Decorating
Decorating: Great Ways to Display Favourite Photographs
Liberate your family photos and holiday snaps from your hard drive and make them a part of your home design
Do you remember when we used to get our photos processed? We might send the rolls of film away, or pay the extra for them to be ready in an hour, only to discover that half the pictures were out of focus! Digital cameras have helped us to take better photos, but these images too often remain on our laptops and are only shared on Facebook. It means we are missing out on one of the most exciting aspects of decorating our homes — making friends, family and favourite places part of the design. So get inspired to develop your snaps with these brilliant ideas for displaying favourite photographs.
Invite upstairs
The wall running alongside the stairs is an ideal place to hang photographs. It makes an otherwise dead space feel warm and inviting and encourages you to pause and admire the images as you move between floors.
The wall running alongside the stairs is an ideal place to hang photographs. It makes an otherwise dead space feel warm and inviting and encourages you to pause and admire the images as you move between floors.
Create your own gallery
Turn your friends and family into a gallery by using frames of a uniform size and hanging them in long, straight lines. While a mix of different frames, colours and sizes creates a casual, eclectic look, this method of hanging photos brings an ordered, calm feel to your walls.
Learn how to create an affordable gallery wall
Turn your friends and family into a gallery by using frames of a uniform size and hanging them in long, straight lines. While a mix of different frames, colours and sizes creates a casual, eclectic look, this method of hanging photos brings an ordered, calm feel to your walls.
Learn how to create an affordable gallery wall
Pose for a portrait
Painted portraits were the original way to put a favourite family member on the wall. Here, portraits are hung close together, to create a graphic, surprising surface of images. Create something similar with your own personal people snaps. Image editing programmes such as Foto Sketcher can be downloaded from the internet and used to give family photos the look of an oil painting or watercolour.
Painted portraits were the original way to put a favourite family member on the wall. Here, portraits are hung close together, to create a graphic, surprising surface of images. Create something similar with your own personal people snaps. Image editing programmes such as Foto Sketcher can be downloaded from the internet and used to give family photos the look of an oil painting or watercolour.
Stick to black and white
Take photos in black and white and then hang them in dark frames for a modern, uniform look. To keep things interesting, use a mix of frame styles and sizes and group your frames in clusters, rather than hanging them in straight lines.
Take photos in black and white and then hang them in dark frames for a modern, uniform look. To keep things interesting, use a mix of frame styles and sizes and group your frames in clusters, rather than hanging them in straight lines.
Cover every inch
It might be the norm to have photographs at eye level, but covering every single inch of a wall is much more dramatic. Mix in artworks, too, for a really eclectic wall.
It might be the norm to have photographs at eye level, but covering every single inch of a wall is much more dramatic. Mix in artworks, too, for a really eclectic wall.
Use a hanging system
A simple picture rail with fixed frames suspended neatly from it is an easier way to create a symmetrical display than using a tape measure and a set of picture hooks.
A simple picture rail with fixed frames suspended neatly from it is an easier way to create a symmetrical display than using a tape measure and a set of picture hooks.
Find the straight and narrow
Decorate a vertical space with a tall column of images that runs all the way from top to bottom. This could be the stair well, or on a narrow or tall wall. Evenly spacing the images creates maximum impact and consider using a patterned wallpaper behind the images, as a funky contrast.
Decorate a vertical space with a tall column of images that runs all the way from top to bottom. This could be the stair well, or on a narrow or tall wall. Evenly spacing the images creates maximum impact and consider using a patterned wallpaper behind the images, as a funky contrast.
Get eclectic
Mix your photographs with artwork, both contemporary and vintage, your children’s sketches, postcards and typography, for a quirky wall display.
Learn how to create an artistic wall display
Mix your photographs with artwork, both contemporary and vintage, your children’s sketches, postcards and typography, for a quirky wall display.
Learn how to create an artistic wall display
Let things develop naturally
Don’t overthink where and how your photos work – let them come together naturally. Your displays will evolve over time, just like your family, and you can add photos of events like weddings and christenings as they happen. If you feel like something is missing in your display, that just gives you an excuse to take more snaps of your loved ones or favourite places and hang them up.
TELL US...
How do you like to display your favourite photographs? Show us in the Comments below.
Don’t overthink where and how your photos work – let them come together naturally. Your displays will evolve over time, just like your family, and you can add photos of events like weddings and christenings as they happen. If you feel like something is missing in your display, that just gives you an excuse to take more snaps of your loved ones or favourite places and hang them up.
TELL US...
How do you like to display your favourite photographs? Show us in the Comments below.
If you would rather be out taking pictures than fiddling with hooks and frames, display your photographs on shelves rather than hanging them on the wall. The images are then easy to change around and this relaxed look works brilliantly in an eclectic style living room, like this one.