I know you're probably thinking, 'What made her start that gallery wall?' and, 'What's so significant about it?' Well, there's actually a lot of meaning behind it! Here's a little background info to my "why" story:
(Please note: This blog refers to my own first apartment and not the one I am currently living in! I will post a different blog about my current studio gallery wall soon!)
In the fall of 2015, I moved into my first one-bedroom apartment on a whim after graduating and becoming a retail pharmacist. Woohoo!
The vibrant neighborhood that I moved to (Assembly Row in Somerville, MA) has been under construction and booming with fresh and fun new shops, restaurants, & entertainment ever since!
Living in this up-and-coming environment as a young professional has inspired me to explore my creative side more and build upon myself.
A few months prior to the big move, while still living at home with my parents, I would scroll through endless Pinterest pages searching for design inspiration. I couldn't wait to move out & live on my own!
I wanted to make sure that wherever I moved to, it was quirky & unique. Fortunately, I was able to lease in such an apartment complex called AVA in Assembly Row.
I have always been an interior design enthusiast, but I was captivated by the new concept of a gallery wall and creating a unique individual space (It's not every day that you find eye-catching interiors with bold, colorful designs!).
Knowing that I would have ample wall space at my new apartment, the possibilities were endless!
However, once I moved in, it wasn't as easy as it all seemed. I felt well out of my comfort zone initially, because renting here is obviously not cheap and living alone gets tricky at times!
Finding a work-life balance and taking on tons of new responsibilities as a young 20-something really delayed the start of this journey a bit, but nevertheless, it helped fuel the flame for which I created it.
My first apartment slowly became the creativity house where I could express myself via wall art & chalk drawings in my spare time.
I'll call it the "experimental apartment", because I still had no idea what I was really doing or what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to do something!
The long & bleak white wall that I decided to start my gallery wall on spanned from the front entrance area of my open kitchen into my living area (~30 ft long) and had a ceiling-to-desk chalkboard next to it which allowed for a cozy corner (above).
Directly across from this wall was my linear open-faced kitchen, having a modern open-concept feel.
It all started with the "But First Coffee" beautiful gold foil print that I found on Etsy and ordered before I moved in. Because after all, none of this would be possible without coffee, am I right?!
I then painted the rim of an old cork board gold (although I should've spray painted it) and mounted it right below as a place to keep catchy business cards and other fun things like push pins.
Next, I found a beautiful gold-sparkly memo board in a hashtag shape from the Francescas in Assembly Row. This was actually one of the first items I bought for my new apartment right when I moved in, and is the staple piece for my current gallery wall. I still get questions to this day as to where it's from, but it really is one of a kind!
My Pablo Picasso print that I got at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston gives my wall some color and reflects some of my quirkiness.
The "move mountains" block that I found at my local Home Goods is a reminder that I have been assigned this mountain to show others that it can, in fact, be moved.
Lastly, the letter K that I crafted from wine & champagne corks really gives the wall some rustic character!
Initially, I planned to work my way from the top left corner of the wall and move downwards and to the right.
There was really no strategic planning involved, it was just a process that took place overtime.
What I did know, was that an equal(ish) amount of space needed to be in-between each frame and that it needed to look balanced.
This, then became the foundation of my gallery wall to build around!
In the summer of 2017, after I returned from a trip to California, I was bursting with ideas and creativity. It was then that I really got my first inspiration from travel for my wall.
Some of the new additions were prints/postcards that I brought back from my trip. It's actually really fun shopping for things for your wall from places you visit!
Here, I was inspired to create a summer-y theme with pops of pink, yellow, and (as always) gold. Basically, I am all about finding unique items that are hard to find and then creating my own story with them.
At the time that I was putting this wall art together, I should also point out that I had started my instagram account @designbyhopenotes in October of 2016. From there, I began following accounts that gave me tons of inspiration.
Without this inspiration from other female hustlers and entrepreneurs, I don't know if I would've made it this far!
Some bloggers even offer free downloadable prints so you can hang them on your own wall - hence the heart shaped Valentine printable (above) that I downloaded from Tamara Lee's print shop!
Tip: I find a lot of the pieces for my wall from my local Target dollar spot (items ranging between $1 - $5), Michaels, Home Goods, and Ikea just to name a few!
My current gallery wall (2019) tells a story, and changes with the seasons. It also includes some of my very own hand-drawn prints that I created digitally and framed.
I will discuss much, much more of this in detail in future blog posts, I just wanted to give you all a general idea of what inspired me to start.
If you're reading this, I encourage you to start something that you've been intrigued by even if it is outside of your comfort zone!
XO Hope
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