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DIY Coral Gallery Wall

Ok, let's talk artwork. Give us a room to decorate all day long, but a wall to fill with pretty things and for some reason we get stuck. I don't know what it is about artwork, but we seem to have a hard time finding the right piece for the right space.

Take The Seacrest Beach Project, for example- Located on the beach, we knew we wanted the whole space to embody a coastal, calming feel but this was easier said than done. As the search to get some art on the walls started, all we could really find was souvenir-ish type artwork, either overloaded with "welcome to the beach" sayings or filled with loud colors not coherent to the style we were going with.

Set on finding the right piece, we went to our favorite place for artwork inspiration, our local Restoration Hardware store (insert all the heart eyes in the world.)

I don't know what it is about RH... Maybe it's the way they always display their artwork with such great symmetry, often mirroring exact same sets from one wall to the other that just speaks to my symmetry-loving heart. Or maybe it's the neutral nature of everything they offer, but show me an art display from RH and you show me everything I dream of a decorated wall to be.

Ok- so there I was, looking specifically for coastal themed artwork and RH had it- (of course).

Displayed in a set of 4 was the prettiest Preserved Sea Fan artwork I had ever seen-

Images: Restoration Hardware

Hung in a gallery style display, each Sea Fan contained slightly different characteristics than the last. Mounted in natural linen mats, each frame was subtle, serene and perfect for a beach property, all except the price tag. Priced at $371/frame, and totaling $3339 for the 9 frames we needed, we decided to pin it as an idea, but instead of buying 9 frames ourselves, we would make a Do It Yourself version of it.

Ray went diving off the coast of my homeland, Maracay for some Sea Fans

(ok, ok, just kidding, he didn't dive for them, we found them in a local store where the studio is located, but diving for them sounds way cooler, right? My dad actually has some in his house that when we asked where he got them from, turns out that he did in fact dive for off some coast off somewhere. I mean, what?? He's 63, wake boards on the weekends, does bike tricks in skate parks & just last summer, went across the arctic circle on a motorcycle. He's kind of our "how we dream of aging" goal)

Ok, back to the art. We decided to finish them off in a white color since the name of the studio was The White Coral Studio & each frame came out to $16 vs. $371, with most of the cost being the wooden frame itself. We actually found 2 large sea fans and cut them to size to fit 9 frames, helping us in overall cost, which was great!

Well, that's the story! Below is tutorial and material list. Comment below on the comment section if you have any questions prior to getting started and email us pictures of your finished project-

we'd love to see it!!

DIY Coral Gallery Wall

Materials:

9 Picture Frames

Fabric of choice (I used old curtains)

9 Sea Fan Corals

Spray Paint of choice if needed (I used white)

Tools: