Q: I am recently married and my husband and I are ready to start decorating our apartment. The focal point of the living/dining area is a beautiful fireplace with stone around it. We really want to make use of the space we have so we'd love to hang a picture (from our wedding) right in the middle but we have no clue how to accomplish this without possibly damaging the stone.
Friends have suggested drilling into the grout which would be an easy fix when we decide to move but are there any products or devices we could use to affix to stone without damage?
Sent by Taysha
Editor - Taysha, a wall anchor/brick hook could indeed work, but requires you drill carefully using a masonry drill bit. We'd recommend you skip this and use easily removable 3M Command Hook Strips. We've used them in our own home for frames, installing a home security alarm, and mounted posters. Very easy to apply and nearly as simple to remove (it may occasionally peel painted surfaces, but that's a minor tradeoff for a product that mostly does little damage while holding up your display items without worry).
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Comments (15)
You've got to go with what you'd like, but a photo against that geometric a pattern likely won't look all that great.
Agreed. The photo is not going to look good there. Let the stone be the focal point that it already is, and use your photo as a focal point elsewhere.
The stone is so gorgeous, I too, would let it stand alone.
I'll leave the opinions to others, but I just had to say that my grandma has that same 1-800-GRANDMA thing!
I think a black frame with a large white mat around the picture would look good on that wall. Make the space your own.
There are two problems here.
1. Hanging any framed photo on this wall would be like driving a nail into the centre of a big oil painting and hanging another picture on it. You don't hang a decorative feature off a different decorative feature - it will only ruin the impact of both pieces. The wall is a bold statement by itself. Leave it alone.
2. Framed wedding portraits are vulgar, especially in public rooms. It's unlikely that you, your husband or anyone you invite to your home will forget that you're married, so why do you need a reminder blown up and plastered on the living room wall? A small framed photo in a private room, such as the study or your bedroom, will be plenty to remind you of your joyous day. Find some beautiful art photography to frame and hang in your public rooms instead.
BTW as a general rule the 3M strips ARE an excellent way to attach light artworks and objects to walls without damage. They will very occasionally fail, so don't overload them and avoid using them with anything particularly fragile, but 99% of the time they're great.
A MIRROR would rock!!! Something interesting, maybe with angles to it to reflect the slate?
Yes, the command 3M strips work great!!!
"Framed wedding portraits are vulgar, especially in public rooms."
Never were truer words spoken.
I agree about putting up a large wedding photo in such a prominent space, but tastes aside... I do think a very large black & white photo (landscape or cityscape?) with a wide white mat and simple black frame could go very well here. I wouldn't trust the 3M hooks on the stone though - even if it held for a while, I'd be living on edge wondering when it's going to come crashing down. What I would do is actually give the fireplace a simple mantle. Then lean the large photo on top of it (with perhaps a couple 3M hooks on some wire for emergency backup on the back!)
I agree with Jannarama - a mirror would be great.
I agree with Blandwagon. It would be better to find another place to hang the photo because the fireplace is already a piece of art in itself it would clash. If you absolutely want to put your wedding photo in this room perhaps another wall could work, or maybe a smaller table top frame on a side table would be better.
Please no photo! Leave the stone alone, maybe a mirror but that's it.
Blandwagon is right:
Wedding photos belong in a silver frame on your desk or in an album, not blown up and hung as a focal point over the fireplace.
If you simply MUST hang something up there - Choose a circular mirror instead.
I agree with the others about leaving the area untouched if possible. A mirror, perhaps with a rough hewn sort of frame to compliment the stone, is a good option. And those 3M hooks are the best! I use them all the time at work.
Build something to cover up and or minimize the slate tiles Either that or hang a gigantic mirror. The colors of the tiles are mismatched so the more done to minimize the haphazard colors the more cohesive your interiors will look.