I found this older article by Joanne Furio for the San Francisco Chronical. It sums up my feelings pretty well with regard to photos as decor. I couldn't abide every surface (or just too many surfaces) in a home being dedicated to family photographs. People will argue with this view and many more couldn't imagine not being surrounding by pictures of those they love..... but here are some other thoughts.

"As a powerful purveyor of middle-class style, Pottery Barn is a formidable player in the development of trends, and a savvy observer. That's why I took notice at an unusual spread in the company's spring catalog.

In a dining-room vignette, hanging on the walls and propped against a sideboard and leaning wall shelves, were gigantic photos of children and their parents, the occupants of this imaginary family's home. The largest was a poster-size image of a cherubic boy. Another, maybe 2 feet square, was of two young children. All of the images were in black frames that matched the sideboard and shelves.

To me, this seemingly innocuous decor represented the height of narcissism, the self-absorption of a generation more interested in turning the camera on themselves than outward. Picking up on what's already happening in homes across America, Pottery Barn seemed to confirm that the traditional ways of displaying family photos -- once relegated to the hallway or the mantel -- are no longer enough for the modern family. We must be surrounded by darling -- and colossal -- images of ourselves. Family photos have taken center stage, taken on a more important role in decorating and, perhaps, taken over.

Not so, say Bay Area decorators, who consider over-the-top displays to be offensive and to actually detract from the decor. Exhibiting family shots in an artful manner requires the right place, creative framing and, just as important, discretion.

"Narcissism can go to the extreme," says Greenbrae interior designer Jean Larette, who once visited a Malibu hairdresser whose home was adorned with life-size images of his former Playmate wife. That experience led her to one of her decorating no-nos: Don't display images of your ex in your home. "It makes people uncomfortable," she says.

"Family photographs are wonderful," Larette adds, "if they are carefully chosen and beautifully displayed."

Here, local designers offer suggestions on what, where and how to display or hang your family photos with finesse.

Edit carefully: "Don't fill every corner of your house with family photos," says Jan York of Jan York & Associates Interior Design in San Francisco. Because framed photos will be displayed for quite some time, choosing a complementary selection is vital.

Maybe it's important to represent both sides of the family in an intergenerational assemblage. Sheila Gleeson of San Francisco, one of York's clients, narrowed her selection to her immediate family, which includes her husband and two sons. From there, they selected "only fun pictures that represent special times and places they have been as a family," Gleeson says.

York likes creating sepia-toned photographs from color images, which have "a warm look and feel." Both she and Larette expressed a penchant for black-and-whites, which have a graphic quality. Gleeson chose to use color shots in her arrangement because they made up the majority of her family shots.

Be sensitive to subject matter: Although it may seem obvious, Larette advises against placing naked pictures of yourself in the powder room (a phenomenon she has also seen) "unless you look like Elle Macpherson." And, if you are or were a model or actress, your framed head shot should not be on display. "People may wonder if perhaps you may be soliciting work from your dinner guests," Larette says.

Larette also frowns upon pasting photos of yourself in thinner days on the refrigerator door for inspiration. That's a case of making a highly personal subject -- your weight -- public.

Choose an appropriate spot: As for displaying large images of yourself and your children (a la Pottery Barn), San Francisco designer Shelly Amoroso of Amoroso Design says it's all right as long as "you're a great photographer and you've taken great shots of your kids." The dining room, however, is not the right place.

Amoroso also cautions: "A shot of you and your college buddies at a kegger party is not appropriate for the dining room." Such a room is more formal and demands more serious subject matter.

Ditto for the living room, says Haruko Yoshida, the interior designer behind Integrafika Design Studio of San Francisco and Tokyo. She doesn't believe photos of family or friends should be there. "They're too personal," she says.

What areas did the designers agree were appropriate for a more casual approach to photographic displays? The family room, den, home theater or playroom. They also like hallways and stairways, traditionally the spot for a family gallery, because they are intermediary spaces that "don't interfere with the decor," explains York. She and Gleeson ultimately chose the stairway to the second floor as the place to hang Gleeson's family photographs.

If you have a large assortment of snapshots, Amoroso recommends displaying an edited selection on the back wall of a built-in desk, or on a framed corkboard above a desk. She also likes displaying snapshots on a kitchen wall covered with cork, where invitations and other family papers can hang. For a teen's bedroom, she recently created a prettier alternative by upholstering closet doors with fabric and crisscrossed ribbon, where snapshots are tucked in.

In general, avoid overkill and underkill. Larette frowns upon covering a grand piano with photos; Amoroso doesn't like a lone photo on the mantel. Instead, photos should be clustered into small groups, whether they are on the mantel, piano, tabletop or wall.

Framing and matting: These materials tie together the disparate images. Keeping the style of the house and the decor in mind, the designers recommend that frames be related, though not necessarily identical. "You need to have some continuity," York says.

For a "crisp and elegant look," Larette suggests silver frames of various sizes grouped together. York likes to mix up finishes within a category, such as an antique silver frame with one that's more modern. Not recommended: mixing metal and wood frames.

As for mats, the designers suggest using the same color or same size around each photo. For Lis and Misha Petkevich, Larette used black frames with ivory mats to finish off photos of the couple and their three children. Larette then evenly spaced them on a wall in their Presidio Terrace family room.

Because displays of family photographs are subject to change, the design experts recommend using frames or mats that are readily available. If you've created a wall, leave room so you can expand in the future, York says. Or replace older shots with newer ones."

There was a thread about this a few months back. I'll see if I can find it. Of course it's a matter of personal preference but I like hallway photo walls. I have one inspiration photo I took at a home show last year that I've been trying to duplicate. They used all different sizes of the same style of frame. They attached some to the wall and some they had leaning on a ledge. They are all in black and white. I think it looks nice. I'm about halfway done with mine. It's more horizontal than my inspiration but it's starting to come together. I need some more large photos and haven't decided which ones to nail up yet.

Inspiration:

My work in progress:

I got this piece just for our family photos some are over 100 yrs old. I change them out when I have time. This is our morning room. Caroline

{{gwi:1897257}}

Here was the thread from a few months back.

Here is a link that might be useful: Family Photo thread

How about:

1) Take a bunch of the soccer photos -- and do a display for each child in their own room ......include some wall shelves for trophies etc.

2) Take the large family photo -- and use it in a family room or den .....

3) Create a "family history gallery" -- with older family photos from both sides -- in the MAIN living area -- choose a frame color (for example -- silver or gold) and then do "groupings" of three or five on a side table PLUS a small display on the wall. You could add a second wall display in a front hall or foyer.

BUT do the whole display (table and wall) in black-and-white photos for a classic -- and understated -- style. On the wall display -- choose a very simple, classic frame and mat style. Add wall shelves to "lean" larger photos against the wall -- and then hang other photos around the wall. Practise FIRST on the floor -- and then hang the grouping. Be sure to stand back -- and look at the groupings from all angles .......

Look at the whole Pottery Barn site -- especially their own article (linked here) to create display walls. Also -- check their "frames" section in their Accessories category. Even the way that they sit their frames together (and the black-and-white photos) might give you some ideas .....

Hope this helps! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Pottery Barn lesson on display walls

duluth: That is a very interesting article by the Chronicle. Thank you for sharing it. Narcissism.... That is about what I think also if it's over done. I do like the history and connection to generations past and that article has some great ideas for how to do it tastefully.

lindybarts: I like your photo wall. I never thought of putting them on little shelves. I would be afraid they'd tip over though--between the kids running around and living in earthquake country. I can see how having a common frame style and matting makes a big difference and I actually like the pictures of varying sizes. thanks for the link to the other thread--I'll check it out.

teacats: Kids already have their own photo areas with cork boards for artwork, pictures, etc. I think DH is sentimental to the kid's first teams when he was the coach. Definitely a hallway display though. Thanks for the tip to layout on the floor first.

Thanks for all the ideas. Keep them coming.

trailrunner: What a beautiful display. Designating one area for everything has a lot of plus points to it.

I have a cute collage of my daughters (6) when they were little, in all of the pictures they are wet, either in the tub like there first real tub bath, or with siblings covered in bubbles or even in bathing suits in or out of the pool or beach. Sometimes they are wrapped in a towel. I display this grouping in the bathroom. It is fun to try and remember who is who they all looked alike when they were small.

I bought a couple of pottery barn shelves to group mine on. I got the wider ones so I could set some frames up as well as prop them. They had the narrow ones also where you prop up the frames. I used to place them all on a sofa table behind the couch but in this house I had no place for the table so I got the shelves. I like to display photos but I like them grouped rather than scattered everywhere and I'm not a fan of lining a hallway with photos.