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Homes & Gardens
Homes & Gardens
Hannah Ziegler

Mindy Kaling curated a gallery wall in the most unexpected of rooms – it's made me rethink how I decorate functional spaces

Mindy Kaling at the 2020 vanity fair oscar party.

A gallery wall is a mainstay in many homes for a reason: it adds visual interest and dimension to any wall, whether it's in the living room, bedroom, or even... bathroom.

Mindy Kaling is making the case for the latter with her space, which we recently caught a glimpse of on her Instagram page. The white, minimalist space is delightfully disrupted by a gallery wall, which features illustrative artworks which are abstractly arranged on the wall. Needless to say, it's giving us some gallery wall ideas.

While these art-decorated walls may be most traditionally implemented in areas like the living room, creating one in a clean, minimal bathroom has me thinking that it's the perfect way to enliven a contemporary space.

Shop the gallery wall edit

When creating a wall like Mindy's, you are probably thinking: should gallery wall frames match? Her wall gives us incentive to stray away from a uniform approach, and experts agree that this is a strategic styling move.

'A mix-and-match approach allows you to add new pieces over time without the pressure of finding identical frames,' explains designer Nina Lichtenstein. 'The interplay of different textures, colors, and materials keeps the eye engaged and makes the gallery wall feel layered and intentional.'

To keep a gallery wall in the bathroom looking cohesive, Nina suggests finding a common thread with your frames or artworks.

'Find a unifying element—such as a shared color palette, consistent matting, or similar frame thickness—to maintain cohesion amid the variety,' she says.

We can see that Mindy's wall features a mix of white, black, and wood frames, as well as dominant blues and pinks within the artworks themselves. This mix is both neutral and vibrant, with a balance of colors and materials that work well together.

It is also important to be mindful of your bathroom's conditions when introducing artwork; much like UV rays can damage art, so can heat and dampness.

'Bathrooms and radiators can be an issue if the artwork is prone to effects of moisture and/or heat changes,' says Josephine Zentner, Art Prize and Gallery Coordinator at Jackson’s Art. 'Though it’s always advisable to check the specific care guidelines for the materials used in the artwork.'

With this in mind, be sure to get frames with protective glazes, so that your artwork can withstand any temperature changes.


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