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In an age where we take photographs of everything from scaling mountainsides to sunsets on the shore or even the food we put on our plates, we rarely print these precious memories. Instead, we choose to be reminded of moments in our lives by swiping through these images as they crop up on some device. If you spend time scrolling through electronically stored photographs, why not take the leap and create a photo collage for your wall?
Photo Collages are simply that, a collection of pictures that are displayed together. When we say together, we mean hung together. Thus, creating a feature wall within the home. The practice of creating a photo collage has become increasingly popular and a much-loved design feature in many homes.
As with all things home improvement, there are a variety of ways you can go about creating your own personal photo collages. We have investigated the best practices and brought them to you in this handy guide.
Don’t start hammering the nails in the wall until you have decided what look you want to achieve and how you are going to go about creating it.
What do you want in your photo collage?
Choose your theme: friends and family, celebrations and occasions, significant places you have travelled to or aim to one day see, a collection of everything? Choose your photographs wisely, selecting the perfect ones will create a breathtaking photo collage that reminds you of each moment frozen in time on your wall. This guide will help you choose which ones will work best in your interior.
What look is going to work with the rest of your décor?
White and neutral frames will create the very modern Scandi look, while sleek, black frames complement the minimal, industrial vibe. Shabby chic can be achieved with a collection of random frames, painted in a distressed look, or left in their original state. Not all photo collages include frames; mounted prints or prints on photography paper can be just as creative and inspired.
What is your colour scheme?
Black and white, sepia or a variety of all? Do you have any vibrant, inspirational quotes to offset your photographs? Photographs that contain a co-ordinated tone or hue can add to your current decor. All of these options are easily sourced, just pick one and run with it.
How are you going to display the frames?
There are choices too when it comes to the arrangement of your photo collage. The style you choose will depend somewhat on your budget and personal choice.
The Gallery Wall look suits staircases, living rooms and dining areas in particular but will work well in any area of the home. This style incorporates photographs arranged in individual frames to create a visually stimulating display. The gallery wall can take the look of a grid where photographs are placed in two or three rows tightly together. Alternatively, the photographs can be arranged in an almost random look, which is in actual fact, very carefully organised to create maximum effect. The way to ensure your Gallery Wall looks effortless is to spend time on the preparation stages: work out how the frames will hang together, equally spaced and level. The gallery is sometimes improved through the use of 3D pieces of wall art to provide depth.
Another, sophisticated, high-quality way of displaying your photo collage is to install an art hanging system. These systems use vertical cables dropped from suspenders attached to the wall. The art hanging systems are multi-functional, the cables can be moved around, lowered or lifted and prevent the need to hammer nails into your wall space. Frames can be rotated easily, and even the weightiest frame will remain supported. Using this method you reduce the preparation time because there is no need to measure and space frames.
Not everyone wants to use frames, some love the look of simple prints, mounted or not, on their wall. This is a much cheaper option as frames are often the priciest part of creating a photo collage. Children’s bedrooms are suited to this photo collage style, as are playrooms.
What next?
Choose the photos that inspire you, the photographs that flood you with treasured memories of loved ones or places that mean something to you. Whether you organise them strictly or merely select pictures that touch you most deeply, the choice is yours. The simple truth about photo collaging is that it’s your expression of the things you love most, so anything goes.
