You guys, I’m so excited about today’s post, Modern Travel Gallery in Hallway. Our hallway has come soooooooooo far from where it was. I can’t wait to show you some of the progression. To be honest, it’s not a space that has good natural light, so it’s a challenging space for me. I liked our original travel-themed hallway but, as with anything, my style aesthetic has changed over the years.
The space started to take shape last year after we got our hardwood flooring installed. I get asked about the color of our hardwoods quite a bit; so, if you are curious, you can check out my post on how we chose our hardwood flooring.
This picture was from last year. New flooring, old travel gallery, no rug, no baseboards and with the lighting that we moved to the closet.
So, like I said, the space started to take shape after the flooring was installed but promptly stalled because of time, money and just general direction of how to make the space feel more cohesive. Earlier this year, two things happened. eSaleRugs reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in reviewing a rug. I ended up choosing a rug that is beyond perfect for the hallway. The hallway needed a rug that was around 13ft, which can be a bit challenging to find. So, when I finally found “the one”… it was super exciting! The second thing that happened was that I decided to steal the lights that we had in the hallway for our closet makeover.
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The lights were great in the hallway, but they didn’t add any interest. Taking them down and installing them in the closet was a HUGE win because our closet needed new lights and that allowed me to buy two affordable lights that would add interest to the hallway.
This photo is from earlier this year after I got the rug and the lighting was installed.
A few weeks ago, we finished installing the baseboards in the hallway. I shared a post on how to cope baseboards, which we photographed while we were installing the hallway baseboards.
After that, it was all about trying to figure out how to get the gallery look that I wanted in a price that I could afford. I fell in love with Brit’s gallery wall in her master bedroom reveal. She had the exact look that I wanted but I wanted my frames to be a bit bigger.
I sourced and sourced for affordable options for a large-scale frame/mat combo but couldn’t find anything less than $125 per frame. I couldn’t justify that price when I wanted at least five frames. So, I decided to DIY the mat board (see how to cut your own mat board for the full tutorial). A reader informed me that Michaels was having a huge sale on their 24×36 frames. I snagged a few for under $20 a piece.
After cutting all the mats, it was as simple as hanging them all on the wall.
The hallway is far from perfect, with all the disgusting asbestos-filled popcorn, multiple grungy ceiling add-ons, etc. BUT, it makes me smile and I really love where it’s at.
You gotta appreciate how far it’s come, too. Want to see it on move-in day?
Crazy, right? Gosh, I think so!
Don’t forget to go over and PIN the tutorial for cutting your own photo mats. You are going to want it!
i love the new look! the art and lighting are awesome together!
Thanks Cassie! It fits and I couldn’t be happier.
What’s the name of the paint?
Hi,
It’s Grey Husky by Benjamin Moore.
I really love the direction you are going in. Looks very clean, effortless yet intentional. Kudos!
Thanks Amber! Love that you mentioned intentional because that’s exactly where I want to direct every room in the house.
Hallways seem like difficult spaces! I’ve never had one to style but have seen many where they’re either, like you said, not cohesive, or where they take on a cluttered look b/c it’s a small space. But what you’ve done is gorgeous. I’d definitely call this perfect! The large frames with that rug is absolutely stunning.
Oh my goodness, they are! Thanks so much!
Oh it turned out so great! Hallways are SO HARD but yours looks awesome. Love it!
Thanks Brit! They are so hard and especially when the lighting is bad BUT… I do love how this one turned out.
LOOOOOVE! The transformation is amazing! And I love how you take your time with things. Reminds me I don’t have to do all the projects immediately (my perfectionist self struggles with this! ♀️) Such a fan of yours!
Thanks Robin! I want things done immediately too but I KNOW that I always make mistakes that way. I make mistakes taking my time too but not as many for sure. Overall though, I think we just need to remind ourselves to enjoy the process!
Your hallway looks absolutely wonderful! I’m in love with the way the rug, lighting and beautiful frames all look together. It is simply beautiful! Congratulations on creating such an awesome space.
Awww, thanks Catherine!
The hallway looks great and reminds me a little bit of our own! Question — did you paint your whole house fan vent or replace it entirely? We have one as well, and we’ve been debating. It’s also beige-yellowish, but we’d prefer it white so it’ll blend with the ceilings better. Painting seems like it’s possible, but maybe tricky with the grates.
I painted it! I actually spray painted it inside. We created a funnel around it and I just went for it!
Amazing update! Always interesting to watch how personal styles change. Myself included. I am also in need of a long rug for a hallway. Can you put a direct link for your rug or maybe a name so I can search it?
Thanks Kelly! Here’s the name: Koliaei Persian Runner.
That before photo! It looks so pretty now. Always love seeing before and afters so much.
Thanks Julia! I really love the change.
Do you know the name/brand of the frames you got at Michaels? I love how all this looks together…quite the modern transformation!
Belmont in Honey from Michaels. They are directly linked in this post if you want to go right to it: https://biggerthanthethreeofus.com/how-to-cut-your-own-picture-mats/
Looks wonderful! Congrats!
Thanks Margie! We are definitely enjoying the space!
So loving this! The current view of the hallway looks amazing. How far apart are in the picture frames from each other?
Thanks Jennifer. They are 14.5 inches apart.
I just bought the frames and mat board!!! How big if picture did you put in the 24×36 mat? I am not a very good DIY person but I am going to try this!!!!!
Hi Courtney,
They are 16×16!
Hi! I love what you accomplished! Could you tell me the name of the rug? I have been searching forever!
Hi,
It was a vintage find. =)