So, I obviously like displaying family photos for the warmth, love, and memory. What kind of monster doesn’t. But you guys know sometimes they can feel a bit “suburban.” When I wanted to put some family photos together I gave some thought to how to do them in a way that felt elevated and matched the rest of the style of our home’s furnishings. In other words, that the photos would be beautiful in how they were displayed, beyond just the positive feelings of the pictures themselves.
Yes, they are family photos, so I’m not going full haute such that it isn’t realistic for families living their real, beautiful, homemade dinners life. But I like things to be aesthetically nice, while still making every age feel welcome.
Alright I got too philosophical! But here’s the details and how to re-create if you’d like.
persian style rug | tan leather arm chairs | english roll arm sofa | white loveseat | colorful blocks (similar) | blue basket (similar) | floor lamp | floor lamp shade | coffee table | ocean waves print | gold clock | ceiling medallion | sputnik chandelier
I really really like a simple light natural wood frame, that is not too wide. IKEA has a killer one and the price is great ($13). It was exactly what I wanted for this project, but I didn’t feel like driving to ikea. So I searched and searched everywhere for the same thing, and it just does not exist within the scope of my search of retail I know of, but for five to six times the price.
DELIGHTED WAS I to go on ikea to check shipping options, because in recent years they have expanded their shipping and they would send me the ten frames I needed for only $10 more. ABSOLUTELY TAKE MY $10 to not have to drive. And now I have the gift of knowledge I can inexpensively order many things from ikea without having to drive. (Wheels turning.)
I did my inexpensive matting trick where I just buy big sheets at hobby lobby and have them cut them down, in this case to a 16 x 20 inch pieces. Then I adhere my photos over top.
To check for photo size, I tested several options – three, four, five, and six inch squares. Five inch was my favorite, that’s what I went with. I positioned them about three fourths of the way up in the frame. For square frames, totally centered would be nice too. Our living room has lots of traditional so this framing is the sleek, clean lined element I wanted!
I will add, another one of the ways I like to do family photos is in just cute small decorative tabletop frames here and there. It feels charming and romantic. I think the frame being attractive or quality makes or breaks it, unless the composition of the photo is truly a work of art. There’s exceptions I am sure, I’d have to think about it.
Previously I thought I’d do a collection of different oil paintings around the room but that was just taking so long to curate and once I was starting to fill it out, the color and variety felt too overwhelming. This was much faster and affordable to put together and for a room of this size to handle ten repeating pieces of art, they need to feel visually light.
Here’s the diy for the millwork we installed on the walls that I love having all over my house.
