We’re back with pics of our hallway that we “wallpapered with frames” for lack of a better description. We think it created some pretty quick dimension and interest that’s sure to be fun for the whole family. Literally. We love that we can work in drawings by Clara, class pictures, and photos of favorite vacations for the whole family to enjoy.
As for how we did it, you saw how I cut out little newspaper templates for all of the frames that we already owned (we actually had a lot of them from various arrangements in our first house, seen here, and even had a few unused ones snagged on sale a while back that were begging for some action). So we just taped up all of our pre-cut templates with a few of the larger ones staggered in the middle (to ground things) and built things out from there, placing most of the smaller frames around the perimeter for some subtle balance. We shifted things around a little, stepped back, went back in and moved stuff around, and stepped back to look at everything again. This happened about ten times with smaller and smaller tweaks until we decided we liked it. But we still wanted to sleep on it and study it one more time the next morning before breaking out the hammer (hence this post about that first phase of the project).
Yesterday we mentioned that The Washington Post scooped us by sharing this shot of our frame-riddled hallway here:
We try to stay as real-time as possible, but we also like to take a ton of after pics and write a big wordy post for ya, so it can take a few days from project completion to post publishing. If only we had a live camera feed going 24/7. Just kidding, my nightmare is to get caught picking a wedgie on camera. It’s why I never auditioned for the Real World (side tangent: John actually sent in an audition tape once when he was 19).
Anyway, so when we woke up the next day and agreed that we still liked the proposed frame placement, it was time to lay out all of our frames on the floor of the dining room in the same arrangement, just to check if some of the actual frames conflicted (since all we were looking at on the wall were their outlines and not their actual styles). Of course we ignored the art since most of it would be switched out anyway.
The frames all looked just fine together, so we decided to bite the bullet and grab the hammer. It was hangin’ time (here’s where a lot of MC Hammer was sung). Since our newspaper templates were still up on the wall, it was actually really easy to hang stuff. We just measured how far down from the edge of the frame that our wire, hook, or other hanging device was and just marked a centered “x” right on each template (the horizontal line is the measured center of the template, and the x below it is the spot where the nail should actually go to catch the wire or hook so the frame hangs in the right place).
Then we just hammered directly into the “x” in the template…
… and pulled the template off the wall to reveal a lone nail waiting for a frame (even though it looks like a jacked up hole, that’s just a tiny bit of paper caught above the nail that we easily removed with a finger flick).
We slowly worked our way around the wall using this method. It probably took an hour or so.
Sadly our old plaster walls don’t work with 3M Command hooks or velcro alone (since that’s always an easy way to create a frame collage without making any holes) but we do plan to add heavy duty Command velcro to the lower frames that may be within Clara’s reach when she starts toddling around. She’s a pretty docile girl who definitely seems to listen when we ask her to be gentle (when petting Burger for example) so our plan is to sweetly request that she be nice to the frames and “look with her eyes” and we might even try the “you can only touch them with one finger” technique that an awesome varsity mom shared with us a few days ago (she said it actually works!). But of course if we think those few low frames ever start to pose a safety hazard, or even just become too high maintenance for the way we live, we’ll definitely just get rid of them until the bean is a little older. Clara first!
But back to our process. After following our templates and hanging every frame we stepped back for a little look-see and frowned. Somehow they seemed a little tighter in the top right corner (which we actually really liked) and a bit too loosey goosey everywhere else…
… so we adjusted some of the frames on the left and added in a few little “filler” items to get the same full look that we had on the top right corner going on everywhere else.
So yes, there are probably ten extra holes in the walls hiding behind those frames from fine tuning them an inch one way or the other. Our bad. But they’re all out of sight so we’re at peace with it. They can just be our little secret. Oops, I just told The Interweb.
Once everything was hung we scavenger hunted the house to find things to display (since many of the existing items in the frames were horizontal images that were now hanging vertically or the frames were completely empty to begin with since we hadn’t used a few of them yet). Which puts the cost of the entire frame wall plus all of the “art” that you see (since that was also already owned) at 100% f-r-e-e. Except for this cool $16 frame from Target that we splurged on because we adored it’s “special capabilities” to store and easily showcase lots of kid art. We love that we don’t have to take it off the walls to change things out. Come on Clara, don’t you feel like drawing mommy a picture or two?
So this is our current arrangement with all of the just-for-now stuff that we found around the house. First here’s the view from the kitchen (which is why we placed the console table there, so it looks centered through the doorway:
And here are a bunch of other angles:
From an old Banana Republic ad with a llama (or is it an alpaca?) carrying sweaters…
… to a vintage milk cap that we found at our first house glued to a small square canvas…
….and a white paper key that I cut out of card stock (which I hope to replace with a DIYed ceramic-looking one)…
… it’s definitely a smorgasbord. And there are probably way too many photostrips, but they’ll do for now.
We’re actually planning a post later with more detailed shots of various items and directions for making your own stuff, like an arrowhead shadowbox for example. Or a long skinny wooden pinboard (still have to make that, for now we have a placeholder piece of card stock with a photostrip taped to it). We also thought it would be fun to take a picture of the wall every few months just to see what comes and goes (new Clara art? updated family pics?) and what always stays (the sketch of our first house’s lot? a favorite photobooth strip of the whole fam?).
We anticipate that at least 25% of the wall will be changing pretty regularly as new things steal our hearts – like a particularly good (or bad) fortune cookie fortune and Will Bower’s first birthday invitation. You know, the important stuff. We definitely feel like this gallery will be the most personal, eclectic, and fun display spot in the house. So while I’ve already asked for some awesome art prints for my birthday (which is this Saturday- woot!) we also want to frame everyday objects that hold meaning to us. From Clara scribbles to little love notes and even particularly funny greeting cards with chihuahuas on the front.
In short: We are so in love with the whole hallway frame gallery. It took a spot that was just a way to get from A to B and made it feel like a bonafide destination. We both keep finding ourselves being drawn to that wall like magnets, just standing there gazing at all the frames. Even Clara loves to stare at it. Ah gallery wall. How can you make us so happy? We’re nerds.
And surprise. We’re so enamored that we’re planning to “wallpaper” the other two walls on the other side of the hallway with frames too.
Here’s the pile that we grabbed from Ikea (feast your eyes on that pretty shattered fireplace tile).
Should be good times.
Psst- We announced this week’s giveaway winners. Click here to see if you’re one of them.
Erica M says
As many others have said especially love the swatch book hanging on the wall and the poem- the dark gray is a great anchor piece.
HobbyLobby has decorative keys, that I’m sure would spray paint well, when you are ready to replace the paper key (although even that looks cute!)
YoungHouseLove says
Good to know! We’ll have to go on a key hunt there.
xo,
s
Corrie says
I LOVE to see that you guys did this, because I do the exact same thing when I hang frame groupings! After the first time of doing it and cutting my newspaper to the size of the frames, I realized it would be helpful to ‘label’ each newspaper piece with it’s corresponding picture (I already had pictures in the frames before I hung them). Since I had some frames that were the same size, this helped me remember where I wanted certain pictures to go after hammering in the nails. Then I just went one-by-one tearing off the paper and replacing them with the corresponding frame.
I aspire to do expand my to a GIANT gallery like yours when we move into our new place. Fun stuff! And thanks for sharing your close ups! I always love seeing what people choose to frame.
Danielle says
It looks amazing!! I know you guys love your white frames, so maybe you can’t help me, but I was wondering if you could recommend a white paint color that would be a good color match for the standard white frames found in most stores. I have a few darker frames I would like to paint, and it seems like having different shades of white might be a little funky.
Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
White frame color varies so much (some of our white ones from Ikea are lighter or darker than others, same thing from Target too) so we would recommend bringing home a bunch of white paint swatches and just holding them up to see what matches best. Good luck!
xo,
s
cassy says
thats so cute! i love the idea!
http://cassylately.blogspot.com/
Rebecca L M says
I have that exact same shattered tile. Lovely. Are you gonna do something with it? Can’t wait to see!
YoungHouseLove says
Someday we plan to evict that tile for sure! But as a quick fix in our last house we painted ours and poly’d it (looked great for 4+ years even with people walking on it – but it was a non-working fireplace). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Rebecca L M says
Duh! Why didn’t I think of painting it? I live in Newport News, VA in a 1971 built house. Probably got the tile from the same supply house
melissa says
Awesome! I am actually planning to tackle something like this in the next week or so at my house. If I can get it to look half as good as yours, will be pumped!
Krista says
can I just say (without sounding too much like a crazy-stalker) I LOVE YOU GUYS! This is totally something I’ve been dying to do and you make it so easy… and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. I have some old frames that will be perfect once they have a coat of white (or maybe black?) paint. Thinking of ideas of what to include– printing out our wedding vows & framing… kiddos hand prints… black and white pics of my parents when they were young… the life verses from the Bible we’ve selected for our children…. maybe some silhouettes?
This is fun! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your site.
(Again, I promise I’m just a midwestern mom crazy about pretty, afordable home decorating ideas!)
YoungHouseLove says
Love you right back Krista! Good luck with your frame wall!
xo,
s
Ames says
It looks amazing! I am totally in love with this idea.
Annie says
I am absolutely loving how this house is turning out. I adored your first house but this one is quickly becoming my fav! I am always amazed that you guys aren’t pros! How did you learn to trust yourself when it came to design?
YoungHouseLove says
I think just years of trying things and realizing that nothing is irreversible is the key. Paint can be redone, frames can be rehung, items can be returned. Just take things one step at a time and learn what you like (and don’t like) along the way. Making a mistake isn’t as bad as being frozen with indecision! Good luck.
xo,
s
leah says
This is nothing if not beautiful! I love everything about it really, the entire hallway will be amazing. Just one question – Dusting!?! Okay, maybe it’s more of a statement, but isn’t that going to be pure torture to dust while keeping everything straight & lined up? Hmmm, just a thought ’cause if you have any sort of solution I am all over this idea!!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m hoping the dust fairy will come at night and take care of it for me. Haha. Or I’ll use my feather duster every once in a while. I’ll definitely report back if it royally stinks though!
xo,
s
Maryanne Nelson says
I love it! And i love the incorporation of maps. If you need more art to fill in, one idea I’ve been planning (I’ve actually gathered and scanned the photos but haven’t hung yet) is a wall with family wedding photos. I’ve got my grandparents and some of my husbands’ grandparents and my parents’ and his parents’. They’re such cool looking black and white photos and so meaningful (and it always makes me smile to see my grandparents so young! and my parents in their very 70s wedding attire). You’ve inspired me to finally get them hung in our new house and incorporate them into a gallery wall with other family pics and maps of places special to us.
Anu says
Hi Guys,
the house is coming along nicely. lovely the woolly green rug. congrats on the book deal !!
ok, now that spring is on our doorstep, have a question on the organic green lawn post you’d done a while back (read it last night because that is what I have been wanting to do with our new lawn).
Did you end up trying the compost tea method on your lawn after all? if yes, please another post or thoughts on it !!
Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Yes John did and it was awesome! We were selling our house in the fall so we wanted the grass to do well so he followed the method in the book to make compost tea and then applied it all over the yard and we reseeded without any fertilizer at all (just the compost tea) and the grass filled in really well and looked really green! He also weeded the whole front yard by hand before that. Crazy hard but it looked great in the end!
xo,
s
Briel K. says
This looks great! I’d love to do something like this at my apartment but since I rent I’m nervous about putting a lot of holes in the walls.
Jessie from www.mixandchic.com says
Wow! The hallway pictures looks fabulous! LOVE IT! I loved how you combined the B&W photos with colored ones. Such a visual feast and suddenly, the hallway looks so fresh and dramatic! And I just adore the tray with a hint of green inside! Where did you get it? Thanks!
http://www.mixandchic.com
YoungHouseLove says
You’ll never believe it but that is actually just a paper box that I got over 5 years ago! It had a photo album in it and I loved that the bottom of the box (from Target by the way) was green and the outside was white so I’ve been using it as a “tray” ever since.
xo,
s
Conni says
too funny, I looka t pictures before I read, nd I think ‘hmmmmm intereting, so they like to hang flyers on the wall’ must like shopping!!
The I have my duh moment, they are going to ‘real’ picutres there, ha ha. well I had a good laugh for the day
Thanks for sharing
Danielle @ The Sunshine Girl says
That looks awesome. Love love love. I’m in the process of planning out a gallery wall for our living room. Hopefully it comes out as well as yours did. PS – Happy Birthday Sherry!
Amber Grace says
Sherry, this is truly beautiful…
You’ve totally thrown my wall for a loop now, thank you very much. (teehee)
I just took a photo and blogged my family room wall, and how you’ve got me thinking maybe I should paint my frames white. (http://graceonehundred.blogspot.com/2011/03/black-or-white.html)
I’d love to hear your thoughts!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yours looks awesome just the way it is! But you know I love white frames so if you love that look they’re just a spray paint can away. Haha. Good luck!
xoxo,
s
Amber Grace says
I think I’m going to stay black, because the family room is very cozy and warm, but I’m going to add little things in the spaces, like the key you put up, and other little things like that. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Donna says
I love pictures and I love this post! Looks great. One suggestion – screws, not nails. My husband is a contractor and will not let me use nails. He taught me to use the black sheet rock screws. It really is better. It’s secure, doesn’t damage or crack the sheet rock like a nail might. Easy cleanup if you decide to take everything down and putty.
Love following your blog.
Donna writes at http://mylife-in-stories.blogspot.com
Zoë says
We have an similar arrangement with black frames in our dining room that we have filled/plan to fill with multi-generation family pictures. My kids love to look at pictures of themselves as babies, as well as photos of our extended family. And I was so excited to add a beautiful framed photo of the Tennessee Theatre (est 1928) where my husband and I had our first date.
Our nearest IKEA is 4 hours away in Atlanta, so I always stop by on the way to the airport (I’m picking up my parents, not heading out anywhere with a bunch of IKEA stuff) to stock up on frames – large ones, small squares, triple pictures etc. Now I need to find the time to actualy put pictures in the stockpile of frames we have going on in the corner of or den. And I love the idea of incorporating non-photos too. I will be stealing that one.
kelsey says
Ahhhhh! So so so in love with it!
Now I’m just dying for you guys to get to that kitchen and to see what you do! lol love it guys!
hillary says
Super awesome. I really love it, especially since you have “hall views” from other rooms. Speaking of other rooms, I cannot WAIT until you paint that paneling!!!
Ashley says
I adore the frame wall. I am amazed at your talent and skill for being able to picture things piece by piece to make a fantastic whole room/house. I’ll admit that sometimes I don’t “get” one of your projects and then I see the rooms coming together and am in complete awe! You should have Clara do a “foot” painting (bday present?!). I’ve worked as a nanny and even really young babies can paint with their feet as you hold them above the paper. The way they bounce and get wide-eyed at the texture is precious! Happy Birthday Sherry! Thanks YHL for being a source of inspiration, entertainment, and beauty!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Ashley! It means a lot. As for the foot painting idea, love it! We’ll have to give it a go.
xo,
s
MS says
Thank you so much for posting this…exactly what I plan to do in our hallway! LOVE the result.
Longer version of the phrase for small children my mom used, “Look with your eyes, not your hands.”
And once you have teenagers, “Look with your eyes, not your mouth.” That was often said in response to “MOOOOMMM! WHERE’S MY __(thing mom is not actually responsible for)_____.”
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah, love it.
xo,
s
Sharee A. says
Just got a call from my daughter (I hipped her to YHL) asking me if I’d seen the finished entry wall of picture frames. I logged on and, thanks to your inspiration, within 5 minutes, figured out placement for three large pics in my home. I check your page every day to see the latest updates to Casa Petersik. My daughter has a blank alcove in there dinning room that’s waiting for picture placements like that over your sofa…we’re making an Ikea run tomorrow!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s awesome. Have so much fun!
xo,
s
r8chel says
Lookin’ good, Youngsters! More gallery walls in that area feels like overkill to me, but hey – I’m not the one with a feature article in the Post. :)
Bri says
oooh oooh oooh, me too….I’m stealing this one immediately! Looks great guys, as usual! Love it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Kathryn says
Looks great, you guys!
Ok, I’m sorry….. not on topic at all here… but when OH when do you think you guys are going to get to building your sectional console table? Haha, demanding readers, I know! I want to do the same thing with my 10 1/2 foot sectional but I can’t think of how to make it. LACK shelf? MDF?
If you guys have any ideas about how you are thinking of making yours, could you please share? I’m dying to get going on this project :)
Thank you!
Kathryn
YoungHouseLove says
Right now we’re thinking about using wood from the hardware store and maybe making two tables if one is too long and somehow working some storage into the sides and maybe even the top. Not much else planned yet though! But I promise tons of details and pics when we get there!
xo,
s
Kathryn says
Thank you!
Kimberly says
I know you’re incredibly busy, but I just had a quick question if you ever get the urge to answer one. :)
Do you think it’s possible to pull off a gallery wall like this in a hallway that isn’t as wide as the one you have? We’re moving to Portsmouth in May for my hubby’s military residency and our rental home is a standard ranch with a hallway leading back to the bedrooms. It’s not a very wide hallway, however, and I’m afraid a gallery would make it look cluttered or even more narrow.
Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Maybe keep it a bit airier and use a smaller amount of larger frames so it doesn’t feel too chaotic? Paper templates might help you “see” it before committing. Good luck!
xo,
s
Georgia Rowe says
Can you tell me what the name of the frames you got from ikea are, so i can get an idea of sizing before i trek over there. :o)
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry we grabbed a ton of different ones! Lack in all sizes I think, some more traditional ones (not sure what they’re called, maybe Hemnes?). And Ribba too I think? Maybe just head over to ikea.com and check out all the frames they have and pick the ones you like in the sizes you like for an idea of their range? They have a ton of options! Good luck!
xo,
s
Kelly says
Wow, that looks amazing. I’m so going to do one on my stairway. Thanks for the detailed instructions!
Andrea says
Looks awesome! I’m going to have to show this post to my Hubs, since he isn’t the biggest fan of galleries like I am. But, I have to show him that IT CAN look awesome with a bunch of frames on the wall.
Trisha says
Hi! I just recently started following your blog and I must say you guys are great!!! I would love do this type of frame collage on the wall leading upstairs. Thank you so much for all the great ideas ;)
Sarah@StyleandCentsability says
What a great post- I have been building up to do this since we moved in (a year ago)! Still collecting frames.
That is my next hallyway step seen here http://styleandcentsability.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/before-after-sneak-peek-hallway/
I kinda think I can only do it on one side though because our hallway is narrow..what do you think?
YoungHouseLove says
I would try it with white paper templates on both sides or just on one side and see what feels best. Maybe if they’re a little airier on both sides (not too dense) it’ll feel balanced to have them on both? Good luck! Your hallway upgrades already look awesome!
xo,
s
Lisa says
I love this idea for my daughter’s room because her crib and a chair are both on the same wall, so there isn’t a piece of furniture that’s centered. I don’t know what to put on the wall because I think whatever decoration is there should span across the space instead of centering over the off-center crib or something. But, hanging a bunch of stuff over a baby crib makes me a little nervous! What’s the best way to secure the frames? Would Velcro help? I like the idea above about replacing the glass too!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, above Clara’s crib we went crazy since that’s a place she’ll be without supervision (when she’s sleeping for example) so we screwed through the actual frame of her big round mirror so it wouldn’t fall. Velcro would still make me nervous for above a crib, so maybe use something a little heavier duty? Or use something lighter and safer like small cloth canvases or little frames with plexiglass instead of real glass? Good luck!
xo,
s
Mig says
Awesome!
I predict your frame-riddled hallway will be an icon in home design in no time.
Congrats!
Melody says
This looks AMAZING! This is such an awesome way to fill up an awkward wall. We live in a split level and have a giant empty wall on the left hand side when you enter our house from the front door. I think this would be a perfect way to fill up some of that space! Do you think this would work for an angular wall along a staircase? Just not sure if it has the same effect with right angle frames and an inclined wall!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! You could totally work that! Just use paper templates first to see how it looks. Good luck!
xo,
s
MelissaG says
I LOVE this so much! This is another idea that I’m definitely going to use. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Noel says
Sometimes I hesitate to comment because I know you spend so much time manually approving comments and I don’t want to give you more work. But I have to say how much I love this! Well, I pretty much love everything you do- I wish I was as creative. You did an awesome job and I’m definitely going to steal this idea soon!
Kathleen says
Loving this wall! Perfect! Its given me the inspiration to do something similar on the bare walls of our house!
Forgive me if this was mentioned already, but did you frame the note you found behind the bathroom mirror from the sellers? That would make a nice addition up there!
Congrats on the D.C. article!
YoungHouseLove says
We didn’t, we actually tucked that right back where we found it. We love to think someone else will find it in 100 years! But we took pics of it to remember it by.
xo,
s
Melissa @ HOUSEography says
Wow! I LOVE it. Might have sealed the deal for me doing a wall collage in my living room around my similar console table.
b says
okay this is funny, because it is probably worth 2 cents to you but i have always wondered… when i read your posts in my IE feed reader thingy, instead of visiting your blog… do you get paid?!? am i cheating somehow b/c i don’t see advertisements? hahaha. i have such a guilt complex.
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, well maybe we make one hundredth of a cent or something since we have a little ad at the bottom of our feed. But we don’t mind at all! Heck, I follow about a million other blogs through feedburner so I know how convenient it is! Haha. We love our readers for reading, no matter how they do it.
xo,
s
V's says
Omgggg…… You guys are super awesome!! I”m going to cheat this idea now ;-) ;-) Never seen a hallway this pretty, original and sooooo full of character!
Love love love love it!!
Rachael says
This looks great! I have a similar display in my living room, but we just eyeballed the whole thing – held one up, tacked in a nail, hung it. Over and over and over. Your method seems much more organized. :)
Danielle says
Looks great! I’ve wanted to do a photo wall in our 2nd floor hallway but since we’re trying to sell, it will have to wait. Thanks for the eye candy (and inspiration) in the meantime!
Sarah says
It looks amazing!
Hilary @ My So-Called Home says
We just put in an offer for our first house yesterday (and anxiously awaiting a reply) and the house is from the 1940s, therefore the walls are also plaster. What do you mean by “3M Command hooks don’t work”? I’m also slightly worried about hammering nails into the plaster and the old paint since it most likely is lead-based under the new latex paint. You think it’ll be ok since it’d be such a small hole?
YoungHouseLove says
Plaster is known to crumble more than drywall, so sometimes you can stick something onto (or into) your wall, a chunk of plaster could come out as a result. But we’ve learned that small sharp nails are great for the most part, and if we worry that something is extra heavy we use anchors and screws (which keep the plaster in place since the anchors contain the screw if that makes sense). Hope it helps!
Oh and CONGRATS ON YOUR OFFER! Good luck!
xo,
s
Kymberly says
lovely! I wish my hallway was wide enough to fit a table.
also, we do the “one-finger touch” thing and it works great. my two year old would see the christmas tree and ask, “one finger touch?”
YoungHouseLove says
That melts me. Love it!
xo,
s
Emily says
OMG–super love! I can’t wait to do something like this very soon. Where did you get all your frames? Mostly IKEA? Random places? I love how the white frames liven things up. I had always been partial to black frames but oh how my tastes have changed!
Emily says
actually I answered my own question by reading through other posts–thanks! you guys are an awesome inspiration for a young girl about to get married and make her own home!
Brittany says
Do you guys know where you are going to display the “bee” art? I remember you said it has a lot of significance in your relationship so I thought maybe it would make the cut for one of the walls?
YoungHouseLove says
I really want to hang that with other original oil paintings in the entryway of our house (next to the front door and across from the built-ins- probably above a big console or cabinet of some kind). Can’t wait to grow the collection and hang them all up together!
xo,
s
elizabeth says
just wanted to say that i love this!! being a photographer, i am all for frames (especially with family photos) hanging for all to see. i had a frame wall in our last house & never got around to re-hanging it when we moved 2 years ago. this has reminded me how much i loved it & that i need to re-hang it asap!
ps – my dad works in dc (although we live in nc) & is bringing me a copy of yesterday’s washington post, so that i can read it in print! so excited for you guys!