Decorating with Family Photos: Make Over Any Room with Framed Memories

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Mix & Match

One charming idea is to bring together all the lone wall frames you already have to create one, big dramatic display. That's what we did, after spraying the eclectic collection of frames a unifying, fresh apple green. To ensure a tidy-looking display, create a level line somewhere in the grouping, either at the bottom or top edge of the entire group -- or, as we did here, down the middle, with a 4-inch-wide space that separates the top and bottom groupings. We started with one large frame on the left side to anchor the arrangement, and then using a laser level (which shines a steady and straight red line), we positioned the top edges of the bottom group of frames as well as the bottom edges of the top grouping.

Tip: Choose one type of photo -- we used only color portraits -- to unify the mix even more. And to cut down on the visual clutter, opt for simple yet graphic images.

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