How to style a festive gallery wall at home

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14 May 2026

On 14 May 2026

A gallery wall is one of the easiest ways to bring the festive season into a home. Start with frames you already own, then add a few Christmas prints in red, green and gold. Lay everything on the floor first so you can move the pieces around before you touch the wall.

Keep the gaps between frames about the same, roughly five centimetres, and hang the biggest piece slightly off centre.

Mix in small touches

Tuck a bauble or a little wreath between the frames. Our Pinetown shop has plenty of small festive decor that suits a wall.

Once the frames are up, step back and look at the wall from across the room. Gaps are easy to fill with a small ornament, a paper star or a bit of ribbon. Take your time and move things until it feels right.

Light and colour

Warm lights work best in the evening. Choose one or two colours and repeat them, so the wall looks planned and calm instead of busy.

Thandi Nkosi: Start with a Theme Colour

Thandi hangs her gallery wall in the lounge every December. She picks one colour, usually deep red, and builds around it. Old photos, children's drawings and a few small baubles all sit happily together. It costs very little and looks warm.

Ruan Pretorius: Use Natural Materials

Ruan likes wood, hessian and dried leaves. He frames pressed fynbos next to simple prints and adds a small feather wreath on the side. The result feels calm and suits a South African home with plenty of light from the stoep.

A festive gallery wall of framed prints and Christmas decorations above a console, styled with a small wreath, a gift bo

Zanele Mthembu: Keep It Personal

Zanele fills her wall with family moments from the year. She adds a bronze bauble in each corner and a handwritten card in the middle. Guests always stop to look, and the wall tells a story that no shop picture could.

Imran Patel: Think in Layers

Imran mixes big and small frames and leans a few against the shelf below. A string of little stars runs across the top. It is quick to change, so he moves things around right through the festive season.

"We hung a small gallery wall in our hallway using ideas from Geskenkhuis. The frames, baubles and ribbon all came from one visit. Friends keep asking where we found it, and it only took us one Saturday afternoon to put up."

Finishing touches that last

Use removable hooks if you rent, and keep the heavy pieces low. Add a few ornaments last, once you can see where the wall feels empty. Take the baubles down carefully in January and wrap each one in tissue so they are ready for next year.