Hi there! So on this rapidly warming Friday, I'm getting ready for a fun weekend down in the Philly area.
"Wait a tick...it's Tuesday, right?" you're thinking. Yeah. Sorry. Had internet issues on Friday and couldn't post this guy, and then yesterday had both tons to do and internet issues. Carry on.
My sis-in-law just moved into an apartment in Doylestown, PA, and I get to help organize it! And maybe share some thoughts on what she'll do with her awesome, but really big and currently pretty empty, space. One thing she's already thinking about is how she'll display her photos, most of which are the loved and loathed 4" x 6" configuration. She's not crazy about those big collage photo frames of yore, and she asked if I had any thoughts.
As it happens, I do! There are a bunch of ways you can go, from more sophisticated to more funky fresh, from sleek matching frames to good ole' tape (of the Washi variety, obvs), and which one she goes for depends on the direction she wants to take her new space. But one characteristic all my suggestions have in common is to go big. With such diminutive pieces, grouping them together looks mature and thoughtful in a way that randomly interspersing throughout the apartment wouldn't. Here are some of my favorite looks, and ideas for how to achieve them.
I love this huge frame with a presumably DIY'd matted frame. It holds, roughly, a bajillion photos. Pick your favorites and change them out at will! I love that it's casually leaning but still packs such a huge punch through its sheer size. I searched about and couldn't find a frame quite this size (though you could always make over a large leaning mirror or shell out the big bucks for something custom), but I did find 3 feet x 4 feet poster frames on Amazon. Hanging two next to each other, vertically or horizontally, would create a lot of impact, but 3 feet x 4 feet is definitely big enough to stand on its own. At about $65, they're not super cheap, but if you consider the size of the finished piece and the number of photos you can display, I think it works out to budget art. Then there're these 12 inch x 36 inch frames, which I think would look really cool as part of a tripdic. "Matting" your photos by using double sided tape to attach them to a nice piece of poster board (black or white) or some grass cloth-printed wrapping paper for texture would be amazing.
A few years ago, for Lou's birthday, my sister gave me a bunch of photos of Lou in these little matching frames from Walmart. Arranged on the wall in a grid, they looked great, and were easy to change out for new photos. I liked the mat-less effect, sort of like the display above. But for a more formal look, the matted, matching frames below really lend an air of elegance to the simple 4" x 6" photos. The look is very grown up - and would take up a lot of the hard-to-fill space around the TV.
Those photos are clearly larger than the 4 x 6 my s-i-l is working with, but here's proof that it can look smashing with a smaller photo.
Just use a larger mat to make a greater impact. While matching frames aren't always cheap, JoAnn and Michael's both always have 40% coupons (just get their app for easy access) and frequently offer framing sales. Stack as many discounts as you can and you can get these decent frames for pretty cheap. You can also always go to Ikea. I'm a huge fan of square frames, like Ikea's shadow box Ribba, which I think would look chic, but still youthful, if grouped in a grid.
If frames aren't feeling like your thing, you can try just arranging the photos on the wall, either taking over a wall, as here -
Or put them into a fun shape, no frames needed.
I'm also a really big fan of mixing photos with other meaningful stuff - memories, art work, and the like, like I did in Lou's room, with a mishmash of frames.
Finally, my black-striped hallway gallery has really grown on me. It makes a really great backdrop for a bunch of photos that might otherwise feel mismatched and lost in the expanse of the wall. I also mixed in meaningful art here, which I think makes for a hall o' memories. In a good way.
Check out Apartment Therapy for more ideas on how to display your photos - especially those tricky small ones. and share any awesome displays you've developed!
There's a lot to catch up on with y'all, but I have to run to baby 'n me yoga. Wes' chaturanga is sick. Talk tomorrow!