Wow, I love hanging pictures for clients! Photos of family and friends can bring so much personality to your home but there is danger in the waters! Too many pics hanging in the wrong place or awkward places or groupings can go awry! I recently had some fun with a young couple here in STL hanging LOTS of photos in the entry hall. And I didn't stop there! I carried the items up the stairs all the way to the third floor.
First, I started by creating a dynamic, contemporary space in a very traditional home by lacquering the wall below the existing chair rail a deep blue by Ralph Lauren called "Cafe on the Riviera". I love this color! It's a deep navy blue but with lots of green undertone giving it a rich, deep water color. Fantastic! Then, above the chair rail I specified wide horizontal stripes of black and white in a flat finish. this really draws your eye around the room and up the stairs, lots of movement! I had the photo arrangement in mind for all of this.
So, I laid out all of the photos and frames the client had, along with some empty ones she purchased for future pics, on the living room floor. My goal was to create a meandering line of family history that goes up the wall and around to the third floor. I didn't try for a chronological order but rather just started picking up pieces by size and varying this all the way up. The really important thing was to keep a small gap between the frames and always make sure each one overlapped a stripe. This way it all interacts. What starts out seeming very random without a lot thought actually is very planned. I was very pleased.... WHEN I WAS FINISHED WITH ALL THOSE NAILS AND HOOKS IN PLASTER!

I am very happy to report the clients love their hall display! The whole family enjoys looking at their history and remembering the fun. I enjoy the success of a job well thought out and well done.