I'm a photo wall virgin

[thewop]

So, I have a buffet table in my living room with a bunch of framed family pictures in all different sizes and I potentially want to put them all on the wall above the buffet table in place of a generic pier 1 special.  What's the best way to determine my layout? This is the wall (it's an old pic).  I have 7 or 8 frames there now (with real pictures).  I'm willing to add more for balance.  School me.

[magdala]

Some decorators recommend picking a shape (oval, rectangle, diamond, square, wide V) and laying out the pictures to form that shape. Rectangle is the easiest so that is what I used.

I drew my shape (rectangle) on the wall with very light pencil lines. Next you want to layout the pictures to form that shape. I cut wrapping paper to the size of my pictures and used blue tape to arrange and rearrange my pictures. They also recommend having a common something tie all the pix together. For example, having red in all the pictures or having all portraits or all the pictures having silver frames etc. 

I rearranged my wrapping paper squares until I liked the arrangement. This took a few days because I am fussy.

Next I added pencil lines to the top of each square so I would know how to place the pictures. I lined up the hangers for each picture and started hammering. After I added the hangers, I started erasing all the lines. This erasing took longer than I thought.

For that space, it would depend on whether the shelves are staying.  I would use a rectangle shape if you are keeping the shelves and a long diamond if you are not.   The long diamond (wider than the buffet) would give you a lot of room for a lot of pictures.

[Deleted]

Is it wrong that I just laid mine all out on the floor and played with (and asked a few other people) it until it looked good? Works for me.

I did stick to 3 frame sizes though so it isn't a giant PITA to rearrange when I feel like it. I left my options open that way.

[thewop]

Jun 25, 2013 12:58:01 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

Is it wrong that I just laid mine all out on the floor and played with (and asked a few other people) it until it looked good? Works for me.

I did stick to 3 frame sizes though so it isn't a giant PITA to rearrange when I feel like it. I left my options open that way.

LOL.  Not wrong at all.  This is what I think I'll do.  All of my frames are different though (most are black, one is a metallic taupe color).  I hope that's not an issue.   I really don't want to spend $$ on new frames when what I have are perfectly fine.

[AmyRI]

Since you've got no real big space constraints, I'd just arrange them on the floor until they look good and make sure the arrangement will fit on the wall that way before you start hammering.

When I did mine, it was going in the hallway at the top of the stairs. I started with 1 big pic right in the middle as you walk up the staircase (which is not the middle of the wall, just to make life difficult). Then I added a frame around the thermostat which is in the hallway. From there I just did paper taped to the wall, a few frames at a time, to play until I liked the spacing. Then I just kept going until the whole wall was filled. It was too big to arrange on the floor at once, and too constraining with 2 of the frames needing to be in specific spots.

[TBM]

Jun 25, 2013 12:58:01 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

Is it wrong that I just laid mine all out on the floor and played with (and asked a few other people) it until it looked good? Works for me.

I did stick to 3 frame sizes though so it isn't a giant PITA to rearrange when I feel like it. I left my options open that way.

I think that is the easiest way to do it.    It makes it easier to switch things around so that it looks balanced.  Some photos just seem to carry more visual weight and throw things off while you are trying to figure it out.

[Deleted]

Jun 25, 2013 13:08:33 GMT -5 thewop said:

Jun 25, 2013 12:58:01 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

Is it wrong that I just laid mine all out on the floor and played with (and asked a few other people) it until it looked good? Works for me.

I did stick to 3 frame sizes though so it isn't a giant PITA to rearrange when I feel like it. I left my options open that way.

LOL.  Not wrong at all.  This is what I think I'll do.  All of my frames are different though (most are black, one is a metallic taupe color).  I hope that's not an issue.   I really don't want to spend $$ on new frames when what I have are perfectly fine.

It'll be fine. I honestly have 3 frame sizes unintentionally. I have a tendency to buy the same thing over and over. Mine has been up over a year and I have yet to rearrange the actual frames. I find it much easier to just get the photos printed to whatever size and call it a day.

My frames are black and silver. I like a mixed color combo.

[magdala]

You don't have to have all the frames match, you just want a connection between all the photos. Matched frames is one way to connect the photos. I used matched frames because I had a mix of pictures with landscapes, close-ups and group shots.

[sierramist03]

I laid mine on the floor too and moved it around. Then I took a picture to help with hanging it.