The Curtain Rod DIY That Turns Any Space Into A Gallery Wall

A gallery wall may be the ideal solution to fill that empty area in the room, bringing cohesion to the space in a personally meaningful and stylish way. Still, the thought of adding a bunch of nail holes to the wall or burning through Command strips can make many hesitant to undertake this latest design challenge. It's nice to have the convenience to easily rearrange the layout after standing back and seeing it as a whole. Besides, gallery walls should be able to change with the dynamism of family life, furthering the value of a more flexible setup. That could be one reason at-home designers are creating perfect gallery walls in their homes by leaning on a common tool you likely have hanging around your home — a curtain rod!

Curtain rods give you a versatile display. The chains, cords, or strings they hold can slide side to side or change positions, each with a column of pictures and decor in a tidy line. Remove and attach items as you wish, and add new lines as your gallery wall expands. It's even easier with extendable curtain rods. Telescope your curtain rod out to fit an expanding array of pictures, or shorten it as new decor fills in the wall around it. With your curtain rod handy, you just need some S-hooks (e.g., shower hooks), curtain rod brackets, and rope or other hanging materials to complete your newest installation.

Decide where to hang your gallery wall curtain rod, and plan how you want to arrange your pictures. To help you visualize, trace rough outlines of your frames and decor on paper or cardboard. Tape these templates on the wall, and move them around until you find a workable layout. With that, you can see exactly where to put your curtain rod and how much to extend it. It can also inform you as to how long to cut your hanging lines later.

Install your curtain rod brackets when you've finalized the placement. For a damage-free, renter-friendly gallery wall, pick peel-and-stick curtain rod brackets like ANDGOO's 6-Pack No Hole Curtain Rod Brackets. Use a laser level or spirit level to keep the brackets even as you line them up, and adhere them to the wall. Keep extra brackets handy in case you have to reinforce sections of the curtain rod that might sag under the gallery display's weight.

When you need a sturdier installation, stick with screw-in brackets. Find suitable mounting points for the curtain rod holders. Use a stud finder to pinpoint the wall studs, or try a few simple tricks to locate studs without it, like knocking on the wall or using a magnet. Mounting into studs is ideal to hold the most weight, though you can also use wall anchors if you can only screw into drywall. Choose the strongest type of drywall anchor possible to sustain the weight, adding extra brackets as needed.

After installing your gallery curtain rail, you just have to determine how you want to hang your frames. Alongside the curtain rods, your hanging lines add to the aesthetic. Choose finishes that complement your picture frames and stand out in the space, drawing attention to the uniqueness of the wall. For instance, gold or champagne bronze can look great with black frames, while you can use twine for more rustic vibes or even ribbons to make a fun, colorful design.

Hang S-hooks from the rod. Then, determine how long to make each chain, keeping in mind they don't have to match in length. You just don't want any of it peeking out from under the bottom-most frame in each column. If you set frame templates on the wall to plan the layout, finding the right length should be easy. It's then just a matter of hooking the frame to the chain, which you can do with small S-hooks or looping the line through the hanging hooks on the frames.

If the idea of hanging your gallery wall from a curtain rod sounds intriguing but also riskier than mounting each frame on the wall, you can find a happy medium by faking the look. Hang your curtain rod and hanging chains as normal. Instead of hanging each frame from the chain, though, hang it in position from the wall, pinning the chain behind it. Your decor will actually attach to the wall but have the illusion of hanging from the rod.