Faux pas.

Seriously? I mean, I don't have family photos out in my house, but the idea that one's own home is public space and thus inappropriate for hanging photos of the residents of said home...yuck.

And, faux pas.

I display my family photos.
They should be displayed for guest to see.
It's not like I'm putting them on a billboard.

The idea that it's a faux pas is ridiculous. Its YOUR HOUSE! If my house was for sale and realtors were bringing people through, then I would take them down, and only then.

I think that the wall of mix-n-match family pictures/graduation photos is so "Grandma's House"...

...but a few carefully chosen vacation photographs/portraits in silver frames on the credenza or desk is warm and personal touch.

Aren't you a little young for such a fuddy-duddy roomie? I hate albums--and of course, scrapbookjing, but I like to see photos. Not on every freaking surface, but a few in frames.

Maybe she has a really ugly family. And this is a post that cries out for first person singular.

Wait... I don't get why this would be a faux pas... I like to see my loved ones every day, and seeing those photos is a great way to cheer me up. My house is NOT a public space, and only those that I love and trust are allowed to enter into my space. So not putting photos on the wall because they are a 'private matter' just doesn't make sense to me. It your house isn't a private space, then what IS?

Aw, I miss the Keatons.

If someone is a guest in my home, I would think that means I know them well enough to share my memories with them.
Our homes should contain and display the things that make us happy. I keep a few photos of my family (and my roommates) scattered about.

Having lots and lots of family photos is overkill, but thats my personal opinion, and might make some other folks homes feel truly happy for them.....

Critisising other peoples homes is a faux pas to me.

Whats wrong with a few family photos here or there? I have a few very old photos of my grandparents wedding and my mom when she was a baby. I think they are fun!

If you have your own place with no roommates, displaying family photos; that are appropriate for public display; is absolutely acceptable.

It is considerate odd in some cultures not to. To have pride in one's family is to honor and possibly show them to others and if you hide them, it may seem you're hiding something bigger, such as a family issues.

I display photos of my grandparents and my other family members and my husband's family and even some childhood pictures of us both with our siblings in a spread out pattern on bookshelves and wall shelves and hang them on the walls.

The friend and family who come over to my house are not forced to stare at them while being entertained in the living or the dining room but most often they choose to get up and look at the photos themselves.

When living with a roommate, I could see how you could choose to set the rules for the place but I think it is acceptable for a roommate to want to look at pictures of their family throughout the house. I know of friends who have done that in their dorm rooms because they miss them and like to be reminded of them as if they are truly in their home on a daily basis.

I've always been of the opinion that whatever is on the walls should be something that I love to look at. So whether it's a special family photo or art, it doesn't really matter as long as it's beautiful and makes me smile.

We had a family photo done by a very talented local photographer (http://www.taramorrisphotography.com/) and when I'm mad at either husband or child, I look at it, smile and calm down.

As an aside, we are lucky enough to have a ski cabin at the local hill and I have a wall dedicated to photos of friends and family who have come to visit us. The spirit of the place is to have fun and relax.

Oh, I do the so "Grandma's House" approach - there are candid family photos on walls, noticeboards, in frames on tables, on the fridge, etc. If it's a photo that reminds me of a particular fun/special moment, then why shouldn't I display it where I (and consequently anyone who passes through I guess) can readily see it?

I've actually been yelled at for NOT having family photos sprinkled through my house.

We have a family photo display on something like a 4x3 section of the hallway wall. All pictures have black frames, and it has been a hit with all our friends. Our families are on a different continent, and it is nice to "see" them everyday that way, and "introduce" them to friends. It doesn't mean you have to display the deer-in headlights graduation pictures, just the ones you love and are willing to share.

Thanks to one of my first interior design classes, I now think of my house as a stage when I'm decorating it. The front part of the house where we have guests is front stage, where everything is "staged" to make everyone comfortable. The back of the house (bedrooms and home office) are backstage, and that's where I keep family photos and such.

Um... it's my home. And my family. Maybe if you share your home with other people, you might not plaster the walls with pictures of your nearest and dearest, but I fail to see how a collage or group of pictures is offensive.

Seriously! My home is my space to do with what I want and displsy on it what I want. Period.
Now, I don't have tons of pictures of family and friends out and about, but I do have some pictures of trips or vacations out so that I can see them and go don memory lane if you will.
And funny enough, when ever people come and visit, these pictures are the ones that people start converstaions on. And as for friends, they are the ones that are always vying to have their pictures up and on display.

I don't say this to be mean to your former roommate, but to be so against displaying family photos seems a bit too self-conscious. Why would it be a breach of etiquette to put a photo of people you love in a place where you see it frequently? I think having photos personalizes a room, so it looks more like a home and less like a hotel.

With roommates it can be tricky. My parents have a group of framed senior (HS) pictures of each of us kids displayed prominently above the piano. It's one of the first things you see when you come into the house and it tells you a lot about what's important to them. I'd never do something like that in a home I shared with a non-family member. Right now one of the squares in an Expadit bookcase in our living room has a few small frames with pictures of family and friends of both me and my roommate. We will probably put some more family photos in groupings with other pieces when we finally get things hung on the stairs and landings.

And how many people actually have photo albums these days? I keep most of my digital pictures on my computer or backed up on a DVD, and print the ones I want to display on nice paper.

I can't believe your friend had the nerve to tell you that it was silly to put out pictures of family. In your home you should be able to display things that are significant to you (i.e. family photos)

The fridge is usually where candid shots end up

When I lived with a roommate, the "art" in the shared rooms of the apartment was things we agreed on, and framed family pictures were kept in bedrooms.

Now that I live alone, though, I definitely have photos of family and friends framed on the wall - but I approach it like artwork - the frames are similar, the mats are the same colour, and I keep them to one wall rather than spreading them all over the apartment. It's my home, not a public space. And anyway, my family and friends like to see the photos of themselves when they come over!

i think its ok to have a few TASTEFUL or artsy family photos of those members of the family that don't live in the home. But to have photos of yourself around your house is a lil creepy. My mom has a glamour shots photo of herself in her bedroom...not huge or hung above the bed, still modest, but it's still kind of weird. Clearly she doesn't look like that everyday. lol

Please, my home and its contents are not on display for the pleasure of anyone else but me!

My house is for me to enjoy and I love my family. I like to see their faces in well chosen places. The day that Homes and Gardens wants to publish photos of my home perhaps I will temporarily reconsider, but until then, my space is my space. I'll share it with the images of things I love, family included.

Only strange priorities would relegate treasured photos to an album so as not to offend the style aesthetic of a guest.

I think baby pictures...again tasteful and few, and pictures of friends - tasteful and few are okay

I hate it when i see hallways decked out with yearly progressions of their family.

Not for me personally, but whatever floats your boat.

The only time your house goes from a private space to a public space is when you are trying to sell it. If it's your private space you can do whatever you want with it!

But, I can understand that if you share a space with a roommate you might want to consider them in your placement and choice of family photos. After all, that hilarious picture of your uncle Ed wearing the crazy party hat at your last family reunion probably doesn't mean as much to your roommate as it does to you.

The photos I have of my family in my own home are for me to enjoy. I have to live there!

Forget my own family, I would totally display a Keaton family photo.

oh, goodness. i'd hate not to have pictures of my family and friends displayed somewhere in my home. of course, i also have a huge picture of pope john paul ii hanging above the couch.

whatever makes you happy.

Etiquette has nothing to do with how you decorate your home. Period.

Commenting on how your roommate is breaching etiquette by displaying family pictures is, however, not only dumb but pretty rude.

I think it's sad if your only photographs of your family and friends are in albums that, let's face it, you probably don't look at very often.

Do you have REALLY great, original, one of a kind artwork, or do you have prints, posters, and Ikea or off the street "paintings?" Given that you have a roommate, I would bet money that it's probably mass market faux "artwork" and "design accessories" that mean nothing to anyone in the house.

I think it's ludicrous to prioritize faux artwork over real family connections.

For me personally I have a few personal photos of family and friends mixed in with art photography in a collection of frames on a wall in my home. I think it's a nice mix, and when I am in other peoples homes I like to see their personal photographs as well. I think since it is your space you are entitled to display whatever you so choose. But then again I'm not one for rules when it comes to decorating.

Wow, never thought this question would stir up such a debate. I say show the photos. If I am not comfortable with a guest seeing tasteful family photos then they should definitely not be in my home.

~Lorrie @ mydesignsecrets.com.

Why take the photos if you aren't going to share them?

I think the peak of sophistication is a huge wall-to-wall mural size-photo of the Keatons.
Then to watch the guests' reactions.

The only reason why I don't like having a massive collection of framed photographs on any flat surface in one of the more "public" rooms in my apartment is because, frankly, I hate having to dust!

I don't understand why some people consider it it bad form to display photos of family and friends. If anything, they can be amazing insights into one's history - in addition to fantastic conversation-starters.

When I was living with a roommate, I had a photo of my dad in the '70s, back when he flew C-130s in the Air Force. No one ever said anything about it until my roommate's boyfriend came to our apt. for the first time. Turns out he recognized the "Herc" in the photograph right away, and we had a lively conversation about his own experience flying them in the National Guard. I would've never have known, nor probably have exchanged more than a passing "hello" with him otherwise!

censoring your treasured moments is ridiculous.
Hiding your family photos in your own home is a load of hooey! It's your home, display what you want!
What good does an album do if it is hidden away and no one looks at it?
At least if you hang family photos on the wall, your guests will have a glimps into your life and they might actually learn something about you that they didn't know!

sheesh!

I keep family/friend photos in albums, unless the photo itself has something appealing about it besides its subject matter. Most of the time I'm just going to be glancing at the photos, and not focusing on the face. I want the colors and composition to look great or at least nice when I see it out of the corner of my eye. I LOVE seeing interesting/historical/special occasion photos of people's families in their homes (grandparents, weddings, military, babies, trips abroad, candids, etc.) -- anything that shows individuality or history. I'm usually creeped out by big or prominent collections of matching, studio-posed portrait photography. The thing to avoid, I guess, is a cold and manufactured version of what was supposed to be a warm, personal touch!

I really hate the huge portraits of everyone in matching denim laying on top of each other on the lawn with their chins propped up on their hands that sits over the fireplace. That's just me, though.

As for the rest of family photos, I love looking at family photos when I visit people, it gives such great insight into their lives-and they are much more polite to look at then their medicine cabinets. In our hallway, upstairs, we have a wall of photos of us, our parents, and in some cases, our grandparents and their parents, when we were young. I want my son to grow up looking at this wall and knowing who is family is and were.

Eowes--I hate those too--and the fake brush stroke "printed on canvas" Pwecious Moments baby stuff. And huge portraits of yourself in your Vera Wang wedding dress, frolicking in the surf.

Daniel P--why didn't someone photoshop themselves into the Keaton family scene?

Still preaching 1st person singular. Unless, the poster is a conjoined twin, and then it makes sense.

I like to have some photos and think the people who have none are silly, provided they add to the room and not distract. My brother in law likes to put 3x4 snapshots of his friends from college into cheap frames and puts them haphazardly on his walls. He is married with 2 kids. The pictures are inappropriate and make the place look like a mess. I don't know how my sister puts up with it.

I live alone now and I love having pictures of my family and friends displayed. My parents love the fact I have family pictures up when they visit. It shows them that even though we're apart they (and the rest of the family) are in my mind.

Although when I did have a roommate I'm don't think I'd care to have his family portraits all over our living room. But that's mainly because he's a bit eccentric and who knows what kind of photos would go up and how they would be displayed. But even if he did put them out and they bugged me I certainly wouldn't think it that big of a thing to mention to him.

He did have photos in his room and on his desk which I was fine with.

Seems silly to care about something like that.

I'm lucky, in that I'm old and therefore my parents were old (born 1908 & 1911), so I have some great sepia and b/w photos of them, aunts & uncles and grandparents. I have some of the coolest ones displayed in my home. But, I'm not a fan of a refrigerator full of photos, or wedding/graduation photos in the livingroom.

BTW: pet peeve of mine - wedding photos in offices. Hate it. Some of these people are married 5, 10 or more years, for Pete's sake. Get over the wedding, already.

In my home, a handful of family photos have a place and that is in my den and bedroom. That's how I like it.

My grown daughter, who has given me most of the framed family photos I have (mine were lost in Katrina), chastised me for displaying them in the living room (no, they're neither deer-in-the-headlight nor let's-all-look-like-Farmer-Brown mob shots). She claims to have "read somewhere" that the "public spaces" are for art and the family stuff should be hung in the bedroom/office. I'm confused and personally disagree -- vehemently.

HA ha! Ms.Pea you are so right!
People who have those horrible wedding photos, in their offices. Geez~

It's hard for people to understand that no one really cares to see your photos of your wedding
and actually more than half of the people who ATTENDED your happy day, bitched and moaned the entire drive to the church. No one says "I GET to go to a wedding!" they say they "HAVE to go to a wedding"

As for the Home: well, wedding photos on display at the very most should be only in your bedroom...but better yet should stay in your photo album.

I blame Pottery Barn and Olan Mills for these problems.

I do thank god that, gone are the days of the Glamour Shots portrait hanging on the Hallway wall

Don't live your life for other people - live it for yourself. If surrounding yourself with family photos is comforting and brings you joy, then by all means do it!!

The ONLY time when I would tell someone to hide their personal photos would be if they were trying to sell their house. In that case, it's distracting.

I've never heard of that! I can understand that some might want their privacy regarding certain photos (that one of your mom giving you your first bath), but your family are part of who you are and photos of them in your home show your personality and give you home warmth and the feeling that actual people live there. People that have families. Not people with an an unnerving similarity to the "people" who belong to rooms in design magazines and catalogs.

I'm not a fan of the wall of pride/shame showing every photo of your family ever, but a few here and there are a nice reminder and a good way to bring your family into your everyday life (even if they aren't physically able to be a part of your everyday life).

I'm a photographer, so my entire main floor is filled with framed, 8X10 or larger images of friends and family. Photos I've taken, all B&W, all framed the same. Then there are smaller photos framed on shelves, credenzas, etc. I cannot imagine NOT having photos of these people around.

I do, however, find it strange when people frame "unframeable" photos - Cruddy snapshots, out of focus, generally not great photos. If you have nice photos of good quality, they are as much art as anything else, no?

I have a fridge that I'm slowly covering with black and white photos in clear "no-frame" frames, arranged abutting one another to form a wall-o-faces. I like it. There are candids of friends and family, as well as a few posed groups shots, one from my parents' wedding, one in which the youngest person in the multigenerational shot was my husband's grandfather. The black and white pulls the pictures together, as does the lack of "frame." Obviously, some people would hate it. But I love seeing pictures of people I care about, particularly two friends who died in the last few years. I don't really get bothered by photos in other people's houses, although multiple frame-types don't work very well, and I could live without the strange layered configuration of standing frames some people go for. Sometimes, certain types of photo arrangements do seem a little creepy or self-absorbed. My sister has a hall of photos, and every single one is of her, her husband, and their three kids. They call it the family wall, and I think that shows their idea of what family is about - not one picture of a grandparent or cousin or uncle or aunt, not one friend. And frankly, they all live together, so these are the people there seems to be the least need to have photos of, you know?

the keatons... they don't even remotely look related.

I find this design "rule" offensive and ridiculous.

"Is it bad etiquette to have family photos dispersed throughout a home?"

excuse me? if you cannot have your private stuff on the walls mewm, where the flip can you? that is so silly.

and maybe you're lucky and talented, and your pics have art print quality - good for you! but if they do not - you are supposed to hide them? honestly, that is such an arrogant idea.

i love seeing other people's family pictures, and my own place has several large groups of pictures, framed and unframed. nobody is forced to look at them, you know, but i certainly want them where i can see them.

sorry - it was suppposed to say, "if you cannot have your private stuff on the walls of your home"

It's a true faux pas to tell someone what photographs they should and should not display in their own home.

That said, I prefer artwork and keep all my family photos in a photo album.

unless your house is being photographed for "better homes and gardens", then you should be able to do whatever you want with your home. It's your private space. I actually think it's weird when you don't see pictures and tid-bits, it makes me feel like I'm on a set, or in a museum rather than in someone's house. I think pictures are a great way to add "warmth and comfort" to a home.

I normally don't have any photos out on display...but it's mainly because I don't have the space for it.

During the holiday season I will pull out all the old pictures taken with Santa Claus. I have pics of my mother, me and my siblings, nieces and nephews...and even a few pics of stangers that I picked up at thrift stores...all with Santa Claus.

If I wanted to live in an impersonal space, I'd check into a hotel. I don't get it. Family photos are what makes a house a home.

What self-righteous arse would even think that they can tell another person how to display their family photo's in their own home?!

Get rugs made in the likeness of portraits or cleanse your house entirely if you need to [just don't tell someone else what to do].

I once visited a house in which "real" art hung. This person owned a Picasso for the living room, a Rembrandt for the bedroom, a Warhol for the hallway, and that only begins to scratch the surface of the museum quality work that hung in the house. She had us over for a potluck to which she contributed nary a dish, glared at us when we tried to look through some of her many art kaleidoscopes that were laid out invitingly on a coffee table, and invited us to look through the art on her walls. So of course, we wandered around VERY quietly in the museum of her own making. I found a tiny photograph of a daughter she'd never mentioned in a corner in her study and thought it was the saddest and most telling thing she owned.

Regardless of what anyone may think, I'll display my family photos all over the house and let the ice queen have her perfect decor and her museum quality artwork. And maybe, I'll put "All You Need is Love" on the stereo just for that extra corny effect that the ice queen will always wish she knew how to achieve.

In defense of the roommate:

1. If you have a roommate, that means your shared space isn't "private space." Forcing others to stare at your family every time they are using your shared space is inconsiderate.

2. Did the roommate actually tell you that s/he doesn't want to see your family all day? From the post, it sounds like the roommate commented on the idea, not the pictures themselves.

3. Whoever posted this misconstrued a sentiment that was originally private--the roommate felt silly about her doing the act--to one that is about "etiquette" and "faux pas." I think the roommate was just expressing the same value of privacy that everyone here is expressing: it's her damn relatives, why the hell do you need to see them?

So basically, you can display your pictures all you want, but to criticize a person who just wants to keep certain things to herself is itself a little silly. Besides, even if the comment is actually on the etiquette of displaying family photos, it is hardly a yay or nay...do it, but don't be tactless, the roommate seems to be saying.

I lost both my parents at a young age and my husbands family lives on the other side of the world so having their pictures on our wall is a way of having them close by.
That said they are small pictures and when I shared my home with a room mate I had them in my bedroom, not in the shared rooms.

But I do agree that it is a faux pas of someone telling you that you can not hang something in YOUR OWN home. Unless you ask for their opinion.

I don't think it's so much that photos are "private matters"; for me, it's an aesthetic...I keep a few special photos in a designated spot in my home office. For me, photos don't seem to fit in or work well when setting up a table scape, or whatever. I particularly don't like photos hanging on a wall...they just look boring. Also, you tend not to see them after a while. This is probably a matter of personal taste. I have received more than one of the following: A resin Disney frame with a photo of a loved one from a Disney vacation...I am "stuck" forever with several photos of my beloved daughter standing next to Curious George, or evil Jafar, in a Cinderella's castle frame, or an Aladdin framer! Maybe one day I will embrace kitsch...but not right now.