Designs Refined Tips: Decorating with Photos

Decorating with Photos

Photos are a part of nearly everyone’s life; we love to look back at generations long past and compare family resemblances, styles and progress. But not every photo is worthy of décor. I’ve talked about ways to display family photos in this space before; some do’s and don’ts. Organizing family photos is getting easier and easier with digital photos and the ability to store pictures on your computer. Keeping them in annual folders or by subject, like Christmas, Birthday’s, Graduations, etc. helps. If you collect pictures and don’t get them into albums right away, it’s helpful to keep them in boxes marked with the year at least. Later when you have that elusive ‘time’, it’s easier to take that trip down memory lane.

If you have a budding or professional photographer in the family, you are fortunate indeed. With home computers and printers of good quality available to everyone it’s tempting to put them all up on the walls. But there are new ways to take photos and to display them.

One way to capture your children’s precious moments is to take close ups, catching an expression without all the background or perhaps the entire body, just a glimpse of the child within. Making a collection of such photos is great if you print them in black and white or sepia and frame them alike to compliment the color tone of the photo. Don’t be afraid to make the image large and frame it with a small simple frame, or take a small close up image and frame it with a large mat and frame for impact.

For landscapes and close ups of botanicals you can send your photos to a company that will transfer them to canvas. You can make a panoramic presentation over a sofa or buffet server in a dining room. If you travel you may have lots of potential photos in storage that would make a great focal point to a room; think entry or even the bathroom. You can change out these images over time, or make them seasonal. Outside of your personal enjoyment these photos remind you of favorite places and special times; they make great conversation starters for your guests as well.

Posted by Designs Refined Tips at 6/21/2009 1:24 PM