Monday, March 12, 2012

Design Dilemma: Vintage photo gallery wall

If you have some treasured family photos that are stored away in a drawer...why not give them back proper respect by creating a gallery wall.

There are many different reasons why people do not display vintage photos- varying colors and sizes, varying eras in which the photos were taken and fear of hurting the photos.






Here are some examples of photos taken  from the same family.


The photos range in sizes from 8"x10" to 2"x3".   













The pictures portray different people in a wide variety of ages.













They have different color tones and are sometimes glued to a textured mat.







Because of all the differences between the pictures you make think it's hard to make them look good in a group.  But, it is actually very simple.

Buy several different types of black frames- some with heavy molding, some thin and modern, some flat and wide, some multiple opening and some for a single portrait.  



Once you have all of your frames...start filling them up with all of your favorite photos. 


I wanted to reference the old photo albums that had black paper and photo corners, so I typed the name of the person in "Old Typewriter" font and framed the title with black photo corners.


To add a little more depth, I raised the name off the mat 1/4".  I liked the look of the shadow around the name. 



Once you have all of the photos framed, arrange them on the wall.  I had a long skinny hallway opposite a stairwell to work with, so I arranged these photos in a row, trying to keep the tops of the frames at the same height.


I picked frames with mats of various shades of white.  Since the photos were all black and white, but all had various color tones, the differing shades of white made the images pop.


I LOVE old photos.  When displayed, not only do you get to appreciate them, but they instantly become a conversation starter. 

                                        

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