cute photo arrangement overload.

Over the course of the week (sometimes day), I get a lot of questions about what people should do related to their home decor and wardrobe. Fortunately for them, I never shy away from sharing my opinion and get all mushy and gushy inside when that advice triggers confidence and multiple sighs of relief for someone. So, instead of helping one person at a time, I thought I'd extend my reach, share the love and offer some unsolicited advice/opinion on the more popular questions. That's right, just saving the world one stress wrinkle at a time.

[photo stolen from Dave F'n Powell]

As mentioned in my last post, my mom called me about photo arrangements. This isn't the first time we've discussed this topic (I've done two arrangements in her house already) and I'm 100% confident it won't be the last. This is because I happen to be the Chuck Norris of hanging photo arrangements. Give me frames, nails and a hammer and I will create something fantastic for you to look at.

[family room. photo courtesy of my mom]

[upstairs hallway. photo courtesy of my mom]

Back to the answer... You can include multi-colored frames as long as they're evenly distributed across the entire arrangement. Again, multiple colors. One arrangement. Even distribution. Take Jen's hallway for example:

[photos courtesy of Jen]

We were going for an eclectic look that still seemed pulled-together and maintained a sense of order. Since the hallway was so long (hello, The Shining) and the picture frames were so different from each other (hello, secret frame hoarder), we broke the arrangement into 4 different sections to make it easier to tackle.

Side note: I always, always work hand-in-hand with the homeowner. While it's important for a space to look good, I think it's just as important for the person living in the space to have ownership over the design. So... there.

Collecting all like-frames in piles, we distributed them across each section so we had an even, balanced playing field full of shiny goodness, black Ikea standbys and thrift store finds to choose from. From there we organized each section to look different from each other but still cohesive to the overall arrangement.

Simple right? Kind of, no, not really at all.

[photos courtesy of Jen]

Long story short, combining different colored frames in one arrangement isn't a recipe for disaster. Experimentation will be your best friend during the process so be sure to lay everything out on the floor before grabbing the hammer and nails. If you're still stumped, make it easier on yourself and choose EITHER color OR style/shape. This will help focus the arrangement without making you want to repeatedly slam your head into the wall.

And if all else fails, spray paint everything white. Like me.

[my bedroom. photos taken by me]

A special thanks to my Mom and Jen for sending over photos for me to use. Traveling to Cleveland last night would've been impossible and heading to Mount Adams became a non-option as soon as I plopped down on my bed. 

Also, thank you Dave F'n Powell for letting me swipe a photo from your FB page to help explain that this is me helping people.