It’s ridiculous. Brian and I are professional photographers, and we haven’t had updated photos on our walls for the last few years. Isn’t that insane?! And yet, I know that we are not the only ones! Well, we decided to get this issue resolved this summer! Here are some great tips from a local designer on how to group and hang your photos! (Let’s get them off the camera and computer friends!)
Knowing I need help with this type of thing, I enlisted a local interior designer named Dawn Bloemers. I asked her to help me group the photos and hang them the right way with the space we had.
We must start with the “Before” shot.
It’s not terrible, but there are problems. Dawn helped me see that the small, framed prints are just to small because you have to lean in to the couch to see them. The gallery look of black frames and white mats doesn’t help add color or life to this wall. And the sticks…what’s up with the sticks…
Funny story about those sticks on the wall. They came down during a bad storm a few years back. I wasn’t sure what to do with them, so I made Brian store them for me for over a year. I finally put them on the wall and hung votives from them. Fun idea at the time, but photos are all outdated and sticks are collecting dust.
Dawn’s #1 Tip: GO BIG! Pick one or two images to be BIG. Put the big one(s) in the middle. Make smaller groupings around them.
This is a BIG wall, so I wanted to use it in a cool way. Brian and I decided to highlight our trips with the kids to Thailand and Cambodia. We sorted through thousands of photos, and narrowed them down to FIFTY! From there, we narrowed them down to thirty. (yes, it was painful) And then I called up my go-to canvas woman, Roxanne of Canvasrox. She concurred with Dawn to go BIG.
So big we went! Two 4ft x 6ft Panels!
Tip 2: Color Schemes. Lay out all the photos and group them by colors that compliment each other.
I love how Dawn grouped similar tones of blue and pinks together with the set you see.
Tip 3: Mix it Up! Don’t be afraid to group horizontal images with vertical ones.
How close do you put the photos next to each other? Great question!
Tip 4: Think Inchworm. Measure an inch separation between all sides of your photos.
Tip 5: Mix Match Mediums! (from Roxanne of Canvasrox!) Don’t be afraid to mix up your mediums. Rox encouraged me to get different sized canvases with different depths. And we also did some of these prints on METAL! I never would have thought I’d like Metal prints, but oh my stars, they are EVERY ONE’S favorite! And printing on metal cost less than canvas! I even hung a metal print outside by the patio furniture and my collaborative tables because metal can handle weather conditions!
The After shot! What do you think? We did a grouping of eleven here and put others throughout the house. Have to come for dinner to see those! 🙂
Can I just say that as a family, we LOVE being in this room more than ever! I especially love it at night when the fire is going, and the candles are lit, casting a soft glow to all the images. It wasn’t until we were finished hanging them that I realized there wasn’t a single shot of the kids looking at the camera. In every photo, they are in the midst of a story, and together, this wall represents the larger story of our family adventures.
If you are in the Seattle or the surrounding area, and want Dawn to come help you do groupings for your wall, here is her contact info!
Dawn Bloemers, of Bloom Interiors
Phone 253-219-7207
bloominteriors@netzero.net
residential and commercial interior designer for 20 years
Be sure to check out Rox’s website, www.canvasrox.com. She’s doing a crazy special right now to celebrate her canvas being on the Nate Berkus Show with me! Yes, that was a Canvasrox that Nate gave to Heidi and her family!
I put a “call out” to people on FB for photo samples of how you have grouped your wall photos, and I got a ton of awesome responses! Thanks for sharing! I’m going to show some of your photos off tomorrow on the blog! Be sure to join our Facebook page, so you get the next call out! And you may see your photo featured on the blog!!
CLICK HERE to join!
Happy Monday!
xoxo,
Me Ra
p.s. A BIG thank you to two AMAZING women, Dawn and Roxanne! Your expertise is super appreciated!
I love this post. I have so many pics of my kids and don’t know how to group them together on the wall. This has helped tremendously. Thanks!
BIG help!! Thank You!!!! Your wall is so beautiful 🙂
I would love to hang my pictures like this, but I am so used to seeing my pictures backlit on the computer screen or in digital frames, that when I print them out, they seem dull and lifeless. How can I make them come to life in print form?
wow – I am the epitome of blank wall space. I have huge walls, but hardly any photos. I love this! Thanks for sharing about the canvas art!
#1) I do the same thing with sticks and you’re right, they collect too much dust.
#2) Thank you for saying “oh my stars” so much. I think it’s my new favorite saying.
#3) This really inspired me to fill my house with big photos, something that makes me bite my lip.
#4) Next time I’m in Seattle, I will be coming for dinner to see the rest of those photos. 🙂
looks great! funny….we were just talking about this same thing in our house. great encouragement to photographers everywhere…..”Let’s get them off the camera and computer friends!”
Love this Me Ra. It looks fantastic. It’s funny in my house we have tons of windows and not enough wall space! Well, there are a couple of necessary ones! anyway, when I saw your choices, my first thought was that none of them have the kids looking at the camera. I love that. They are totally absorbed in what they are doing, not made to stop and look at the lens. Beautiful.
This looks so awesome, Me Ra!!! I LOVE IT!!! You’ve totally inspired me. 🙂
There’s a classic country music song by Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson called, “Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”.
One of my favorite sayings that I say to my clients (or potential clients… heck anybody who will listen) is, “Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be .JPGS”.
I swear I’m going to re-write that song to fit and make an awesome background song to a photo slideshow! I’m sure if I put that bug in my husband’s ear he’ll come up with something clever. He’s always changing words to my favorite songs. Drives me nuts! LOL!
Don’t you just love that! I think I first saw it on an HP Photo Printer magazine ad. It’s so true!
PS… I’m going to have to try those metal prints. Never even seen them… and I need to make an awesome outdoor sign, so this may exactly what I’ve been searching for.
Great tip!
I loved the sticks, it’s totally something I would do, but all my stuff collects dust and bugs me. I’m working on adding a print to each client’s order so I have lots when we get down to it. I wish I could afford a wall of canvases! I think we’ll go with glass only frames to avoid the mismatching frame issue. Thanks so much for this post!
wow, that really helps! can you show us a photo of what you did outside with the metal print? i would love to see that one too!
So COOL! Yes, ditta lynda–show us the outside print!!!
MeRa,
I love the new wall! It looks amazing. I need to do something like that! Thanks for the inspiration as usual 😀
Next time I am in the area I will have to come to dinner too and check out the other photos 😀
-Melisa
Mera, Both times I have been at your home I have LOVED staring at your walls! Now, that wall even looks more amazing and I bet the rest of your house does as well.
I have one of the most largest and obnoxious fire places and mantles you have ever seen and massive blank wall space above it. I never knew what to put there to fill such an awkward space… I now am inspired and will shoot you a photo if I ever figure out what images to go up there 🙂
Thanks for this. It looks great! And I, too, ditto Lynda. Pictures of the outdoor metal image please. I’d never even considered the metallic prints, but I’m intrigued now, to say the least.
We have a HUGE wall to fill. As of right now, I can’t talk my husband out of frames, but I have convinced him to go big. Now to just pick the pictures. That is the hardest part for me. I think we need to get a good family picture that I’m in too 🙂
Congratulations on all your successes! You and Brian are both amazing, and I can’t wait to watch you on Oprah (coming soon, I hope)! In fact, I’ll send you a picture of my neighborhood gals celebrating when we watch you! One of the things I love about you two as a couple is that you always dream big!
Thank you for this post! I re-painted the house this summer and have a dozen pictures to hang!
Perfect timing! I was just trying to figure out how to fill a big open wall in my home…..Thank You!
i loved this! beautiful! Rox did amazing as always =) thank you for sharing…can’t wait til i have my own home to decorate someday!
oooohh, I just LOVE BIIIGGG canvas prints! they are so beautiful!
Hi! Really like your blog, great reading. Keep up the good work!
Thank you, thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog.
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