Photographic Installations in Black and White
Often we have a bunch of photographs of the family on special holidays, graduating or taking those first steps in life. Or there are those poignant photos of your grandparents sitting in boxes gathering dust at the top of a cupboard somewhere. You have always wanted to honor their memories and hang these around your home but never quite knew how to go about it. The first step then would be to haul them out and start sorting these out.
Categorising your Family Photos
Choose a large table or floor area to see what is available and then you can sort your pics into a family tree depending on how many generations of photos you have or arrange them into memorable moments for each family member, special occasions, family holidays or whatever direction your collection leads you. Sort out pics that can be hung in the main bedroom, passageways, reception areas or sitting rooms and then you can move on to your next step in your DIY decorating project.
Deciding on your Frames
Here there are several options that will look as if you have had an interior designer in your home. One is to purchase a black, wrought iron curtain rail with stylish end pieces and then get a handyman to make some photo frames in wrought iron for you. Purchase metal chain, paint these black and hang about five photos in a row from the rod or at different heights. You can either make all the frames the same size or stagger these. Following on this theme you could use a wooden hanging rod and wooden frames for your photos. Use longer or shorter rods for different spaces.
Choose colored photos to create a collage in a large frame. Find a crafts person to make abstract patterns using liquid lead against a backdrop of plywood or other material (painted white or other color). You can then cut your photos and arrange them in the spaces supplied in this abstract design. Where there are smaller gaps, place translucent plastic in these to provide a stained glass effect.
Another plan is to have a bunch of loose wooden, wrought iron or glass frames in different sizes and shapes altogether in one space against a wall. You can have some really special photos enlarged to 1mx1m or bigger in monochrome or color for a bedroom or lounge area or you could make a huge crystal mobile and hang small glass framed photos at different heights on this to create a sparkling ornament hanging from your ceiling. Another firm favorite is to place several free standing, unusual photo frames in a group on a side table. The whole idea here is to make your DIY decor project look as if it has been professionally done even if it means you need to call a handyman to help bring your idea to life.
Comments