Photos and Sentiment in Your Home

My task this past month was to update the existing gallery wall in my entry way. You might not even notice the changes, but let me point out that previously all the photos here were of my children when they were babies or toddlers. My kids are now 8 and 10. That’s how good I am at printing out photos. This is something I have been meaning to do for years and it feels really good to have finally done it.

I kept some of the baby photos, but added in pics of them throughout the years. I even added a new piece of artwork that I painted. Those are small changes, but it feels like a huge accomplishment.

Have you ever noticed that you rarely see family photos in beautifully curated Pinterest or Instagram pics? It can be difficult to seamlessly add your latest vacation snaps or your kids school picture into a picture-perfect styled room. But photos and personal objects give your home heart and soul and tell the story of your life. You should by all means be displaying these things in your home! The question is how do you show off these sentimental items while still making your home and style look nice?

Here are a couple of my favorite tips:

Black and white photos. This is my all-time favorite way of displaying photos all over my home. I personally love black and white so I’m naturally drawn to this trick. Not only does a black and white finish make the images seem timeless, it unifies the photos, creating a clean, classic look. When you’re trying to group a variety of pictures from different time frames and seasons (think Christmas family photo next to beach vacation) uniformity can be a great solution!

Keep it casual. You don’t always don’t need to go to all the trouble of framing and hanging photos. Don’t leave your favorite snapshots on your phone, instead print them out and stick them into the edge of a mirror or pop them onto the mantelpiece.

I finally sat down and went through a gazillion photos to print out about 80 pictures that I really love. I have sprinkled about 15 of them casually around my home and put the rest in a box so I can swap them out whenever I want to.

I have clip boards in my kitchen and my office which are generally used for other things, but I always add photos because they bring me so much joy to look at.

There is no pressure here for the photos to be of professional quality, just snaps that make you smile. You can change these out regularly. The trick here is not to overwhelm your home with these random pics; they should be like cheerful treasures for you and your guests to come upon.  

When turned to black and white, simple snapshots from your phone take on an editorial look. They look fabulous even when they are just candid shots and selfies.

Make a point of printing out some photos to add life to your home!

xx

Nicole