Get creative with your photo treatments.
The best way to enjoy your family photos on a daily basis is to display them on the wall space in your home. Pictures that you consign to a photo album never get seen. Likewise, if you are a digital shutterbug, your best family photos may get lost in generations of electronic file folders, never to see print. There are many unique ways to display portraits, so get creative with your treatments and have fun!
The Basics
Hang your pictures at eye level and choose an appropriate wall space for the size of the pictures--tiny frames on a massive wall can look ridiculous. One classic way to hang multiple family portraits is in a diagonal stairway photo gallery. Rotate in new photos every few months to keep up the wall appeal.
Eclectic
Use a variety of frames in different shapes, materials and colors and cluster them together. Wood and wrought iron contrast nicely in a less-formal living space--or go all black or espresso in a more modern, refined room.
Whimsical
Hang your photos without frames on a string clothesline with decorative clips or use French ribbon or wire to dangle small frames from ornate eye screws. Buy vinyl wall decals in frame shapes. Transfer the decals to the wall in clusters and mount photos in the middle.
Asian-Inspired
Use a bamboo easel as your photo canvas. Mount several photos on the easel and set it up on a shelf for a Zen feel. Attach a bamboo placemat to the wall and attach your photos, or use the placemat under a traditional glass frame as your photo matte.
Nostalgic
Use an old-fashioned plate rack to display photos or mount a shelf up high, like a plate rack. Use an antique service tray and decorative magnets to display family portraits. Note: silverware is not magnetic unless it contains an iron, steel, nickel or cobalt alloy. If magnets don't work, tape the photos. A blackboard with magnets, placed in the kitchen or mud room, can add a homey, artistic feel to the space. Consider mixing up your photo ensemble with some classic black-and-white portraits. Another more romantic or rustic treatment is hanging small framed pictures with gingham ribbon from an old-fashioned peg coat rack.
