apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Love them. Beautiful photos. Great suggestions.

lovely

I love the numbers 1 and 4; the 5th is hung too high. But a nice idea.

Agree 100% with mschatelaine. I can't stand high-hung art.

Really?! The discussion is about whether or not family photos are a nice touch (which of course they are) not about critiquing how someone else has hung their art! Let's be kind here. Isn't art a very personal thing in nature anyway, including where and how it is hung? I think so. Most homes are private spaces so unless the areas are on public view or being sold, indulge in beautiful images & creating a personal space that holds special appeal and makes you happy. Anyone can re-create a retail showroom devoid of personality.

Sreed, I did comment on the photos--like the previous poster, I love #1 and #4. But I find that the weird spacing between the bed and the art in #5 detracts from my ability to really take in the fabulous photo. Hanging art at a pleasing height does not turn a space into a "retail showroom devoid of personality." On the contrary--to connect that last photo with the elements in the room rather than with the ceiling would bring the whole composition together and make for a much more striking presentation of the photo itself. EVERYTHING in the posts on AT is personal in nature--art, paint, furnishings, architectural style. The comments sections are for people to respond to what they see. We are allowed and encouraged to have preferences and opinions.

Keep in mind sometimes where a picture is hung depends on something like where the persons head is once they sit up in bed. A lot of pictures over beds and sofas are hung high for this reason.

I love the couch from the first pic- any ideas where it is from?

I like these but I can't help but feel for the kids on the fourth image. If I am ten years old and that is hanging over the table, I am mortified. That being said, I don't think as an adult I'd be too comfortable eating at that table. I can get behind that print in another room, but not above the table. And now that I think about it I think that wallpaper is a little self indulgent. I mean really...

I don't like blowing up family photos. I think it's really nice to hang family photos - and I have a special fondness for old black and white ones - but I dislike reprinting them and making them huge when you can help it.

My feeling on that may have to do with the fact that my mom cannot resist making poster-size prints or at least 8x10s of any picture she gets her hands on, and then taping them to her walls, no matter how much my sister or I insist that the pictures really aren't good enough and she could at least frame them if she must. Blown up pictures just seem sort of tacky to me for this reason I guess. Just because you can, and the Costco photolab has good prices on it, doesn't mean you should. ;)

I agree that just because you can doesn't mean you should.

The childhood photos may be of a long gone relative. In which case it would bring memories without the embarassment.

So buy photos of total, but appealing strangers, at yard sales. And hanging art heights is a completely on-topic comment. It's a design site, not a "I love my kids" mommyblog.

For some reason I've been obsessed over the last few days with the idea of huge framed photographic portaits in a dining room. Done well (ie quality framing and art-level photos) it just seems to be the height of cool. It makes me want to ditch all of the art in my dining room and start anew.

In wish I could obsess over celebrities and football teams like normal people ;)

I read the comments ("picture too high!") before I looked at the pictures, and as soon as I saw picture 5 I laughed out loud - looks just like my bedroom! I can tell you that, in our case, the picture is up that high for an entirely practical reason: so that when we're sitting up in bed watching a movie, our heads don't bonk into it.

Shutterfly is offering a pretty great deal on canvas stretched digital images with gallery wrapped edges and with free shipping!

http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/canvas-prints

I think the idea is perfectly fine, so long as the image isn't the posed 'everyone in the same color/type clothes' family photo you get at a lot of photography studios.

With your large photo on the wall i like all the books with that, and also the pinks looks so nice!!

washington state.

As a child, I wouldn't have enjoyed sitting across from myself nightly in that dining room... but then, I don't really like hanging pictures of people who live in the house.

The clothing on the wallpaper children looks as if the picture dates to the 30s-40s; I wonder if the girls might be older relatives of the resident? That seems sweeter to me, and easier to live with (at least for a while).

I'm going to try this with some landscape photos I took on the Yangtze River last year.

One question that maybe you all can answer (and maybe have heard and encouraged/shot down before): Is it possible to make window curtains or shades out of photo prints? I'd love to make one out of one of my river photos. Thanks!

I own a site called allpopart.com. We do beautiful portraits of kids, pets, couples, people in general and even objects.

We also do gallery wrap canvas portraits of your photos at better prices and quality than Shutterfly.

I'm just posting this here as I thought is relevant to the subject and I think some of you will enjoy our services.

For #2, any recommendations for how to hang? Thanks!

Awesome ! Now when clients ask us for a cost effective way to reproduce a mural we have the resource. Thanks for the post.

ruckymama
this place will put your photo on a window shade
http://www.sunshadewindowfilms.com/Specialty_Products.html

I do all my big enlargements with El-Co color labs which does high quality prints up to 30x60 for cheap ($10 to $30) through their always-running poster special.

They're not quite as quick as some other services (they alternate paper on different days), but the price is unbeatable and the results are very high quality. They also do a nice job of packing and shipping so there is no damage.

http://www.elcocolor.com/poster_special.htm

I rarely post a comment here, but I have to agree with some previous comments: that picture over the table would make me queasy. I wouldn't be able to enjoy a meal with a larger-than-life baby gaping at me. Especially when that baby has spaghetti hanging out of his mouth. Retch.

Love this - in my Spa Home design philosophy - I would use an image of a spa or treatment to add a new dimension of ahh to a bath or bedroom retreat. I may just try it out in mine & will send you pics if I do. Thanks for the find!

Spa wishes, Candy

I like number 2 actually - not as in your face as the others!

How do you choose that one photo that's special enough to be displayed on an entire wall?

This is a bit off topic but I love the pink lamp in the first picture. Does anyone recognize it?

The drama that these photo treatments can add to a room is immeasurable! Of course the idea that a favorite landscape, pop art color fest or old master can be splashed large across a wall is fabulous. I 'd like to try a silver paper with black and white runway figures on it for my bathroom. It would add light and a quasi- theatrical effect. I am thrilled to have this new idea to investigate and plenty of tested sources for product. Thank you so much.

The contrast of black & White and pink is just amazing.

I love love love large photos! Especially of kiddos! The first & fourth are my favorites!

I find it very creepy to go into a home and find enormous oversize pictures of any of the inhabitants, including the offspring (whether currently youngsters or older). It even bothers me to see it in a magazine or on the web. It's self-centered, indulgent, oppressive, bordering on manipulative. (You can't exactly say you don't want to sit facing an enormous photo of someone's kid, even if the kid is unattractive, can you? I hate having to come up with creative things to say when shown photos of kids.) Please, move these things to the private spaces like bedrooms.

@trideltadarling I'm planning on using #2 in my place, I was going to get cheap black picture frames for each individual piece in the grid and do the photo in black and white, maybe print it on poster paper for a glossy finish?

That is my place pictured in #2. Just wanted to offer a couple tips for those wanting to do something like it.

I used multiple lasers line levels to help keep the "grid" pattern straight. ( not the most fun part of the project).

The frames I used are from ikea and I think they were under 10 dollars for a 2 pack I believe. These were just a personal preference because I didn't want the black lines of traditional frames.

Lastly, if possible, try starting you printing with brand new ink in your printer. I found out the hard way. When I would run out of one of the colors, I would replace it only to find that the next prints didn't match what I had already done.

This was supposed to be a weekend project but ended up taking about a week with all the printing, runs to the store for ink, and, of course the not so easy task of hanging the frames.

Hope that helps and have fun with it!

Alex

thanks to all who shared links and how to make ginormous photos. i've always dreamed of blowing up a personal black and white and incorporating it in my living space. making it black and white makes it more classic, but you'll still have a story to tell your guests. the mural looks as if it would have been tricky...love the vibe it gives the entire space. and alex, not only is your picture awesome, but a pic of ones self is placed in THE right place, as in your personal office. love it.

Does anyone know of a mac software for this? the Posterazor and Rasterbator are only PC.

Posterrazor is the one for mac. Go to downloads and it's about the third one down. That's the one I used for my project and i'm on a mac.

Alex

It's personal and if it's your home and you love it, do it!
Now, if your selling or have some decorator show house ideas... It might be a bad idea. Life is about the connections you make and the relationships you have. If the photo, big, small, framed or on the fridge makes you happy every time you look at it, that is all the reason you need. If you feel joy in your heart ignore the what's "right or wrong" and make it work for you.

Make it "Home", Make it Personal & Share with those you love.

I'm with kushkush regarding the manipulative aspect of hanging larger than life pics of kids. I don't want to pretend to like a photo of your child covered in food and saliva hanging over the dining table. It's not cute. It's the opposite of cute.

Alex:
Thanks for the tips for #2! I'm going to give it a shot one of these weekends.

There are a couple more ways to hang multiple pictures salon style:

6. My company, CollageWall, makes stylish photo walls easy to make and update. http://collagewall.com

7. Picture PictureWall offers a matching set of frames that fit together. You supply the prints. http://www.thepicturewallcompany.com/

I'm with vix vax on the saliva over the dinner table issue. Just icky. I also think it is strange to visit a home and see photos of everyone who lives there all over the house. I have my family photos on the walls of the stairway, where I can see them but I don't have to subject my visitors to them, unless they are interested. But I am looking for more creative ways to display photos in my home.

Alex - How did you get rid of the overlapping borders in poste razor? I'm having issues getting it to print correctly even after changing the border settings to 0...any hints appreciated!

Thanks!
Amy

Isn't the last photo a shot of the Novogratz twins from the Sixx design family on bravotv?

I really like all of these, and I never fail to be amused by how polarizing this issue is (along with - gasp!- displaying one's own wedding photos!). We have a long, narrow entry hallway which we have hung with B&W family portraits, gallery-style. I love it, and our guests always stop and look and (sincerely, it would seem) comment favorably. No drool pictures, though. And they're not pictures of US. But bottom line - can't we assume that most people display photos for themselves, not for their guests - and cut them a little slack?