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20 Great Ways to Display Family Photos
Turn Some Favorite Memories Into an Art Wall You'll Cherish
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Earlier this week, I wrote about how to arrange artwork like a prima gallerina, and it made me realize that I have a design dilemma of my own. Perhaps I've watched too many design shows about how to stage a house for sale. The first thing stagers do (quite correctly) is tell you to get rid of the clutter, the first items being your family photos. This is because you want buyers to imagine themselves in the house, and family photos make it feel like it's someone else's home. However, between that and the fact that many new refrigerators won't let the dang magnets stick, I feel like a lot of us who aren't even trying to sell our homes left their photos in albums, in one digital frame, or simply stowed away in iPhoto. Bring them back out, people! In trying to inspire myself to do so, I've amassed some beautiful examples of how designers are incorporating family photos into home decor. I'm anxious to bring them back out, and I bet you are too!
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I bet this designer loves puzzles. She put eight photos she took of children around the world in identical frames and varied them vertically and horizontally into a striking combination.
See more of this house
See more of this house
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Your family photos are worth enlarging, and between your computer, all of the inexpensive online resources like Snapfish and Shutterfly, or good old Kinko's, it's easy and cheap to do. Pick a few favorites and make your family the stars of your living room.
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Picture rails and matching frames are a great way to display your family members and travel adventures.
Side note: I was trying to track down these fabulous light fixtures for months and finally found the source. Click on the photos and then the tag for more information.
Side note: I was trying to track down these fabulous light fixtures for months and finally found the source. Click on the photos and then the tag for more information.
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| This has to be one of the most popular pictures in Houzz history. A gray wall, black frames, and white mats in a variety of widths makes this hallway a family picture gallery favorite. |
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Covering a lampshade with favorite family photos is a fun and clever solution.
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A wire framework and simple clothespins are a great way to hang family photos with vintage modern style.
by Restyled Home
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This is such a fun solution. I believe this is a rusty multiple skirt hanger, with those wild west-ish photos you take in places like Gatlinburg, Tennesse, turned into mixed-media art.
This idea and the previous one are great ways to rotate favorite snapshots on display. If you have them all in a big box and feel guilty about it, just grab a stack and start hanging them up like laundry. Perhaps you'll want to switch them out on a monthly basis.
This idea and the previous one are great ways to rotate favorite snapshots on display. If you have them all in a big box and feel guilty about it, just grab a stack and start hanging them up like laundry. Perhaps you'll want to switch them out on a monthly basis.
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The staircase is another favorite spot for a family gallery. This designer has incorporated a quote that makes the experience of viewing them even more intimate.
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| A grid of photos in identical frames without any matting makes a striking display; the square shapes resemble framed album covers, giving this display just a touch of rock 'n' roll excitement. |
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This clever wall-mounted shelf was made for family photos. Note how the designer has mixed in other objects among the photos and played with the composition until it was just right.
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| Here's a spot where you can take on that gallerina mentality with a small grid of portraits taken by the same photographer, all in black and white, in identical frames. It's a very artful way of displaying those beautiful mugs you love the most. |
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Another puzzle master has mixed collage frames with single photos to fill a wall.
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Here the frames and mats vary slightly, but restricting the photos to black and whites gives the grouping cohesion.
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| A picture rail will keep your composition gallery-like. |
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| Shelves provide a great space for family photos. The limitations of height keeps them more or less in line, and the matching paint on the shelves and walls allows them to stand out. |
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by Kasey Buick
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| Yes, try this at home! Lola B. has managed to incorporate vintage frames, family photos, and even an ampersand into this wall. What ties them all together is the black-and-white palette and vintage feel. |
Mix personal pictures in with artwork, lamps, and other tablescape items. Wow, I spy another ampersand. I had no idea the "and" sign was so hot until I put together this ideabook!
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Silver frames and black-and-white photography create a beautiful gallery of cherished memories.
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| This person has a great eye for composition. The shelves keep the bottom of all these frames in line, and the different heights and sizes make the display dynamic. |
by Pour Toujours
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A late addition; I finally found a good fridge full of family photos and drawings.
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| These picture rails take on the look of fireplace-surrounding built-ins. Don't be afraid to use large mats to surround your Kodak moments — they are worth taking on the look of fine art.
I worked out my own design dilemma via scouring Houzz and creating this ideabook. If you have a design dilemma, please feel free to post it to our Questions Board so that the Houzz community can help you out! Next: Browse more photos of photos and art in design |
Ideabook updated on March 11, 2011.
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Family photos are a large part of what makes a house a *home*
http://www.highfashionhome.com/photo-frame-rectangular-box.html
http://www.highfashionhome.com/photo-cube--silver.html
I recently created a 3D Gallery Wall using framed mirrors, but you could do the same with family photos. I used wood blocks to make the frames layer on top of each other.
My best- Diane
The very first display is easy and looks great--it does seem like a puzzle, but then I realized that all frames are the same size and the same pattern of 4 is repeated twice. Sheesh, *I* could do that one! And the refrigerator? I periodically declutter my kitchen, but it just doesn't feel right until the photos and drawings make their way back up.
My favorite "trick" for framing and displaying photos is my tradition of displaying photos of the loved ones of my guest. I frame them in my best sterling silver frames and put them on the nightstand (along with fresh flowers) in the guest bedroom. Even my guest that know to expect photos of their loved ones, are often surprised because I try to get photos that my guest have not seen before.
I took close-up photos of my cats and dogs (we don't have kids), printed them up as 8" x 10" , bought really nice frames and ran a horizontal line of them down the hall. I still love looking at these portraits.
Interior design and staging are such different perspectives. When I consult for a staging client it's all about removing the personal touches. When I'm helping an interior design client it's all about finding the coolest ways to put their personal mark on the space and surrounding them with a reflection of their life.
At the bottom of our staircase I have a wall of photos with mix matched frames and some of those multi-photo layouts. As the budget allows I would love to have all black frames.
Why don't you have our loved ones do art work.