A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

            A picture can tell a story. You are the author. Display your family and friends, your passions, your creativity, your travels. Your home and a blank wall are your canvas. Let your photos depict to those who enter what you and your house represent. A photo wall can do just that!

          There are so many options and ways to create a photo wall that it’s best to key in on the main elements to help keep you focused and avoid becoming overwhelmed with the amount of possibilities.

1. First things first, determine what pictures you would like to share. A great way to start is reviewing categories; such as a person, place or thing. People would include family and friends. Maybe photos of children and pets. Places can include areas you have been to personally or locations you wish to see one day. Things can be creative and fun. They can be objects you have collected, close-ups of items you wish to have or even outdoor pictures. Pull photos that mean something to you as you will be walking by them on a daily basis.

2. Begin to group together the photos. Whether you decide to stick to the main categories and display photos of family and friends or strictly scenic/location photographs it will make for an intriguing set-up. You may want to combine all three areas for example and showcase a photo of family and friends from a specific trip detailing different items or objects you saw during your travels. Several combinations can work as long as you look into a coordinating feature to tie the pictures together.

3. The next step is to review the sizes and shapes of the photos. Some will be in portrait layout while others are in landscape style. Mix it up so you have a couple of different sizes and shapes to work with. This creates more interest and becomes a work of art in itself.

4. After making your photo and orientation choices, you can look to go a step further with continuity in having the prints in the same finish. This includes black and white, sepia tones and color.

5. Last but definitely not least is the choice of framing. Depending on the look you’re trying to achieve, the simplest and more subtle approach in letting the photos take center stage is to have all the frames match in finish. To draw a little more attention, you can pull frames in a different color. To keep the consistency, mix a total of 2 – 3 frame colors/styles. If you want the frames to become a showpiece in themselves and are looking for more of an artsy feel, you can certainly mix all frames and colors so that no two are alike.

The beauty of a picture wall is it can be interchangeable, and the grouping of frames and photos is the art. Have fun and don’t be afraid to play with different shapes and sizes. Take photos of a couple different mock layouts on the ground to see what you end up liking best and finalize your masterpiece from there. Let your favorite photos become your new pieces of art!