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Toronto framing expert Tara Gavin recommends giving a gallery wall a clear design direction, using color and matting intentionally, and considering black-and-white prints to unify family photographs. Her advice comes from a project that fit a collection into a wall space just 31 inches wide.
Framing expert Tara Gavin, founder of On the Wall Framing in Toronto, says a gallery wall works best when it has a clear design direction, rather than relying on matching frames alone. In a project reported by House Beautiful, Gavin used colored mats, varied frame finishes and black-and-white family photographs to shape a display for a wall only 31 inches wide.
Gavin developed the wall with design studio Kessler Levitan for a Toronto family of five. The narrow space could have limited the display, but Gavin described it as an opportunity to make a concentrated design feature. She combined familiar oak and black frames with burgundy-colored mats and frames, giving the arrangement variety while keeping its elements connected.
Gavin said burgundy adds warmth and richness, oak prevents the result from feeling too formal, and black provides contrast. She also suggested choosing a mat or frame color that relates to a noticeable shade elsewhere in the room. White need not be the default: she named soft blue, olive green and warm neutrals as other options.
Matting can do more than create a border around a print, Gavin told House Beautiful. Wider negative space can draw attention to a smaller image, while different arrangements inside the frame—including multiple openings or a photograph placed off-center—can make the overall wall feel less predictable. For family pictures taken under varied lighting and against different color palettes, she recommended considering black-and-white printing as a way to make the collection more visually consistent.
Making Small Walls Feel Deliberate
Gavin’s example offers a practical alternative to treating a gallery wall as a collection of frames that must all match. A design direction—such as a limited mix of frame finishes, a repeated accent color or monochrome photographs—can help varied images read as one display. That can be useful for renters and homeowners working with narrow or awkward wall spaces, as well as people combining family photographs from different years.
The advice also puts personal photographs on the same footing as purchased art. Gavin told House Beautiful that family memories can become meaningful art at home without an expensive collection. Her suggestions do not require following one fixed formula: they offer ways to make a display feel considered while keeping the photographs themselves personal.
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The Design Choices Behind the Wall
House Beautiful’s report presents Gavin’s recommendations through one specific commission: a gallery wall for a family of five, designed with Toronto studio Kessler Levitan. The reported space measured 31 inches across, and the solution combined several frame finishes and mat colors instead of using a single uniform set.
The article describes three main ideas from the project: build a palette beyond plain white, use mat space and placement to vary how images appear, and consider black-and-white prints when photographs do not share similar colors or lighting. These are Gavin’s design recommendations, not a universal rule that every gallery wall must follow.
“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
Advice, Not a Fixed Formula
The report does not provide a complete installation plan, exact measurements for spacing or frame sizes, or details about how the pieces were mounted. It also does not establish that black-and-white printing, burgundy accents or off-center placement will suit every room. Those choices are presented as Gavin’s approach and recommendations, rather than tested rules or requirements.
House Beautiful’s source material does not state when the article was published, and it does not report how the family used or responded to the completed wall. No further project details or follow-up are included.
Planning a Wall of Your Own
Gavin’s reported advice points first to choosing a direction for the display: decide whether frame finishes, mat colors or the photographs themselves will provide continuity. Then consider how the available wall width and image sizes affect the arrangement. For a mixed collection of family photos, comparing color prints with black-and-white versions may help establish whether a more consistent appearance is desired.
The source reports no additional project milestone or follow-up from Gavin or Kessler Levitan. Readers considering a similar display can use these ideas as starting points, but the final arrangement will depend on their photographs, room colors and available wall space.
Key Questions
What does Tara Gavin recommend for a gallery wall?
Gavin recommends beginning with a clear design direction and using frame finishes, mat colors, image scale and placement deliberately. Her reported example combined oak and black frames with burgundy details.
Does every gallery wall need white mats and matching frames?
No. Gavin says white is a common default but suggests considering colors such as burgundy, soft blue, olive green or warm neutrals. She also used different frame finishes in the featured project.
Why print family photographs in black and white?
Gavin says black-and-white printing can make photographs taken in different lighting and with different color palettes feel more consistent as a group. The report presents this as an option, not a requirement.
How can matting make a gallery wall more interesting?
Gavin recommends using negative space around an image and experimenting with multiple openings or off-center placement. These choices can change how a photograph sits within its frame.
Source: rss
