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Desk Gallery Wall

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My gallery wall is finally finished! When we were apartment hunting in Connecticut, I knew I wanted an office space. Not necessarily a room, but definitely a dedicated space. Even a nook off a living room would have been fine. My desk in NYC was a foot away from the end of my bed and I felt like I had very separation of work and life.
While searching, we looked at two bedrooms and one bedrooms. The one bedrooms wouldn’t accommodate enough room for a separate work space for me, probably just a desk somewhere in the living room. And the two bedrooms felt like too much space for just Garrett and myself. And that’s when we found a one bedroom with a den. Game changer. It was just the extra space we were looking for without having to commit to an entire extra bedroom and bathroom.
The “den” is basically just an extra, extra wide hallway the connects the kitchen/living room/bedroom/bathroom together. There’s a closet with the washing machine and dryer. We fit my desk against the large wall and Garrett has a smaller desk on another wall. The space is far from finished and it seems to be like the poor middle child when it comes to decorating. Randomly, the desk was the first purchase I made for the apartment but it more or less ended there. Garrett got the gallery wall started while I was out of town and I finally got everything up last week. 
I actually have a few extra frames that didn’t make it up on the wall so now I get to find homes for them in another part of the apartment. (You can see a few leaning against the bar cart there!) 
What still needs to be done:
– Hang a bulletin board on the wall to the left of my desk. I’m debating between this set or this scalloped pin board!
– Utilize the bar cart (c/o)! I wasn’t sure where to put the bar cart, but it fits just right next to my desk. I want to set it up with boxes for files and storage for notebooks and paper.
– Secure the frames. I love the gallery wall, but our air conditioner/heat vent is to the right of all the frames. Every time it kicks on, the frames get crooked. I’ve been constantly straightening and need a permanent solution. I’ve heard these little rubber bump things can help. Anyone else have a tip or two?
– Keep organizing. Why the small crop on the space? Because if you were to see the big picture, you’d run away in fear!!! There’s boxes of paperwork still under my desk, frames that need new homes, our skis stored there, and a couple of bags of clothes to be donated. Yikes.


Having a huge desk makes me so happy. I loved my itty bitty desk and nook in NYC, but there’s nothing like having a huge space to spread out on. I’m so happy with it. The set of “three” drawers on the right is actually a pull out filing cabinet which is incredibly handy.

Desk details:


Printers Desk, Pottery Barn
Chair, Pottery Barn
Lamp, find of the century at Home Goods (similar here!)

Frame details:

Custom framed monogram, c/o Kearsley Lloyd Designs
Watercolor I did in high schooll
Butterfly print
Eyeglasses letterpress print, c/o Grove Street Press
Custom Inslee watercolor (my mom got this for me when we moved! it’s my nyc apartment!)
Lobster print, c/o Wolf Jaw Press
Framed Georgetown pennant
Random collection of personal photos
Framed Henley pins
Painting I did in middle school

I love that it’s a good mix of things I love while still being super personal.

(People on Instagram asked how I hung everything. Garrett got it started for me which is always the hardest part. I wanted a good “eye line” so I tried to use that as the guideline. From there, I literally just grabbed frames, did a quick measure, and hammered in the nail. I definitely made a few extra holes on the wall, whoops, but overall didn’t worry about being too precise. Could it be more perfect? Sure. But I still really like the way it turned out!)



Can’t wait to share more as the space continues to shape up!

xoxo
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18 Comments

Ama et Bemma

Your space looks beautiful! My working desk is also a foot or two away from my bed. I am trying to get into the habit of actually using my desk rather than laying on my bed to get work done haha. Although my bed is comfy the desk is a much more conducive space for work! Please keep us updated on your house decorations!
http://amabemma.blogspot.com/

Reply
carly

Great question! Should have added this in the post!

Some ideas for getting frames:
– Antique stores can be good, even if you don't like what's inside of the frame they're often usable and you can find some unique pieces!
– Target actually has some nice frames that are a bit more expensive than Ikea, but definitely more sturdy and a little more character too
– If you have the patience to wait for the right one to pop up, Home Goods is also great!

For custom frames, I can't say enough great things about Framebridge. HIGHLY recommend. You can upload pictures from your computer and they print them and frame or you can have them send you packing material to send your own prints or artwork to frame. I love that they work with unique sizes and the frames are gorgeous. And, for custom framing, they're pretty affordable and super quick!

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Miranda Mills

This post has come at the perfect time for me! I've just moved and am in the process of setting up a little office space – the first time I'll have one – yay! It makes a great change from working at the kitchen table 🙂 I'm thinking of doing a gallery wall too so it was great to read these tips! Miranda http://mirandasnotebook.com/ xxx

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Marissa Johnson

This looks great! One nice way to keep things from moving around are those velcro command strips. I know you've already used nails but the command strips are a great way to reposition items as you hang them, and for you now, you can use them on either side to keep them from moving around a ton 🙂

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Brooke Kruman

We use sticky tac to make our frames sit flat! The blue stuff. Just a little ball at the base of the frame holds it straight to the wall and it really does come off easily when you take them down. We did it in our old apartment and the one we just moved into! And the glasses print is SO cute!

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KLloyd

Carly, Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful workspace. I've used the silicon 'dots' on the corners of my frames, but I find the humidity or temperature changes make them shift around. (the same might happen with your heater/AC right nearby). I've found the 'Cork' dots or squares work well.

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Emily

My gallery wall was constantly tilting whenever a bus would drive by… 3m picture hanging velcro is a life saver. Cut it into small pieces and stick on the bottom of each frame and the wall. It's just enough to keep them in place.

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Emily

My gallery wall was constantly tilting whenever a bus would drive by… 3m picture hanging velcro is a life saver. Cut it into small pieces and stick on the bottom of each frame and the wall. It's just enough to keep them in place.

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Autumn Rush

I love your desk space and decor! I've started making my little nook more calming and more "me." 🙂
Could you tell me where you like to store your makeup and beauty products? I keep mine on my desk in an acrylic drawer, but it takes up so much work space!

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