I think a grid would be just the thing for this! I would have to know the look of the rest of the house first, but you could go with frames that have some glitz to them to make it feel a bit ironic, or if you like a loft or industrial feeling, I would go with distresed wood frames. Remember to use matts either way. That will make it feel much more polished and would help avoid that dorm room feel you are trying to avoid!

Absolutely have them professionally framed. That keeps them from looking frat house. We are music junkies and have a few pieces of framed music memorabilia around the house (mainly concert posters) and they definitely make it more of "our" home.

My husband did this in our living room. It looks terrible. He did it in a grid and measured and is a very precise person so that isn't the problem. The problem is that he did WAY TOO MUCH. Basically he covered an entire wall. I think it would be okay if you took a less is more approach though.

After many many years of rock'n'roll on display in every room of the house, I recently relegated all things rock to the den. The CD and record collection live in there anyway and the small space makes the collection of framed concert posters, rock star promos, and various knick knacks really over-the-top. It's such a fun room with a real "wow" statement. And it allows the living and dining room to feel a bit more grown up. Oh getting older...

1) professional framing (or at least buy attractive frames with appropriate matting etc.)
2) have them be only a part of what's displayed on your walls - you need variety. Not, of course dart boards and beer logo clocks, but grown-up art mixed in.
3) having your furniture and general decor look intentional and well maintained, not student-y,will help, too
4) you might consider limiting them to one space, either a corner or even a separate room - if you have a study or family room, for example.

But, I think it's wonderful to make your home reflect who you are and what you care about, that's what gives a space soul.

Of course it's your home and you should do what makes you happy, but even with professional framing, a Rolling Stone magazine will still look like $3.99 magazine in a $100 frame. If you've got a big space to fill, take digital photos of something unique or beautiful and have them blown up to poster size... Ritz charges $40 for a 24"x36" print and you can get a decent enough 24"x36" frame for $25 at Target.

My father-in-law framed a bunch of Rolling Stone covers...kind of. He searched around and found prints of the original photographs used as covers and framed those. It looks pretty amazing, especially some of the double-sized photos. If you're going to frame the actual covers, I'd say limit it to your absolute favorites. And I agree with those who say to keep them in one space, but I think it would be neat to see them somewhere unexpected. Like a powder room, for example.

Music memorabilia is great when it's something that you've acquired as a part of your music career...

But hanging memorabilia that's been acquired - without having a direct personal connection such as being in a band or as a writer for Rolling Stone - It's likely to come across as a bit "Hard Rock Cafe"

I really like the picture rail I bought from Ikea. It's great for displaying a variety of artwork and objects. Items can be switched out easily. Perhaps some framed music memorobilia would look good sitting on a picture rail with a few other kinds of pictures or art mixed in?

Couldn't agree more with @bepsf.

okay.. I don't really agree that you have to have written for Rolling Stone or be Bruce Springsteen to be able to hang a cover on your wall. Seems pretty pretentious to me.. Amy, if you like them and they are reflection of you (or your husband's) personality, you should showcase them. It's your house after-all. There is way to do it that says eclectic and fun, not frat house. And let's face it, as long as it isn't attached to the wall with thumb tack or gum, you're pretty far from the frat house look.. I'd recommend having them framed nicely as mentioned above, also might consider the museum quality glass (will keep the ink from fading over time) and hanging them in a contemporary and comfortable space, not the formal living room. In my house I have the poster from my all-time favorite show hanging near our "music corner" of a very small house and on the adjacent wall I have some great contemporary art by a local artist.. I like it, it seems to be a good balance and I get lots of compliments on the arrangement. But no one that visits me has ever been published or featured in Rolling Stone, so what do I know :)

My brother grew up with a surprising amount of style sensibility. (Okay. Not that surprising. He's got two older sisters.) He had a similar issue in his bedroom - repainted, new-ish furniture, and he wanted to hang some pictures of classic cars he had cut from a calendar.

It really is amazing what a few silver frames can do. They also gave him the freedom to change it up - which he did, trading out the classic cars for Sports Illustrated covers.

A silver frame with a big, black mat would certainly do the trick... or at least that's what I've seen.

Bruuuuuuuce!

Note applicable to magazine covers, but if you want to frame old record sleeves, IKEA actually has a perfect box frame for it - just the right size opening and a large matte.

I think that using the covers as artwork is perfectly acceptable. I would be very conscientious though in selecting which ones you want to display. Picking out covers that don't just reflect your musical taste (though I heartily endorse anything w/ Bruce on it) but are graphically interesting will make it look like less of a hodgepodge. If you can find a way to display covers that are linked in style or by a color, etc. it'll definitely look more professional and less dorm.

Fancy framing is essential, as everyone else has wisely said. Maybe you could paint a bright square on the wall and hang all the frames within it.

And I *know* the RS covers would lose something in translation, but what about copying them to black and white and then framing and displaying?

Good luck! I think this would be a cool thing to discover when visiting someone's home. Post pictures when you're finished, please!

I agree with @bespf it might come off a little Hard Rock-ish

But if you're going to do it, have them identically, professionally framed and do a grid.

This is what I did in my house:
http://www.rearrangeddesign.com/2010/03/finishing-up-living-room.html

Seeing that Bruce cover made me a little sick - my dad threw out all my old Rolling Stones without telling me ahead of time. I had every issue from the first one produced in New York (Bella Abzug by Warhol on the cover) up until about '84 or '85.

Do it. Frame some of those bastards and hang 'em up. If you and your husband feel connected to them then guess what? You're connected to them. Have at it and send in pics.

look at the movie Funny People....they have what would be considered "dorm room" wall art framed and hung in a intriguing display. Mat them, frame them and hang them in a cluster!

Frame them in matching frames, maybe with mats. Arrange them in a grid, rather than in a "random" fashion. Looks intentional, rather than spontaneous that way (and dorm life is spontaneous!).

I don't see how displaying a collection of music memorabilia--especially something as specific as various issues of the same publication--is inferior to displaying other collections. Hanging a grid of 4 or 9 covers in matching frames will look fine (provided that works in the space). I think it will only look "Hard Rock Cafe" if they hang them in mismatched frames of varying sizes surrounding an autographed Ibanez and a tour t-shirt.

Have to disagree with bebsf and agree with KayinKCMO. If they are personal to you then they are personal. And it doesn't have to look Hard Rock Cafe unless you want it to.

I agree that a grid arrangement would look "grown up" and if you only put Rolling Stone covers in the arrangement they will all be the same size so will very easily form a grid. I think it could look great.

I have to agree with BetterBombshell and idon'tdobeige, if music means a lot to you, then it should be in your space.

Aside from framing and good arrangement, it's not going to look like a frat house if the rest of your space isn't already on the way. If you've already got dart boards, beer signs and and the like, then I'd worry. Use your best judgment. If it feels right for your space, then it's right for you.

As long as your space does not prominently feature a mounted buck with bras hanging from the antlers i think this look has lots of (fratless) potential.