Since February's focus is on DIY projects and finding ways to save money when decorating, I thought it would be the perfect time to round up inspirational ideas for displaying photos without frames. Let's face it, framing our favorite images can add up and become very expensive. I never would have thought to have a wall of food photography in the kitchen, but I am now in love with the idea after seeing a great example in one of our house tours.
Images from Left to Right:
- Hanging Black and White Photography: emmas designblogg
- Dining Room Display: Steven Arroyo's Think Tank
- Stairway Display of Awkward Family Photos: Three Men & a Home Filled with Photography
- Wall of Photo Booth Photographs: Design Sponge
- "Meals We Have Eaten" Photography: Three Men & a Home Filled with Photography
Images: Design Sponge, emmas designblogg, Bethany Nauert
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Picture number 4 reminds me of the binder clip option that Ork Posters mentions in the booklet that they send with their prints. Would be very fun for an office.
But wouldn't most of these just ruin the photo?
ChrisGal - I was just about to comment on that. That first display makes the archivist in me shudder. Take photos to the machine in Walgreens/CVS/wherever and have copies made if you want to do that - don't ruin your original photos.
This is perhaps a personal preference, but I would never display photos without frames. It's too college-dorm-room for me.
These always look too unorganized for my taste. The fourth one is the only one that I like.
Oh God no!
So, without a frame, our options are attach a photo to a string, or tape them to the wall...
Your i-phone
Some of us have to come to the realization that everything we make is going to eventually be destroyed. No matter what method of archiving you use, it's not going to be here forever.
I don't know what an "original photo" is... since every photo is a print either from a digital file or strip of film. If you make the first print and then throw away all of the original files/films, then you're obviously not concerned about it in the first place :)
That said... I don't much like looking at the examples. Even I have polaroids on the wall hung on string, but it's still within a "frame" of some kind...
hehe and no, I'm not afraid of my polaroids fading. It's just "stuff".
These are some really great ideas.
Thank you for the little collection.
There are also some wicked shops, on etsy that feature interesting frameless ideas. like
http://www.etsy.com/transaction/44115938
http://www.etsy.com/listing/66842856/vintage-alchemy-jar-corked-large-label
anna
That first one is too messy for my taste.
i like to display artwork and photos in vintage clipboards- you can move them, prop them, or hang them.
I agree....a mess.
It's good but it's something I would have been more likely to do when I was in my teens or early twenties.
apart from the first one, i love them (and i am 57, btw :-P )
i use a wall of white magnet boards and tiny magnets for it - the effect is similar, but you can take it all down again and re-do.
the only way I will put up unframed photos is with magnets on my fridge. I used to do the collage-taped-to-the-wall in my college years, but I prefer frames now.
I have hundreds of the old 3.5" x 3.5" black and white photos that my parents took between 1940 and the 1960s. Some are in photo albums, but it would be prohibitively expensive to put them all in albums, so they are stored in archival boxes. I wanted to display some of them, but try finding ready made frames for those--there are very few made and of those, I don't like most of them. And they are expensive. So is custom framing.
So, yeah, I have some strung up on picture wire, held by finishing nails, clipped on with silver binder clips. I rotate new ones out every other month or so. I doubt hanging in a windowless back hall for two months will do any more damage than the 30 years they spent shoe boxes in the attic did.
Guests are always checking out the new batch of photos. I like sorting through them all to find holiday photos in December, or pictures of the cousins when I have the extended family over. What am I going to do with them otherwise? Stick them in boxes and never enjoy them?
(I'm in my 50s as well.)
What's wrong with frames? They are really inexpensive at ross or marshalls. I've gotten so many from thrift stores and yard sales for like 50 cents a piece. You can even spray paint them all to match. Hurray.
I've been running a system of screws and strings - its a little time consuming to get them up but its great not dealing with any frames.
Take a look:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopherakiba/sets/72157626110995776/
I guess some people have never been handed photos over 50 years old. THERE IS NO ORIGINAL FILM STRIP by now. The only thing left is the photo.
And even if I had the original film strip, I'd be paying out my a** for new photos to be made since I am more than sure the local film shop isn't going to be able to convert something from a camera used 50-60 years ago.
to mandroid ^^ people like me who live in apartments are not allowed to put holes in the wall and dont have enough surface space to sit a frame on, i really prefer frames and have a lot of work to display but i guess i will just invest in a digital frame, i love some of the ideas but i did things like that in high school. Just not my thing anymore.