Treat your precious photos as if they were in a gallery
DEAR DESIGNER: I want to display some family pictures in my home. Is it true that family pictures belong in the hallway and family room? I’m running out of wall space; what do I do? – Melinda
Dear Melinda: Family photos are generally hung in a hallway or family room because those areas tend to be more private. However, there is nothing wrong with putting a favorite photo, framed well, in a more public area of your home.
In the case of family pictures in a formal living room where associates are entertained more than intimate family members, good design dictates that less is more. If you add too many framed pictures to these walls or tables, people will generally walk past them and not focus on any of them. It also can be distracting and feel cluttered.
Consider walking through a fine art gallery. You will notice that every displayed artwork has a lot of space around it. Most homes don’t have that much space but the concept remains the same. Pick a favorite photo, have it professionally framed and give it space. By selecting fewer photos to display, you add importance to the photos you’ve selected. Your photos will then be admired and appreciated.
To add even more emphasis on a special photo, light it up. I have an inexpensive but brilliantly colored painting over my living room sofa. My electrician installed a directional can light in the ceiling in front of the picture, with its own switch. I leave it off most of the time to save energy. When company comes, I switch it on and it’s quite amazing how that painting stands out, and how many compliments it gets. Recently, my housekeeper, who has helped me for more than three years, complimented my living room remodel. I was puzzled as I didn’t remodel anything. We were both baffled as she was sure that my living room was very different. I walked into the room to see what she could have been noticing and, voilà, the directional light was on and the picture was illuminated. Illuminating a special photo or painting not only adds dimension to the item, but many times changes the atmosphere of the entire room.
Also, consider adding a couple of small, intimate photos to your living room by putting them into small frames and sitting them on an end table or console. You can have them Photoshopped and made into black and white photos, or even add interest by making one item stand out with color while the remainder of the photo is gray scale, like the infamous pink dress in the movie “Schindler’s List.” Make it interesting but remember that overdone is overlooked.
Today, smaller homes and condos are in vogue, leaving us with less wall space. Thankfully, technology touches every aspect of our lives and we can pack a lot of amazing conveniences into these small areas. An ingenious way to display photos is one of the many cool things that technology allows us today.
Teran Marsell of Team Acme is a graphic artist in Las Vegas. Although he specializes in the design and printing of artistic wraps for cars, banners and lettering for commercial vehicles, he introduced me to a fabulous way to display family photos in a home. Because of his monster-sized printer, Photoshop and other graphic software, he can print out customized wall fabric.
In the featured photo, Marsell has used a large dpi (dots per inch) picture for the background and inserted the word “love.” Inside the wide letters are pictures of his family and friends. I am sure they love to go up to this wall and find themselves in the mix of photos.
You can make your design as formal or fun as your imagination allows. Customization allows you to make your photos subtle or as standout as you like. If you are creative, design the whole wall yourself, have it printed and install it. If you are not creative, hire a designer, call a graphic artist or call Marsell for collaboration.
The outside of this fabric is treated and feels like a vinyl, but the wall material is a durable woven fabric. It has an adhesive backing so you won’t have to use messy wallpaper paste.
“ another important piece of info is that the printer we use is a Roland ecosolvent printer. The best ink on the market for longevity and durability,” said Marsell.
No more worries about buying picture frames, hanging them correctly or people walking too close to the photos and knocking them off the wall. If you have a lot of photos and you want a uniform look that is uncluttered, try a personalized family wall fabric.
There are online companies that produce a similar product but I do not know the quality of their work or their customer service practices. Sometimes it’s a good idea to have such a creative piece done by a local company.
Since I was introduced to this product, I’ve been trying to figure out where I can incorporate one of these personalized walls in my own home. I can see some real possibilities in a powder room, incorporating pictures and/or written articles, like a library on the wall so to speak. Hmmm, I wonder if my family will like coming over to read my Dear Designer articles … on the bathroom wall.
Cindy Payne is a certified interior designer with more than 25 years of experience, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, as well as a licensed contractor. Email questions to her at deardesigner@
projectdesigninteriors.com or send them to her at Project Design Interiors, 2620 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 189, Las Vegas, NV 89109. She can be reached online at www.projectdesigninteriors.com.
