. Trying to figure out the best way to arrange your gallery can take days (or even weeks!), but this could be done in a day. Her decision to place the art on the floor, versus mounting another shelf, is a perfect example of simply filling the room with things you really like, however you like, even if it isn’t traditional or trendy.

Duncan’s biggest piece of advice when it comes to creating a home you love? Fill it with things that are “meaningful, sentimental, and just plain fun!”