TL;DR
Get decor and gifts delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Toronto framing expert Tara Gavin says gallery walls work best with a clear design direction. Her approach uses varied frame and mat colors, deliberate negative space and, for family photos, black-and-white printing to create cohesion.
Toronto framing expert Tara Gavin says a gallery wall should have a clear design direction, rather than relying on a uniform row of matching frames. In a House Beautiful report, the founder of On the Wall Framing described using color, mat space and photo placement to make personal images feel like a considered part of a room’s design.
Gavin’s advice draws on a project she completed after being approached by Toronto design studio Kessler Levitan to create a wall display for a family of five. The available wall was just 31 inches wide, according to House Beautiful. Gavin treated the narrow space as a design feature, combining oak and black frames with burgundy-colored mats and frames.
The colors served different purposes in the arrangement: Gavin said burgundy added warmth, oak kept the look from feeling too formal, and black frames provided contrast and helped connect the composition. She suggested that homeowners can use a similar palette or choose a mat or frame color that relates to a prominent shade elsewhere in the room.
Gavin also recommends treating the mat—the border between an image and its frame—as part of the composition. Wider or more noticeable negative space can draw attention to a small photograph, while multiple openings in one frame or slightly off-center placement can make a display less predictable. For family photographs taken in different lighting and color conditions, she said black-and-white printing can help the images sit together more consistently.
A Personal Wall With Design Direction
The advice addresses a common decorating challenge: how to combine photographs and art that were not created as a matching set. A gallery wall may draw on images made at different times, in different styles or with different color palettes. Gavin’s method offers ways to connect those pieces without requiring every frame, mat or image to look identical.
That can matter especially in small or narrow spaces, where a display has limited room and each choice is more visible. The Toronto project shows how a restricted width can still support a deliberate arrangement, though the report does not establish that the same palette or layout will suit every home. The practical takeaway is to decide what should unify the pieces—such as color, frame materials or photo treatment—before hanging them.
Gavin also frames family photography as a source of wall art in its own right. Her comments suggest homeowners can build a display around meaningful images rather than buying a collection of artwork, while using framing choices to make the overall arrangement feel cohesive.
Products Worth Considering
Sonos Era 100 SL Compact Microphone-Free Speaker, Black
Philips Hue Large Smart Light Tube, Black – White and Color Ambiance LED Color-Changing Light – 1 Pack
Philips Hue Secure Wired Video Doorbell, 2K, Black
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The Toronto Wall Behind the Advice
The guidance comes from House Beautiful’s report on gallery-wall ideas, not from a study or formal design standard. Gavin is identified as the founder of On the Wall Framing in Toronto. The report presents her professional approach through a specific residential commission, designed with Kessler Levitan for a family of five.
That commission had a particularly narrow footprint: 31 inches of width. Instead of limiting the display to conventional white mats and wood frames, Gavin combined familiar oak and black finishes with burgundy. The report uses the project to illustrate her broader approach, but it does not provide a full measured layout, hanging plan or information about the family’s room beyond the wall width.
Her recommendations are presented as design options rather than requirements. In particular, she says black-and-white printing can create a more uniform look for photographs with varied lighting and colors, while her comments on mats and placement encourage experimentation within the overall arrangement.
“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, as quoted by House Beautiful
Details the Report Does Not Provide
The report does not give the full dimensions of the frames, spacing between pieces, hanging measurements or a step-by-step installation plan. It also does not identify the exact number of images in the Toronto arrangement or explain how the final layout was tested before installation.
Gavin’s suggestions are professional design guidance, not evidence that one palette or technique is best for every room. The source does not compare different approaches or report how the family responded to the finished wall. It is also unclear whether the display’s exact colors and arrangement are available as a template for readers to reproduce.
Planning a Wall of Your Own
For readers applying Gavin’s advice, the first step is to choose a unifying idea—perhaps a frame finish, a room color, monochrome photographs or a shared use of mat space—before selecting each piece. The House Beautiful report recommends thinking about image positioning and negative space as part of the design, not as details to leave until the frames are on the wall.
Gavin’s approach leaves room for individual choices: a homeowner might use burgundy, as in the Toronto project, or select another shade that relates to furnishings nearby. The report provides no additional project announcement or upcoming milestone; its practical next step is for readers to adapt the ideas to their own photos, available wall space and preferred style.
Key Questions
What does Tara Gavin say makes a gallery wall work?
Gavin says it needs a design direction. She recommends considering scale, mat colors, frame finishes and how images are positioned, rather than making every piece match.
Why did Gavin use burgundy in the Toronto project?
She said burgundy added warmth and richness. Oak frames kept the arrangement from feeling too formal, while black frames added contrast and helped connect the display.
Should family photos always be printed in black and white?
No. Gavin presents black-and-white printing as an option for creating consistency when family photos have different lighting and color palettes, not as a requirement for every gallery wall.
What is negative space in a framed photograph?
In Gavin’s advice, it refers to the mat area around an image. She says matting can make a photo feel more prominent and can be used with multiple openings or off-center placement.
How narrow was the wall in the featured project?
House Beautiful reports that Gavin had 31 inches of width to work with for the Toronto family’s gallery wall.
Source: housebeautiful.com
