Great ideas for displaying your pictures

Mounting family portraits on walls is an old tradition that has been in most homes for generations.

A visit to my grandmother’s house last week confirmed this, and going through many of the old photos that have devotedly adorned her walls for years brought back fond memories especially of some of my relatives who are no longer with us.

Unfortunately, this tradition is no longer practiced in many homes as it is slowly being replaced with other forms of wall hangings.

Nevertheless, for those who love to have family pictures displayed, there are new ways of arranging pictures on walls that make a design statement.

Framing and hanging a collection of pictures is one of the creative ways to work with the loads of photos that may be lying in your photo album, or if you are one of those who are not so organised, lying in a box somewhere under the bed.

Whether it is a host of photos you have taken over the years, family portraits, nature photos or even art; framing and mixing pictures in different frame sizes is something you ought to consider.

Pictures on walls tell a story

Whatever the theme of the room, pictures help make more of a difference than a bare wall.

A wall of pictures can be done in any room of the house, but look better mostly in the living room, corridors, the staircase, study room and bedrooms.

The pictures give a room a focal point through the loosely and randomly arranged frames. It is this randomness that gives one the freedom to add more pictures on a whim.

However, only two walls per room at most should have this kind of photo arrangements to avoid crowding, which will then end up looking tacky. Some people may prefer one wall full of photos while others prefer using only a section of the wall to mount the pictures.

To give the wall a much bigger meaning, the use of a theme is advisable. It can be either through the use of colour or a storyline of one’s childhood days - from being a toddler, their first day in school, their achievement certificates to their graduation day.

Mixing art, mirrors, certificates, family pictures and portraits on one wall makes it a more interesting photo collage.

The framed pictures can either be arranged in a certain pattern or in no particular order as long as it is appealing.

Arranging the pictures on the wall requires patience as the spacing between the frames need to be of the same measure to make it all look neat.

You might want to use a professional for your first set of pictures before trying your hand by copying what the expert has done.

Frames

The use of frames can also be of the same shape, pattern, colour and texture or a mix of all according to your tastes and preference.

“The trick is to use different sizes of picture frames to achieve an artistic look,” says Mwaura Njoroge, a photographer who is familiar with interior photography. He adds that the use of colour can also be varied with the use of black and white pictures with other colours.

The frames used can also be of different colours or one solid colour depending on the colour theme of the room.

However, don’t be shy to use bright photo frames as they bring a much deeper effect on the picture collection.

Vary materials

Using a mix of wooden, metallic or glass photo frames makes it more decorative than using one material.

A mirror can also be added to the sequence of pictures to give it depth and form.

A glass frame gives the effect of a large frame and small pictures on the wall.

As for metallic and wooden frames, it is advisable to use different thickness and shapes.

The colour of the wall also determines the frames to be used. On a brightly coloured wall, use black, brown or any other dark colour that will bring contrast to the room. The same contrast should be emulated on a dark coloured wall.

Using a wall light to light up the paintings and photographs is a big plus especially for dark walls and hallways.

This also gives a professional look to your photo arrangements.

Finally, if you are pinned by the digital age where most of your photos exist only on your computer’s hard drive, make a change by selecting your favourites, print them and put up a gallery wall.