Deck Your Walls!

I’ve always been a fan of the physical, printed photo and I have lived through many upheavals driven by the impact of technology upon it. I can remember getting my first camera for my birthday – a cute little Kodak that took little films in the approximate shape of a semi colon and for which, should your subject be a little dark, you’d need to stack a bulky appendage called a flash on top.

It was then necessary to wait weeks to use up 36 exposures, do a thing called “wind it on”, then trek to Boots twice, all just to find out I had my fingers over the lens and that letterbox red lipstick and aggressive backcombing did not really work for me.

Cut forward to current day – kaboom, I, like most, have a phone that takes pictures like a DSLR, numerous social media platforms, filters and a good sense of lipstick colours that suit me. It’s been a journey.

 What it means though, is in this day and age we all have photos in our grasp that are worth of that transition from cyber existence to solid, omnipresent visual brilliance! Research has shown that having ‘real’ photos in the home is really good for us too, reminding us daily of social bonds and essentially what and who is important to us.

Clare Moreton, photo expert at CEWE, shares her 4 top tips for doing this in our homes while upholding and enhancing our interior aesthetic: 

1. Try the rule of three 

Ever walked into a room that doesn’t feel quite right? Well, there’s a simple interior design trick that can fix that and using photo prints is a great way to achieve it – the rule of three. 

This states that objects grouped in odd numbers are more visually pleasing on the human eye. A great way to create harmony is to run a theme through your photos. For example, display three different perspectives from a recent holiday, use similar colours across your prints or showcase three different milestones in your life. Whatever your ‘three’ are, you’ll find this rule is a great way to add interest to a blank wall and will take your interior design from amateur to pro in one simple step. 

2. Turn your staircase into a gallery 

Halls and stairways can be the most difficult spaces to decorate in our homes, with many of us not knowing where to start when it comes to filling those large areas of blank space. A gallery wall is the perfect way to brighten up this tricky area of the home, allowing you to collate your favourite photos and display them in a place you’ll get to enjoy them every day. 

The key to creating a gallery wall is to embrace asymmetry. You might be tempted to use the same size frames or line up your photos side by side but for a more interesting effect, mix up the size and colours of your frames and pictures. Try starting with your biggest piece or a photo that you’d like to be the focal point of your wall, for example a family photo or a picture from your wedding day. Then, radiate a few smaller prints out from this central point. You can also choose to bring a sense of harmony to the asymmetry by using photos with similar colours and tones. 

3. Add interest to shelves 

You might just see them as another piece of storage in your home, but bookcases and shelves can be an important interior design tool when it comes to brightening up your space. Chances are it has been months (or even years!) since you last rearranged your bookshelf but doing so is a cheap and easy way to mix up the design of your home. 

If you’ve had the same photos in frames on your shelf for a while, now is the time to switch them out for some new prints. Try square or retro style photobooth prints to add a modern touch to the usual framed photos, and complement the colours in your photos with corresponding tones throughout your shelves to add a sense of design. For example, if you have updated your shelves with lots of bright, sunny snaps from your travels, complement them with a stack of books featuring bright blue and green tones or a vase in a dusky orange.

4. Turn your photos into works of art

For a unique way to display your favourite photos at home, it’s easier than you may think to turn them into a work of art. Print your photos on unique materials, such as aluminium, acrylic or even wood.

A classic canvas can be made more interesting by splitting one photo across multiple canvases. Or you could get creative by using hexxas, which are hexagonal wall art tiles that can be made up of one, or multiple images. Whatever you do, display your new artwork somewhere prominent in your room, such as above a mantel piece, bed or sofa, to create a unique focal point that draws the eye into your space.

For more information about CEWE, go to: https://cewe-photoworld.com/