Before & After: Francis’s Transformative Gallery Wall

Written by

Tara BellucciNews and Culture Director
Tara BellucciNews and Culture Director
Tara is Apartment Therapy's News & Culture Director. When not scrolling through Instagram double-tapping pet pics and astrology memes, you'll find her thrift shopping around Boston, kayaking on the Charles, and trying not to buy more plants.
updated May 5, 2019
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
In late 2011, I looked at my living room wall and decided I need to refresh it. So I decided to do a small project by taking photos of the flora that surrounds my home since I am living near one of Singapore’s best Nature Reserves, The Bukit Timah Hill.
I have been running on the forest trail for quite a while, enjoying the peace in contrast to the hectic city life. With inspiration of 18th century botanical illustration, I decided to do a modern interpretation. Armed with a hybrid compact micro four thirds digital camera, I decided that’s the way to go for my living room.
Little did I know that the more I shoot, the more I see. And before I knew it, it had become addictive and obsessive. I ended up having a botanical portrait blog plus an online shop as well. As I try to refresh the wall, the wall actually refreshed me.
It took me about a year to complete the wall. It was quite a challenge trying to work out the different sizes so I decided to do the initial layout on my laptop. Once I decided the position, I hired a professional. I would have taken 6 hours with extra holes in the wall, but this guy did it in 3 hours.
Check out Francis’s time-lapse video of the installation:

Thanks, Francis!

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(Images: Francis Ooi)