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Tara Gavin, founder of Toronto’s On the Wall Framing, recommends giving a gallery wall a clear design direction rather than relying on a uniform set of frames. Her approach uses varied frame finishes and mat colors, generous or unconventional spacing within frames, and black-and-white photos to help personal images work as a cohesive display.
Tara Gavin, founder of Toronto-based On the Wall Framing, says a gallery wall works best when it follows a clear design direction, rather than relying on matching frames or a standard arrangement. In advice published by House Beautiful, Gavin describes using colored mats, varied frame finishes, negative space and black-and-white photographs to make a display cohesive while retaining visual variety.
Gavin’s examples include a gallery wall commissioned by Toronto design studio Kessler Levitan for a family of five. The available wall was just 31 inches wide, and Gavin said the limited space became an opportunity to create a defined design feature. The source does not identify when the project was completed.
Rather than using only white mats and wood frames, Gavin combined oak and black frames with burgundy-toned mats and frames. She said the burgundy adds warmth, the oak keeps the arrangement from feeling too formal, and the black introduces contrast. Her broader recommendation is to choose a color that either gives the display its own character or connects it to a noticeable color elsewhere in the room.
Gavin also treats the mat—the space between an image and its frame—as part of the composition. She says wider mats can draw attention to a photograph, while multiple images in one frame or an off-center placement can make the display less predictable. For family pictures taken at different times and in different lighting, she recommends considering black-and-white printing as a way to create visual consistency. These are design suggestions, not requirements for every gallery wall.
Personal Photos as Home Art
Gavin’s advice gives readers a practical way to make a group of personal images feel considered without requiring a collection of expensive artwork. The approach is relevant to people working with limited wall space or photographs that differ in color and style: variation can come from mats and frame finishes, while a shared treatment—such as black-and-white printing—can help connect the pieces.
The recommendations also put the images themselves at the center of the design. Instead of treating family photographs as secondary to purchased art, Gavin argues that meaningful pictures can form the basis of a display. The outcome will depend on the room, the images and personal taste; House Beautiful’s report presents her method and project, not evidence that one arrangement works for every home.
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The 31-Inch Toronto Project
The House Beautiful report frames Gavin’s guidance around a commission for a Toronto family of five, designed with Kessler Levitan. With only 31 inches of width available, the project illustrates her emphasis on treating constraints as part of the composition. The article does not provide a full installation plan, a measured layout or details about the family’s room beyond the narrow wall.
Gavin’s design direction does not mean every component has to match. In the featured arrangement, color appears in the mats and frames, while the photographs are printed in black and white. That division lets the display include different frame finishes without making the images compete through a range of unrelated color palettes. The article also presents alternatives—such as soft blue, olive green or a warm neutral—rather than prescribing burgundy as the right choice for every space.
“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
What the Design Advice Leaves Open
The report does not give exact measurements for gaps between frames, mat widths, frame sizes or the placement of each piece. It also does not establish a single layout that readers should reproduce. Gavin’s guidance is qualitative: select a direction, experiment with color and scale, and consider how the images relate to one another.
It is also unclear whether the burgundy palette or black-and-white printing would suit a particular reader’s room or photographs. Gavin presents monochrome printing as an option for consistency, not a rule, and notes that mat colors can vary. The source provides no cost estimates, durability comparisons or testing of the design choices.
Planning a Wall at Home
For readers applying the advice, the next step is to decide what should unify the display: a color relationship, a common treatment for the photographs, or a mix of frame finishes. Gavin’s recommendations suggest testing mat colors against the room, considering whether some images need more negative space, and deciding whether multiple photos belong in a single frame. The source does not announce a follow-up project or a specific next milestone; the design decisions remain with each homeowner.
Before hanging anything, readers can arrange the frames on the floor or make a paper mock-up on the wall to compare scale and spacing. That is a practical planning option, not a method attributed to Gavin in the report. The central point of her advice remains that a gallery wall should have an intentional direction, even when its individual frames and photographs differ.
Key Questions
What does Tara Gavin say is the key to a gallery wall?
Gavin says to give it a clear design direction. She recommends considering scale, mat color, frame finishes and how each photograph sits within its frame.
Does every frame need to match?
No. In the Toronto project, Gavin combined oak, black and burgundy-toned finishes. Her example uses variation to create contrast while keeping an overall palette in view.
Why use black-and-white family photographs?
Gavin says monochrome printing can make pictures taken at different times, in different lighting and with different color palettes feel more consistent as a collection. She presents it as an option, not a requirement.
What does negative space mean in a framed photograph?
In Gavin’s advice, it refers to the mat area around the image. She says it can give a photograph more presence and can be used with multiple openings or off-center placement.
Can a gallery wall work on a narrow wall?
Gavin’s featured project was designed for a wall 31 inches wide. The report shows that a narrow area can be used as a display, but it does not provide a universal layout or measurements for other homes.
Source: housebeautiful.com
