Creating a Family Photo Gallery Wall

A photo wall display in your home is a great way to showcase the people in your life who are most important. Though artwork can be beautiful on your walls, imagine filling a designated wall space with the faces of the ones you love most by creating a family photo gallery wall. In doing so, you can create a space that tells part of your story and the love you have for those you hold dearest.

All families are different, and the best part of creating a family photo wall can be finding the pictures that best tell your story. Have fun and try to come up with unique and creative ways to showcase your family. Here are some ideas to consider:

Use old and new. Try to use both old and new photographs when creating a photo gallery wall to create a visual contrast. Find pictures of your grandparents or parents that are in black and white and place them in vintage picture frames. Try mixing up the layout of the photos to incorporate the black and white within colored photos.

Mix it up. Use different types of materials for the frames. Instead of using a uniform color or style of frame, try mixing wooden frames with silver or gold pictures frames, traditional frames with oval frames, etc. Try to also use different sizes of frames and/or photos on canvas. The bigger photo(s) can be reserved for those you hold dearest, like a photo of your children and/or one of your immediate family members. The mix of colors and textures can create a statement and add to the visual contrast.

Find similarities when selecting pictures. To help “tell your story,” look for similarities within your family when selecting pictures. There are often similar photos of people from different periods in their lives, i.e., senior proms, graduation headshots, military photographs, wedding photographs, etc. You may have to enlist help from your parents or grandparents in finding some of these photos, but that, in and of itself, can lead to shared stories of family history and a greater understanding of your background. If you or your spouse has served in the military, find other family members who have also served, and use their photos to highlight that aspect of your life. Chances are you will end up with great old AND new photos of men and women in uniform. If your parents were both high school sweethearts, find those photographs of them as teens and showcase their sweet story of young love. Vintage photos can often be the most fun to use because of their unique and classic style, but be sure to also include modern day photos of your family members.

Add other decorative elements. Aside from family photos, you can add visual interest with other elements relating to your family–decorative letters, quotes about family (whether framed or using vinyl stickers), mirrors, metal artwork, antique plates, family silhouettes, family trees, etc.

Create your layout design before hanging. Try to keep the same distance between photos when hanging, but don’t make yourself crazy about spacing. It’s a good idea to lay your frames out on the floor prior to hanging so you can avoid too many nail holes in your walls. You can easily trace the size of your frame on a piece of packaging paper, cut to size and tape on your wall so you can see the visual effect your layout will have once placed in that space. Once satisfied, hang and enjoy sharing your space with the ones you love most!