*I wanted to give a quick welcome to the awesome BuzzFeed readers who are visiting my little corner of the internet for the first time! Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to check out more of my DIY home projects while you’re here: make your own Homemade Laundry Soap, learn How to Distress Interior Doors, and see how I transformed this Electrical Spool Table.*
Gallery walls are one of my favorite design accents, and I think they’re great in almost any space. But, I’m not gonna lie – they can be really expensive! If you assume the average decorative picture frame costs somewhere between $10 and $50+, you can easily spend several hundred dollars on a single accent wall! I wanted to create a grid style gallery wall which gives the space more of a structured look, so I estimated the cost to be approximately $180 before tax and photo costs. That just wasn’t going to cut it around here – especially with two little ones running around.
I can tell you’re asking yourself how I came up with such a fun black and white gallery wall without breaking the bank. Well … it all started when I was wandering around IKEA a few weeks ago. Shocker. We passed the mirror section – which I usually ignore – and I spotted these $2 mirrors in frames. The shape and size were just right for my wall! There were a few different color options, but black and white is my jam right now, so I went for the crisp white frame.
When I got the frames home, I selected a few of my favorite Instagram photos, and printed them in black and white on regular printer paper. After I cut the photos out, I used mod podge to coat the mirror and secure the pictures in place. Then each photo got a layer of mod podge over top to seal it. That’s it! I think the whole project literally took me 5 minutes to finish.
This gallery wall adds a touch of fun and personality to the hallway, and I’m so thrilled with how it turned out. It doesn’t hurt that I spent less than $20 on the whole thing!
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I love the way it turned out! I am a fan of anything black & white. Thank you for linking this party up at Outside The Box.
Thanks! I’m with you – black and white is my current obsession!
This may Be a silly question but I can’t see the mirror “where it use to be” is that because it was a frame with a smaller mirror inside & u took the mirror out and placed ur picks inside? Sorry to sound stupid & what is mod poge? Thanks :)
I didn’t actually take the mirrors out at all … I just put the photos right on top! And Mod Podge is basically glue. It’s made for crafting to be a glue / sealer / and top coat with various finishes. There are links in the post to see the IKEA mirrors and Mod Podge listings on Amazon if that helps!
What size picture fits the opening?
It’s approximately 3.75″ square
I can’t find a place to print the pictures on photo paper so I’m going print them at a cvs just smaller can the mod podge be brushed over the picture that’s not a photo paper printer ?
I just used regular printer paper!
I have a couple of those mirrors laying around–what a wonderful idea!
I love a good Ikea hack AND gallery walls so this project is awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Genius idea! Thanks for sharing.
What is the size of the opening on the mirror?
About 3.75″ square
What dimensions did you use when printing your pictures?
I don’t remember exactly, I’d recommend measuring the frames. I believe it was around 3.5″
I never worked with mod podge.when u say to put it over picture can u explain that part more please
You just brush it over the photo with a foam or bristle brush (foam is my personal preference)
Thank you for sharing this. I’m always looking for affordable ideas with big impact. It looks fabulous!
I am so going to do this as well!! Already bought the supplies now only need to select the pictures!
Thanks a lot for this great idea/tutorial budget friendly!!
Lovely work!
Greetings from the Netherlands!
Thank you so much – I hope you love it as much as we love ours!!
Great idea! Perfect solution to a wall situation I’m having. :)
Great! :-)
This is great! Great on the budget, and great output. Thanks for sharing!! :)
I am so glad that I found this! I am going to do this today! Thanks for sharing :-)
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to doing it myself. Perhaps this is a silly question, but how did you print your Instagram photos from your computer? Was it through the Instagram webpage?
Hi Lucia! If you right click on the photo you can select view background image and then right click and save the image
I love this idea for our upstairs hallway, but can’t find the mirrors online. Any pointers ?
Your best bet will be to go to IKEA. It doesn’t look like you can purchase them on their website. I know Amazon has them sometimes but they’ll likely be much more expensive.
Will I have enough with the 8 ounce bottle of mod podge for this project or do i need the 16 ounce bottle that you linked?
There’s plenty in the 8oz bottle!
Possibly a silly question, but this is my first DIY project…so I was wondering, did you use the Matte finish or the glossy finish Mod podge?
I used glossy, but you could use either!
Oh great thanks!
Sam I am so in love with this idea. I found it on Pinterest, ran out the next day to Ikea and put this gallery in my bedroom. I shared my pics at work and now everyone is running out to do the same. I think the black and whites just make the whole gallery so elegant. I am featuring this amazing idea on my blog this week. Thanks for sharing your genius and creativity!
Paula
ivyandelephants.blogspot.com
Can’t wait to try this in my dining room! Wish I could see the frames from further back, have you posted any more pictures seeing these from a distance? Thanks so much for the idea!
Thanks a lot for this great idea.
Greetings from Catalonia!
I just found your project via Pinterest and had to pop over to check out how you managed to create such a cute wall at a fraction of the price. New blog follower, pinning now.
Thanks so much for your sweet words! :-)
Love this idea and so easy too! I’m definitely doing this in our hallway with pictures of our new grandson. So glad I opened my DIY Projects World Newsletter today!
Can I ask you how you fitted to wall, did the mirrors come with wall hanging supplies.
Just want to know how you hung them?
These come with little holes in the back – so I just used nails
These look awesome! What a great idea! I’m going to have to find a place to try this in my house.
Any tips on how to prevent air bubbles? – I am not crafty :(
If you’re getting air bubbles, it’s best to just try and gently push them towards the edges using your fingers. That should work!
Love! Love! Love!
Hello! Thank you for the great idea. I have purchased my mirrors and cut all of my pictures, but have run into a hiccup. I purchased Mod Podge (gloss) and the Mod Podge foam brushes, and was disappointed to see that the Mod Podge leaves a streaky film over the pictures. It is very noticeable. Do you have any tips for application? I am wondering if it is maybe the foam brush I used that is causing the streaking. What did you use to apply the Mod Podge on top of the pictures? Thank you for your help!
There will probably always be some streaks, but it should go away after drying so it’s not as noticeable. I use foam brushes for application.
You said in a prior comment that you used the glossy modgepog! I think that’s why she purchased the glossy.
Anywho, have you been able to prevent dust or clean the dust since there is no barrier between the pic?
Thanks so much for the great idea!
I just dust occasionally using a swiffer and they’ve held up fine… No fingerprints to clean off glass!
Is it possible to remove the pictures after in case you want to display different pictures?
I haven’t removed any of mine, but my plan was always to just apply more over top if I wanted to switch them out. I’m sure you could probably remove them though
Loved the idea, found it a couple of days ago. I already did it and I think because I used picture paper it sort of turned the pictures a bit vintage. But I kind of like it.
Did you just give it one layer of mod on the photos? I’m debating another because some look off. First project…
Yes picture paper can act differently when you put stuff on it – but that’s good to know!
I did one full layer and then kind of touched up where I felt like it needed more. Just make sure if you do more than one layer that you let it fully dry in between or it’ll stay tacky forever!
Love this! What spacing did you use between the frames? And is the spacing the same vertically and horizontally?
Honestly I don’t remember anymore! I think I did 12″ from mark to mark which left about an inch? Don’t quote me on that .. but I’m pretty sure! And yes I did the same so it was square
The link in the article to the mirrors has gone belly up.
Are the mirrors that you linked to named MALMA?
That’s so odd – they’re still showing up for purchase on my end! But, yes they are the MALMA mirrors from IKEA
Where can I print out that size of pictures
I just sized them on my computer. You probably can’t go anywhere to get that specific size printed … though you could have a regular photo printed and then cut it to fit
Hello,I found your great wall art project on Pinterest. Wow, Amazing job!!!
I am thinking of making a fabric/textile art project and your project seems great to fit my idea. I have a very silly question to ask you. Is the back of the mirror fram separable like a regular photo frame? or is it securely closed all around?
(I want to lay my textile inside the frame over the mirror and close the back if possible.)
Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Glad you found it! The mirrors are actually glued into the back of the frame … so you may be able to remove it and re-glue it though I’m not positive.
Hi, thank you for inspiring me to do this, how did you hang the frames on the wall?
I just used some of those itty bitty nails that come in picture hanging sets. There are holes in the back of the mirrors that make it really easy!
Just so you know — inspiration for this one still going strong. I don’t have an IKEA near me so I practically begged my brother to bring me 20 of these when he comes to visit soon. I’m super excited. Thank you so much for the great idea. Cannot wait to do the gallery wall in our new home next month!!!!!
Thanks so much – that’s wonderful to hear! :-)
What wall paint color is that .?
It’s called Steamed Milk – I wrote about it and our other home paint colors here: https://atkinsondrive.com/new-year-new-look/
Fabulous!
Lovely ideas and it look great thank you for ideas and sharing.
Thank you!
Beautiful…just what I have been looking for…Thank you again-n- again
I’m so glad! And don’t forget you can send photos of your finished product – I love to see! atkinsondrive@yahoo.com