Today we'll move on to Andrea's Tip #2. Family Pictures. We briefly touched on this topic yesterday, but today we'll go into a little more depth. Here's what Andrea has to say...
"Update or add family pictures to your space. This really personalizes your home, makes others feel welcome and makes you feel good too. You do not need to worry about matching all the frames (unless you want that look) -this way you can buy frames when they are on sale or use ones you already have."A few more thoughts about pictures:
- Tallest to smallest: Whether they're on a table or a shelf, arrange the largest photos at the back and the smallest ones in front. Photos, unlike many other collectibles, can sustain a little crowding.
- One display per room: Determine where a grouping of photos will fit and place one grouping only in each room so as not to dilute their impact.
- Rearview photos: Avoid displaying photos on a coffee table or other surface in the middle of the room since the backs will always be visible.
- Photos with books: Photographs and books can coexist in a bookcase if you keep them well-organized, and on separate shelves. In a small, three -or four-shelf bookcase, arrange the books on the top and the bottom with the photos in the middle. In larger or wall-to-wall units, arrange alternating bays with books and photos for a clean, librarylike look.
- Black and white with color: Except for you purists, family photos in color or black-and-white can be grouped together on a tabletop. But there's a strong visual appeal in keeping old black-and-white or sepia-tone photos in one area and contemporary color photos in another.
I found these three complementary frames on sale at Bombay Company (before they went out of business) This week's activity has finally motivated me to fill them. According to Andrea, three of anything makes for a nice grouping.
Also, believe it or not... I taught Andrea a trick during one of her visits to my house. According to her industry policies, she is not physically allowed to hang my pictures. In other words, I have to be the one to drive nails into the wall. I didn't want to waste my money (or her time) hanging my own pictures, when all I really wanted was the benefit of her expertise in clustering a group of framed family pictures on a big blank wall. I used white paper and painters tape to hold their places until Andrea was gone and I could do it on my own.
Consider doing this as you work to rearrange art and pictures in your house or apartment.
It could work with mirrors too!
What fun or creative idea you have for dealing with pictures?
Katie or Sue, maybe you will take a second to talk about the great gallery of photos in your basement! I love it.
Signing off until tomorrow...
17 comments:
good morning HLA! Cassie here, up a little early. I almost NEVER wake up before my alarm, but my lovely self was up an HOUR early today! BLEH!
As for hanging picutres...I always remember my mom having the big collage frames (aka one big frame with spaces for a bunch of pictures), but maybe those are out of "style"? I never see them used much. She only has one now, but I do like it because it has a bunch of pictures of me and my brothers from the same day (a fall day where we raked a big pile of leaves together and played in it)...so maybe collage frames still work?
I will gladly take a second to talk about the great gallery of photos in my parent's basement.
In the basement of their house, there is a ledge that goes all the way around the room about midway down the wall, and along that ledge are family photos from the past 25 years. There are pictures of us all through the years growing up and also recent photos of us including college graduations, my trip to Australia, and I'm sure many wedding photos will be up there after this summer. There are also wedding photos of my great-grandparents, my parents engagement photo, and others. Many guests to their house enjoy taking some time to look at the pictures and take a 'peek' into our family history. Claudia has been one of those guests that has enjoyed taking a peek into the Kolkmeier family history.
My girlfriend LOVES pictures and picture frames, her front bathroom is a picture gallery. Can you imagine sitting on the john and looking up all around you to these family photos, it's weird, but gives you something to do when you are in there! hee hee
She switches pictures out for the season... she'll put winter/snow pictures in... then change the pictures in the summer. The bathroom gallery is eclectic, lots of different size frames, but their groupings are wonderful. She loves old pictures of her grandparents, mixed with her kids when they were babies.
One cool area is a medicine chest with glass doors, you can see the pictures grouped in there by threes, the oval shaped metal frames are very interesting.
I've had my mom on a thrift find looking for tiny frames, check out my blog tomorrow, I'll take a picture of my 'secretary' with a picture frame & stuff arrangement.
I have been told that you should never put your kids or other family photos in your master bedroom and that everything in the master bedroom should be coupled in two's representing you and your spouse.
Following other Feng Shui tips... the bed should never be placed where the foot of the bed is directly in front of a door but it should be placed where you can see if someone enters the door. And, I'm not sure if it's Feng Shui but the other tip I've heard is to never put clutter under your bed because it will clutter your mind and your dreams when you sleep. That one may be a little far fetched and impracticle for me. But, who knows.
My parents have that same ledge Katie. It used to be FULL with photos but when my had some work done last year she took them down and she didn't fill it back up as full.
I have created magnets out of some of my favorite photos and placed them on my refrigerator.
When we bought our home Dec 2007, I would not let her hang any pictures... new walls, no hole,s ya know? Finally, last June, I got over my fear & hung pictures. I did it by subject/artist as I have several from different people... all the Native American art is on the east wall (air brings in ancestors). Moog (Bosnian friend) is on the West wall (his images are emotionally provocative so that is water). I have Goddess art on the south wall (passion/fire) and on the north wall I have Brad Foster's pen & Inks of the big cats (earth creatures). Did I mention I am a bit odd? Also, in my art studio, I have pictures I took back in the late 70's that my mom returned to me last Yule. As well as other art I've done. It is my room, after all! Blessings! Kristi
Yikes, Cheryl.
I think I am breaking every Feng Shui rule!
No pictures of your kids in your room? And, my bed is placed in the wrong spot.
Claudia, I don't think your bed is placed incorrectly according to feng shui. Your door is to the side of the bed not directly at the foot.
Now the photos thing... actually I can't remember if that is a feng shui rule or something else... but I do remember someone explaining that to me. Another thing I remember is if you are single and would like to be in a relationship she said that you should have two night stands with a lamp on each. You should have empty space in your closet and in your bathroom basically suggesting to the universe that you have room in your life for someone else. Does that make sense?
Okay, I did some research. If you want you to create a romantic atmosphere then no pics of your kids in the bedroom. I quote, "Your bedroom is not the family room."
And other basics were to clear as much clutter as possible to create a calm and relaxing space for you to rest. You don't want to wake up and the first thing you see is clutter and feel overwhelmed by it.
I don't adhere to all the feng shui rules either because it's just not practical for me to enforce every rule but I do think they have some very valid points.
Claudia,
I have a china closet (breakfront) and curio full of pictures of my boys and one or two of my wedding pics. I have two frames on each shelve in the curio and the curio has a mirror backing ion the inside. I also have for sections in my "breakfront" and in each section i have one pio on each shelf and it is also backed with a mirror. So, would it be ok to keep them there because of the mirror backing because the backs of the frames are showing through the mirror? I don't realy have frame out on the side table in the living room. As for my bedroom, it is a master with a sitting room (we use it as a den) and i have my computer desk in there and some piscs on top of it. If anyone has any ideas on how to organize a closet full of bags i wiould love any ideas. I have quite a selection of bags and i keep buying more i love all kinds of bags. Although i now need some ideas on how to organize them in my closet. My next quest is flip-flops for the summer and how to keep them organized. I will keep checking in. Thanks Claudia.
Layne, Flip flops will hang on a clothes pin from a clothesline you can stretch at the top of your closet.
I think I might jump in and use some different frames for a photo cluster...right now all my frames are solid black...I'm a clean line person typically but I really LOVE Claudia's picture wall so think I might try it.
I love the idea of switching out pictures according to the seasons! I am definitely going to do the paper thing next time I hang pictures. I am really horrible at knowing where to hang pictures.
Layne... flip flop holder from th Container Store.
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=65218&PRODID=10024283
Cheryl...OMG that is SO cute! And for $10 it definitely fits in the $50 and under category.
Who sent us the link yesterday from DIY? I love it. Thanks.
So what about this idea for a dramatic effect:
http://www.diyideas.com/quickprojects/Accents/picturechairrail_1.html
Not in your bedroom but in a family room. It's frames that are glued to the wall... live in an apartment? Mount them on a thin painted board and attach that piece to the wall.
oh poo... the link cut off... the end of it reads like this:
picturechairrail_1.html
Actually, Layne... I think Andrea would say that having the backs of your picture frames reflected in the mirror is not ideal.
Also... organizing bags. I should commission my sister to answer this one. She collects all kinds of accessories and lives in a small NY city apartment.
Envision the plastic strip at the grocery check out that often times holds things such as bags of chips or decks of cards. Can you picture how they hang straight down in a line, one semi-overlapping the other? Ann has a large version of that for organizing her bags. She hangs it on the door of her closet.
My mom used to hang baskets from our basement ceiling. I wonder (if you ceilings are high enough) if you could hang purses from hooks hanging from the ceiling.
I agree whatever you do, they need to be visible otherwise you are less likely to switch your purses our regularly.
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