I mentioned last week when I shared the recent updates I’ve made in our entry that my goal is to completely fill this hallway, floor to ceiling, with framed family photos. It may take me months or even years, but I plan to continue building this gallery wall over time. And I’ve already added a few more frames since I shared this hallway on the blog last week. So while it’s fresh on my brain, I thought I’d share a few of my best tips for creating a collected family photo wall that leaves room open to continue adding more frames.
1. Mix up the frames, both in size and style.
If you want to be able to add frames later on, it’s best to start out with a good mix, so you won’t be able to tell which frames are the newest additions. Even if you want to use all one color, mixing in different styles will still create a nice, collected look. I even like to mix matted with non-matted pictures.
2. Hang your first frame slightly off-center and go from there.
It’s rare that I have a master plan when I’m creating a collected family photo wall like this, especially one that I plan to keep building on over time. But I think starting slightly off-center brings a nice movement. Rather than the eye having a specific center focal point, it takes in the entire collection.
3. Don’t fret too much over spacing.
Perfection and collection are two words that don’t really go that well together, in my opinion. If you’re planning to continue building your gallery wall over time, I think it’s a waste of precious brain space to fret too much over spacing. Pay attention to it, but don’t let it bog you down. Just try to mimic spacing. For instance, if you have some frames hung an inch apart and some hung 2 or 3 inches apart, try to use that spacing in different places throughout your gallery wall. Think “balance” not perfection.
4. A color story is nice.
I’ve got a black, white and gold thing going here. But maybe you want to use color photos. If so, you many want to stick to one color for your frames. Or you might choose photos that fit within a certain color palette. One easy way to make color photos mesh well together is to use a lightroom editing preset. You can buy them on Etsy, and they’re very easy to use. When color photos are all edited the same way they tend to feel more cohesive. Obviously, black and white is my personal favorite. Partly because I love mixing in old black and whites with newer photos. And also because even the crappiest iPhone photo looks great when it’s in black and white. 😉
5. Frame the selfies!
Speaking of crappy iPhone photos, let’s get those selfies on our walls! I think sometimes what stops us from adding life to our walls is thinking that a photo needs to be “frame-worthy” to be framed and hung. We wait for professional family photos, but our phones have thousands of perfectly great candids, photos that truly capture special real life moments, and those photos deserve a place on our walls just as much as the fancy professional ones. And also, just because you frame it and hang it doesn’t mean you can’t swap it for a different photo down the road. So go ahead and get those photos on your walls!
Looking forward to completely filling this hallway with special family photos!
This is pure inspiration for me to finally get around to hanging our family gallery wall. We moved two years ago and haven’t re-hung our family photos. I miss seeing my family hang out in our hallways. First I need to peel off the 30 year old grass paper and paint!