This Gallery Wall Hack Is Beautifully Subtle for a Galentine’s Day Party

Olivia Harvey
Olivia Harvey
Olivia Harvey is a freelance writer and award-winning scriptwriter from outside Boston, Massachusetts. She’s a big fan of scented candles, getting dressed up, and the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. You can make sure she’s doing okay via…read more
published Jan 28, 2026
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
gallery wall on blue painted wall
Credit: Photo: Ryan Liebe; Styling: Maya Borrero & Vicky Wasik

If you’re hosting your pals for Galentine’s Day this year but aren’t the type to go all out with decor, then a gallery wall hack is the perfect way to subtly decorate for the holiday. Rather than deck your space in last-minute plastic hearts or pink frills, one Instagram user shared how she updated her kitchen gallery wall to include hints of cutesy flair that doesn’t feel like a cheap Valentine’s ploy.

Christine Higgs from @forthehome shared her process for changing up her gallery wall for the season without totally overhauling the entire space. Her first step was tracing her collection of frames onto craft paper so she knew the exact measurements of the pieces already hung. Doing so can be helpful to note the sizes of your frames and makes finding art so much easier. The project then delivers some serious DIY magic!

It’s Simple, Sweet, and Could Honestly Stay Up All Year

The key to creating Higgs’ adorable Valentine’s Day gallery wall look is to source themed greeting cards and chic art. From there, you’ll work on creating a DIY gingham photo mat to add visual cohesion, before sprinkling in non-themed pieces within the same color scheme to keep the wall looking organic. 

Once everything was on the wall, Higgs then added a few pink and red bows to enhance the Valentine’s Day theme without going overboard.

“First time ever making a Valentine’s Day gallery wall, and I am in love!” Higgs wrote in her Instagram caption. “Feeling super inspired by V-Day this year, so I decided to just go for it. I guess you can say love is in the air LOL.”

She described the finished product as “so cozy and cute,” adding, “I had so much fun doing a few art DIYs … and added the cutest lil dainty ribbon to some of the ‘non Valentine’s’ pieces.”

It’s one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it decor projects that keen-eyed guests will notice. This Valentine’s Day gallery wall is cozy and just on-theme enough to make a space feel decorated for the occasion without going overboard. So before the gals arrive for Galentine’s Day, refresh your gallery wall with a few sneaky new pieces of decor to liven up your home — no hot pink hearts or glitter required!

Design Defined

Never miss the style inspo and recommendations you crave with Design Defined. Follow along each week as our Home Director Danielle shares the best style advice, latest trends, and popular decor finds you just can't miss.

More to Love from Apartment Therapy