The Five-Piece Recipe

This is a recipe, not an inspiration board. It's the black and white gallery wall our customers build more than any other, with the exact sizes, the spacing, and the order to hang it in. Follow it and a blank wall becomes the best thing in the house over one weekend.

The shopping list

Five pieces from the Black and White collection: one Centerpiece (56.5" x 39.5" framed, 51" x 34" print) and four Large pieces (31.5" x 22.5" framed, 27" x 18" print). One frame finish across all five; Black is the classic call, White if your walls are dark. That's it. The uniform finish is what makes five images read as one wall.

Choosing the five

Give the Centerpiece the most presence: a portrait or a moment, not a landscape. Backstage at VS or Elvis both carry it. Around it, mix subjects but keep the tones related: Monaco Grand Prix 1973 for motion, a Melissa Hoareau surf piece for calm, and two more that answer them. Avoid five portraits or five landscapes; the wall needs a conversation, not a chorus.

The layout

Centerpiece in the middle, two Large on each side. On a wide wall, run all five in a row. On a narrower one, stack two Large per side and center that column on the Centerpiece's midline. Either way keep every gap identical and modest; even spacing is the difference between designed and drifted. The center of the whole arrangement sits at eye level, 57 to 60 inches from the floor.

Measure first. Five in a row spans over ten feet once you add the gaps, so if that isn't your wall, stack the sides. Tape newspaper rectangles up before committing to anything.

Hanging order

Centerpiece first; it sets everything. Then the two inner Large pieces, then the outer two. Our brackets arrive already mounted, and their grooves let each piece slide sideways after hanging, which is what makes the columns line up without re-nailing. One hammer, one afternoon.

Why this wall lasts

Every piece is printed from original high-resolution files on archival matte paper, edge to edge on our floating pedestal mount, behind acrylic that blocks 99.9% of UV, in solid wood made by hand at our facilities. Certificate of authenticity with each, 10-year guarantee on all five, and free shipping anywhere in the US.

Want a looser build, or a different room? The general method is in our gallery wall guide. Otherwise: five pieces, one finish, even gaps. Go.