Ok, not the whole world, but a good smattering of it. For those of you who watched our house tour video yesterday, you’ve seen a shot of these babies in action (and by these babies, I mean eight freshly framed prints that we hung in our hallway above the board & batten that we added). But here are some close ups with all the how-we-did-it deets.
It was a really easy project actually. First, we bought an awesome calendar at Anthropologie on sale after the new year for $13 (gotta love how calendars go half price the second that January begins) but we had zero intention of using it in the traditional sense since we make a quirky little homemade calendar each year.
We just loved the awesome illustrations of each city. And we knew they’d look nice in a collection of frames on the wall. Psst- It’s still for sale here, if you’re in the market for one.
At first we debated hanging all 12 of them in a grid in the guest room, but we’ve been craving something large (as opposed to a collection of smaller frames) for the big bare wall above the chairs in there.
And then when we finished the board & batten hallway project (here’s a pic from before we painted the walls)…
… it dawned on us that they might look cute spaced out as you walk down the hall.
Turns out they do.
As for how we hung them all at the same height, we just shot our laser level down the hall, and marked two dots for each frame that were 5″ apart (there are 10″ of space between each frame).
Then we just hammered nails into those two dots for each frame.
Why two nails for each frame? Well, since the back of these Ikea ribba frames rest on a nail to stay up, two nails about 5″ apart are nice and sturdy – and you’ll never need to straighten the frame like you do when it hangs on one nail). Plus you can slide the frame a bit from the left or the right, so it helps make the spacing extra easy to control, even if you pre-measure it all with the laser level like we did.
Then when you pop a frame onto them, it looks like this:
Since the eight Ribba frames are from Ikea, they’re just $9 a pop (and we already had four, so we just had to buy four more to complete the collection). So that’s how we got an entire hallway full of art for $49 – which breaks down to $36 for frames and $13 for the calendar.
Not bad to go from here…
… to here in about a month.
Especially since we walk up and down that hallway at least a dozen times a day. And although we’ve only been to one of the eight places: NY (do we get extra point for living there for a while?) John has already started calling this our travel bucket list. So here’s hoping we get to visit Rome, Paris, Istanbul, Sydney, London, Amsterdam, and Rio De Janeiro someday.
Odd confession of the day: I have three favorite spots in this house, and two of them aren’t rooms. They’re:
- the frame hallway that leads to the living room, kitchen, and our bedroom
- this hallway that leads to the other three bedrooms
- Clara’s big girl room, just because I’m beyond thankful that it no longer looks like this…
What are your favorite areas of your house? Are they unusual, like a closet or a bathroom or a specific nook (the wall o’ penny tile in the kitchen is up there for me too)? Or are your picks more traditional like the living room, the sunroom, or the bedroom?
Update: Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint color we used? Just click on this button:
nicki says
Love this and just ordered my calendar!! :) I’m sure they will sell out soon! :)
What size are your Ikea frames??
YoungHouseLove says
If you scroll back in the comments I think on the first page I listed the measurements. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Amy says
Me too- Did you get a confirmation? I didn’t get one yet…
mary says
Funny thing is I woke up this morning and laid in bed and for the hundredth time looked at my hall wall outside my door and thought, “That wall needs new art. I’d do a frame wall but I hate photos. Hmm.”
So calendar bought! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so glad Mary! Good luck with everything!
xo
s
Amanda E says
Just curious… which four cities did you leave out, and how did you choose? Did you choose the 8 cities you most wanted to visit, regardless of the art? Or the 8 pieces of art you liked the mose? Did you pick one to leave out just cause it had a design element you didn’t love, even though you want to visit that city? Inquiring minds wanna know… :)
YoungHouseLove says
I think you can see all 12 cities if you follow the link to the calendar, so we just picked the 8 that sounded fun (and that we liked the art/colors for – since one or two were bright orange and those might not have blended as well). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Amy S says
I give that the Chihuahua stamp of approval:
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-office/F25682014.jsp
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah!
xo
s
Amy S says
I hope you have one of those. It is white, ceramic, Burger and cute all wrapped up in one.
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
Andy says
Why did I get so excited that there’s a “Rio de Janeiro” on your hallway’s wall? I don’t even live there, I live in Sao Paulo. And I’m 4 and a half hours apart of the “Cidade Maravilhosa” (that’s how Rio is known here, it’s like “Wonderful City”)
But I just loooooooove visiting Rio. You guys would love the city, for sure. And Clara’d love those beaches and the Bothanic Garden.
Ok, as a Brazilian is kind of a patriotism.
If you guys EVER come to Brazil (or Rio, or Sao Paulo, or the Norteast – with beautiful beaches like Noronha, Natal, Pipa…) please just announce it on the blog. I’d be the first one to ask for a quickly hello and I’d ask for you to sign my YHL book.
Ok, I typed too much.
Have a nice weekend, John, Serry Clara & Burger.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re so sweet Andy! We’d love to end up there!
xo
s
Laura says
It is amazing what board & batten can do for a hallway! And, the framed calendar is such a great touch. I found a new honey-do project!!
Erin says
My favorite place is my bedroom. I still rent and live with 2 other roommates. My room is 8’x10′, most of which is taken up by a bed. But the best part of this space is that everything I love and use everyday is part of the decoration. I don’t have room for frills (which I sometimes want), but my friends love how my room shows exactly who I am. Everything is on my walls (instead of my sleeve). :)
Laura says
Whew! Glad I ordered mine right away! Sold out on Rifle Paper Co’s site, Amazon AND http://www.calendar.com! (Call it the YHL effect.)
YoungHouseLove says
No way!
xo
s
Donna says
Wow, guys! The transformation is jaw-dropping! I just love the ” new ” hallway!
Sarah Mc. says
Oh man! The calendar sold out from multiple places online. Bummer! Anyone not using Tokyo, Cairo, and Sydney and want to sell them to me? : )
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! Someone mentioned seeing them on vine.com if that helps :)
xo
s
Gabbi @ Retro Ranch Reno says
Love the new addition! And if you ever want to go “hole-free” for your frames…try 3M picture hanging strips! I’m obessed and use them for everythinggggg in our house. Plus photos stay in place…no moving with them! :)
Tara says
Looks great!
I used the birds version of that calandar with ribba frames to decorate my dining room! Looks so fab!
Sarah @ An Inviting Home says
LOVE this!
~Sarah
Leslie says
Oh no! They’re sold out! I missed the rush!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! Someone else posted a link to them on another site. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Leslie says
But wait! I found it at vine.com.
A whole bunch of people will soon have these city prints on their walls :)
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo!
xo
s
Holly says
Boo! They are sold out of the calendars. I love them bc Im actually an architecture student and of course I love most of those cities! Ive been looking for some neat art like these. Hopefully they’ll make more.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! Someone else posted a link to them on another site. Hope it helps!
xo
Shelly says
Well in case anyone was taking bets, they sold out at the link you posted before 12:30 pm :) Just found it on vine.com, though!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! I think someone else mentioned another link in the comments for them too! Hope it helps!
xo
s
Heather {A Fire Pole in the Dining Room} says
We’re still getting acquainted with the firehouse (Oh yeah. Hi. My name is Heather and I live in a firehouse) and the downstairs is a crazy construction zone. So, right now, my favorite spot is the view out one of our windows when I’m laying in bed. There’s a huge tree out front and it’s filled with birds. We lived in a condo building for the last 2 years and I forgot how much I love the sound of birds. It makes it feel like we have this beautiful oasis in the middle of the city.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing!
xo
s
Janna says
When I saw these pictures, I immediately got the song POP MUSIK by M, and the chorus: New York, London, Paris, Munich, Everyone talk about… Pop Music!
Maybe I’ll do something like this in our “music room” that my husband has in the basement! :)
Taylor says
No love for Tokyo, Bangkok, Cairo, or Moscow? Send them to me haha :) Tokyo is my husband’s favorite place on Earth!
Asia is worth making the bucket list too!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw we loved them too, we just couldn’t hang them all so we had to pick 8 (and a few of them were too bright orange to blend as well as the others :)
xo
s
Melanie says
I feel really (REALLY) dumb for asking this because the answer is probably right in front of my face…
But why does it look like the laser level is magically clinging to the wall?
Hopefully this will be my only blond moment for today. :)
YoungHouseLove says
It actually has a feature where you can stick it to the wall! It makes a tiny pinhole but we placed it where a frame would be over it, so the hole ended up being the first nail hole :)
xo
s
Sarah D says
The hallway looks great! This inspires me to get a little bit more on my walls; I don’t think I’ve added anything for at least a year. The plaster walls make me worry, but I think I’m going to use some command strips to hang a few Ikea Malma mirrors in the living room.
lisacng @ expandng.com says
Creative use of some pretty cute illustrations!
karen says
it’s going to look so good when you re-stain the floors!!
oh and i would paint the quarter rounds white like the baseboards. it will add more height and chunkiness to them.
Tamara says
Love the city prints. I’ve come across Rifle Paper Co before, their stuff is so sweet. I got distracted and they sold out of the calendar just before I got around to ordering (that was fast). However, a little searching turned up the product at vine.com for only a bit more, $15.60. I bought mine, so here’s the link for anyone else who might be looking. http://www.vine.com/p/rifle-paper-2013-cities-calendar-11-x14-760262
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for sharing Tamara!
xo
s
megan says
i love our master bathroom stripes AND our kitchen cabinet soft closures. random and amazing!
Leslie says
My favorite spot is actually sitting on a stool at my kitchen counter, admiring my knives and cookbooks lined up neatly!
Erika says
Boo! These are all sold out. I’ve tried to find just the Bangkok print online, but no dice. I love it, and just got back from there with the BF–an amazing city and way cool print. Any thoughts on how I where I can get one now? Thanks for the idea–I’m also coveting a city print from http://www.orkposters.com. They just added Denver, our city, and I can’t wait to rearrange the frames in our place (only 710 sq. feet, so not a lot of wall space, but…).
YoungHouseLove says
Back in the comments someone just said they’re still on vine.com- hope it helps!
xo
s
emmacreek says
I think this is sold out everywhere :( Too bad it’s such a great idea for fun art!
YoungHouseLove says
We hear it’s still on vine.com – hope so!
xo
s
Karen says
You have inspired me! I LOVE all the hallway upgrades and the idea of the pictures being your “bucket list”! I will definitely be doing that as a project in my apt to spruce up all my empty walls and feed my addiction to travel! :) Thanks for sharing the fabulous idea!
Kyla says
So awesome – great idea for our hallway in our newly renovated basement!
I just ordered mine from vine.com. And since I was a new customer, I found this promo code for an extra 20% off.
LAUR45547
Happy shopping!
YoungHouseLove says
Woot!
xo
s
Bonnie says
My favorite spot is my son’s nursery (he’s almost 2 so it feels weird to still call it a nursery!) because it’s the perfect mix of new, old and DIY. Also, my craft closet-office. It kind of resembles the picture above of Clara’s big girl room right now, but I love envisioning what it’s going to look like when I have the time to spiff it up!
Koliti says
I love all of the cool art in your house – of the framed, ceramic, or 3-D variety :)
When you hang a row of frames like this, is there a certain height you hang them? Based on the top or the bottom of the frame? Or the art inside? Especially since you & John are of different heights?
YoungHouseLove says
We just eye things and usually end up hanging them at eye level between my eyes and John’s eyes. A happy medium if you will. Haha!
xo
s
Sarah says
I bought the same laser level the first time you featured it on your site. The hubster and I used it for the first time last weekend to hang shades. The windows in our old house are all different sizes and crooked.
The laser level is magic.
No way we could have finished that project in 4 hours without it. It saved my walls from multiple drill holes and quite possibly my marriage. Just kidding. Kinda. Anway, that’s my long-winded thank you!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! We’re learning more and more that the right tools can definitely make a job a lot easier :)
xo
s
Çi?dem says
I am excited to see Istanbul on your travel bucket list. We (my husband and I) would love to have you as our guests whenever you decide to come here :)
With love from Istanbul
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much! It would be amazing to end up out there!
xo
s
Cara says
It looks great. Any plans to dress up the intake screen now that the hall is so classy?
YoungHouseLove says
I’d love to!
xo
s
Kristy H. says
These look fantastic in that hallway!
I think it’s especially fitting that you posted about them today though. Did you know that today is National Read a Road Map Day? I didn’t either, but my office put on a lunch for it today and it was lovely. And yes, we are a bunch of nerdy architects, why do you ask? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, I love it. Comment of the day.
xo
s
Maureen says
The second I saw your Pinterest, uh, pin on this I KNEW you were using the Rifle calendar! Anna Bond, the creator of Rifle, is amazing! You should definitely check out the website as she recently launched a line of art prints. I’ve been meaning to frame a few of her floral cards for my bathroom. And no, I don’t work for them….just a big fan. :) The hallway looks wonderful!
http://riflepaperco.com/category/Prints/c2
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! That’s awesome Maureen! Thanks for the link :)
xo
s
agustina says
my father used to do the same thing with nice printed calendars…
My favorite spot in my house right now is the backyard porch; just love to seat there in the morning, with a cup of coffee and the ipad, and look how nice autumn looks in the garden!
tjack432 says
Hi Youngsters, I love that calendar and what a great idea to make them into art.
I have a question though. Do you ever think your walls feel too cluttered with the same size frame?
I was looking at the third photo from the bottom and even though your home is immaculate it felt cluttered somehow. All the other angles looked great, but that photo for some reason felt crowded.
Did you ever think of putting over-sized art on those walls?
YoungHouseLove says
I think it’s one of those you-have-to-be-here-in-person things, because in person the white frames and the light prints really blend and don’t stand out at all- so it feels nice and layered and soft, not like a giant wall o’ crazy art or anything. In fact if you watch yesterday’s video house tour it might be a better depiction :)
xo
s
Jaclyn says
https://www.younghouselove.com/2007/11/let-there-be-light/
Hey guys,
This post talks about you guys getting new windows in your old house. Do you have a budget breakdown of that?
I love looking at your costs first before having a million and one estimates done on the house!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I think we blogged about it but can’t remember the post offhand. I think it was $159 a window with Window World. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Bonnie says
Ahhh!!! I bought this calendar to do this exact same thing, but have been having trouble figuring out the best frame size to use. So glad I saw this post!!!
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Kelly says
I completely agree, this hallway is MY favorite part of your home too!! I could easily just sit there against the wall, admiring the molding, the pretty clean walls, the awesome art. Ever done that? Haha! Love you guys :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, guilty as charged.
xo
s
kelly says
i have that calendar and want to frame them, too! thanks for the frame suggestion! i have been to four of the places!
Stephanie says
Hi – love calendars for original art! we have some above our bed :) this is a little off subject, but I wondered how the light blocking fabric that you added to the nursery curtains is holding up and whether you thought you would add to Clara’s new room when she moves in. We live in FL and I think I need to do this to our living room curtains just to have some relief from the heat – and save on electric bill!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s great! We’ll just move it to whatever room she sleeps in :)
xo
s
Sabina says
love the calendar idea. We did that with one in our family room. I’ve saved some one a day photo pics that i would love to do something similar with, but they are not a standard size 6″x6″. What size were the cities after you cropped them and how did you make them fit in the ribba frames? thanks so much and love your blog. I follow a few, but always save yours for the last to savor !
YoungHouseLove says
We just used the mats that came with our Ribba frames and the mat opening is 7.5 x 9.5 (so we cut them down a bit wider than that and taped them behind the mats). Hope it helps :)
xo
s
Katie says
I love that you incorporated a travel element into this project! And it’s amazing how much the hallway has improved in the past month or so. It looks great!
-Katie at AdventuringAtHome
Andrea says
What a great ideas and the prints are gorgeous.
We would love to see you in Sydney! Hope the poster makes you takes the step and book a flight.
Have a great weekend.
Felicia says
What a greaf idea for really finishing the look in that hallway. My favorite part of our apartment is hands-down my bathroom. I’ve been banned from making any more nail holes or paint gouges to the rest of the apartment due to the feared “fees at move out” so I spend my energy on that one space instead. It gets a change up for every season and its a space that I can enjoy every day.
Tonya says
I’m so bummed that the calendar is sold out! I just moved into a new apartment and it was just the thing I was looking for for my bedroom – Now I’m going to be on the hunt…
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry Tonya! Hope it pops up again somewhere!
xo
s
Jessica D says
Great idea to use 2 nails to hang those frames, I’m always adjusting mine when they move! When you use the 2 nails, do you just let it rest on the wood part of the frame or does that size Ribba come with 2 sawtooth hangers?
YoungHouseLove says
It actually is built with a giant lip on the back so that just rests on the nails and is good to go. If you worry someone will knock it off the nails or something, you can use 3M command velcro to hold them even more securely :)
xo
s