Several years ago, I was hired to photograph a Bozeman architect at one of his newly designed properties on a huge parcel of land. As I toured his client’s impeccably decorated home scouting for light and locations, one thing struck me…there was not a single family photo anywhere. Not on the wall, not on a tabletop. Not a one. The only thing in this home to tell me anything about who lived there were the selection of DVD’s in their massive collection! The home was perfection, really…full of the finest furnishings money can buy, but devoid of anything “personal”, the house seemed empty and lifeless.
I have always believed in personalizing one’s space…in making a house a HOME and in “living with what you love”. To that end, we mix antique furniture with new, family heirlooms with our twins’ ceramic vases, and fine art paintings with family photos, many of them simple snapshots. Framed photos sit on the piano, my writing desk, in my husbands office, on our bedside tables, and in the kids’ rooms. They hang in the library and along the walls of our well-traveled hallway. The images tell the story of our lives as a family from the 1930′s photo of my husband’s parents, to photos of Doug & I at our wedding and on our honeymoon, from our twins’ baptism portrait to my fave photo of the kids running carefree along the shore during a Caribbean beach vacation. Our children can view their complete family history on our walls!
Alas, in many homes, walls are empty. Walls just begging to be adorned with family photos and artwork. Perhaps due to lack of time, decorating savvy or both. Decorating with photos does not have to be expensive or time-consuming. The photos do not have to be professional images. Most of us have more photos than anything else in our homes…stuffed in boxes, drawers, closets and attics. Wouldn’t it be fun to spend an afternoon with your kids looking through them all, pulling out the ones that truly “speak to you”, framing and hanging them? Wouldn’t your family love helping you bring that big blank wall or empty hallway to life? Well, there’s no time like the present!…Pottery Barn is now offering 20% off their Wood Gallery Frames. For less than $200 you can create a stunning wall portrait collection that will make your family proud!!!
Here are a few more inspirational ideas for decorating with photos you may already have:
by Susann
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