Photo on the Wall: Interior Design Ideas

The design will suggest ways of decorating rooms with photographic pictures, their optimal placement.

Ideas for placing photos on the wall

Photos on the wall serve as an exclusive element of decoration and an interesting way to decorate the walls of an apartment or a private country house. They can be family, decorative, scenic, portrait, poster.

Selecting and installing photos on the wall is not as simple as it seems at first glance, an activity from a design perspective. The process requires a creative approach, imagination, and maintaining the individuality of the person implementing the intended transformation of the room or even the entire apartment.

• The simplest way to decorate a wall with snapshots is to place them in frames on shelves. This does not require drilling holes for mounting photographs again.

• Traditionally, photographic images in classic decor are harmonious for office spaces. Bedrooms and children's rooms gravitate towards more frivolous and painterly frames. Large classic living rooms look charming with large images in solid frames.

• Photos in the living room should be easily viewed from different points in the room. The headboard of the bed is a proven best place for placing photos in a bedroom. For children's rooms, collage compositions with the child participating in the shooting story are suitable.

• Photos can be placed on the wall either following a pre-planned design configuration or randomly, but with an intricate plot.

• The style of frames is best kept consistent for the living room, hallway, and office.

• The idea of decorating an apartment with photos is built on preliminary analysis: how many rooms will be used for decoration, their purpose; the stylistic direction of room and apartment design as a whole; how much photo material and what specific genre will be used in decoration; whether there is an opportunity to build a dramaturgy and coherent plot from the images.

• Photos without frames can be attached using double-sided adhesive tape or clips on tension wires.

• Designers often choose a harmonious color palette of photo frames or a contrasting effect of the photographs themselves in identical frames.

• They also recommend not mixing wooden and glass frame variants in one conceptual composition: the sizes of photo images may vary, but the stylistic solution is preferably kept unified.

• Passpartouts in frames look great. If they are colorful, it is also advisable to choose the image in color. The same approach is acceptable for selecting frames.

• It is not advisable to mix black-and-white images with color ones in one conceptual decorative segment. However, they can be useful for vintage photographs or motifs of the 'antique style' frames and passpartouts.

• To create a collage 'canvas' from snapshots, a picture frame in an elegant style that matches the overall room design is ideal. It can be any geometric shape: from square to circle.

• It should be remembered that a collage can and should carry artistic value. There are plenty of ways to achieve the desired goal. Today, a popular trend is imitating the selection of photographs based on the puzzle principle.

• Country or Provence styles 'select' wooden frames in light colors, often white or artificially aged variants. Variations made by hand, for example, in macramé style, are also possible. Hi-tech and modern styles traditionally prefer glass and metal accents in frame finishing.

Recommendations from Designer Milla Kolpakova

Choosing the Place for Photo Placement

In trend — to dedicate the entire wall to photographs. The artistic complexity lies in the conceptual unity of image sizes and genre structure of the visual sequence. At the same time, clear symmetry and synchronization can cause boredom for the viewer.

This option suits the hallway or workspace most.

A collage can be placed in several rooms in a visible area. For example, a monochrome version in the living room or office, color in the bedroom, mixed in the hallway or kitchen.

Designers consider it a misstep in decorative execution to select images by increasing size from the bottom of the wall upwards. However, a single large, high-quality artistic photograph in an elegant frame looks stylishly on the wall. Unforgettable color and accent will be created by black-and-white photographic images.

In a narrow hallway, photos opposite the mirror visually expand space while also 'livening it up'. A collage looks lively and natural in the kitchen or dining room.

Proper Lighting

Just like any gallery, photo compositions in the apartment 'require' their special lighting. This is achieved by using table lamps near the display, wall sconces with warm artificial light directed at the photographs, built-in spotlights set in a specific direction, LED lighting. In some cases, an LED strip around the perimeter of the entire composition helps.

Do not forget about the 'rich' possibilities of natural lighting. Photos should be placed on the wall so that in daylight, sunlight rays shine beautifully on the picture, fully revealing their beauty and individuality.

Design: Marina Chernovaya

Wall Photo Decoration Options

The key to designer success in 'equipping' a room with photo images lies in skillful use of contrast as an artistic technique. Let's recall the main directions: logical 'opposition' between large and small forms; while large images are placed in the center, small ones on the edges; frames in a uniform style within one composition allow for moving away from domination of the largest shots; black-and-white photographs look original with graphics that divert from monotony; these can be inscriptions made in an elaborate calligraphic handwriting.

Black-and-White Photos

They look good in classical frames matching one element of the interior, and avoiding symmetry in their placement adds unique originality to the photo decoration.

Family and Old Photos

They can be arranged on a stylized 'family tree', next to the headboard in the bedroom, or on large wall clocks.

Apartment in Stockholm

Photos in Frames

They should be selected with regard to the design and chosen style of the room and apartment, paying close attention to:

• color palette;

• shape;

• style;

• layout;

• fastening methods.

Photos Without Frames

They are used in collages, on shelves for quick exposure changes if necessary, strung like a garland and attached with special clips.

Design: Anastasia Kamen-skaya and Irina Lavrentieva

Entire Wall in Photo

A bold designer move and a very effective decorative technique. Suitable for rooms in minimalism. Color and size of frames divert from monotonous uniformity.

Design: Yana Molodaya

Color Coordination

Stepping away from pretentiousness towards harmony is the main rule for selecting color solutions. The most natural and beautiful look in a children's room are colorful photographs that match the frame decoration. Compositionally, this can be a staircase upwards with captured stages of the child's growth. A stylized window on the wall with a color photo selection will enhance the hallway and kitchen. Photographs of the same size arranged in rows look original, resembling a border strip on light wallpaper. In the bedroom, a theme with lyrical motifs is suitable; on the kitchen table, flowers and still lifes.

Design: Ludmila Krishitaleva

Photo Projects

Realized photo projects