How to hang a gallery wall of handmade art

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14 May 2026

On 14 May 2026

A gallery wall works best when you plan it before you hammer a single nail. Start with the pieces you love most, such as a beaded panel, a framed print or a string art board from our Local Makers range.

Lay everything out on the floor first. Move the pieces around until the gaps feel even and the colours sit well together.

Trace and test

Cut paper to the size of each piece and tape it to the wall. Step back and look from the doorway. Adjust, then hang. It saves a lot of little holes.

Keep about five centimetres between frames so the group reads as one. Hang the centre of the wall at eye level, roughly 150 cm from the floor, and build outward from there.

Mix textures and sizes

Put a woven piece next to a wooden block, or a small bead frame beside a large print. Odd numbers look relaxed. Leave room to add one more piece later, because you will want to.

Thandi Mokoena: Beadwork Panels

Thandi hangs her beaded panels in a tight cluster of three, always at the same height. She says the colours do the talking, so the frames stay plain. Try it above a console or a bed, and let the pattern lead your eye along the wall.

Pieter Venter: Wood and Twine

Pieter works in driftwood and reclaimed pine, so his walls favour natural shapes. He pairs a wood slice clock with a string art board and leaves the space around them empty. That quiet gap makes each piece look more deliberate and easier to enjoy.

Sipho Ngcobo: Clay and Ceramics

Sipho likes glazed ceramic plates on a wall, hung in a loose circle. He uses small plate hangers and checks the weight first. Mixing blue and earth tones keeps the group lively without feeling busy, and it suits a passage or a dining nook well.

Fatima Ismail: Leather and Fibre

Fatima mixes leather wall hangings with woven baskets used as flat wall art. The warm browns and natural fibres sit well against a pale painted wall. She tells customers to start with one large piece and add smaller ones around it, step by step.

"I used the layout tips from this guide on my lounge wall and it came together in one afternoon. The beadwork and the wooden blocks looked right together. Friends keep asking where the pieces came from, and I send them straight to Kraalwerk."

Hang it and live with it

Once the wall is up, leave it for a week before you change anything. You will notice which piece feels too small or too loud. Swap one item at a time. A good gallery wall grows slowly, and handmade pieces from local makers look better with each added story.