I met a friend at her house a few weeks ago, she has four cute kids and an empty hallway, and she was asking what to do with the “blankness” of it all.  I’m a big believer in “bigger is better, make a statement!” when it comes to displaying photographs, and you cannot go wrong with black and white – they are undeniably classic and oh so sophisticated when gathered in a group on display.

For her hallway, I suggested four extra large black frames and white mats with their darling faces enlarged and all four hung in a grid; or a simple hallway collage like this one I created for another friend years ago.

But it got me thinking…beyond the hallway, there are multiple ways to display black and white photographs, it just depends on the space and whether you prefer a more eclectic and asymmetric display, or if you favor a symmetric or streamlined look.

Symmetry is the easiest look to pull off, just gather up the same size frames in a grid – bonus points for large off-center mats, and then hang your favorites in a series.  The bigger frames and mats are an investment but worth it, the look is timeless.

Samantha Pynn

The best part about a gallery like this is you can change out the photos as you please since photography enlargements are so affordable.   Showcase your favorite vacation, your wedding, silly faces, your family members, whatever is meaningful.

Pinterest

This image has been seen by many, but it’s still one of my favorites.  It took some thought to achieve the look, but I love how this display keeps your eye moving around and yet it is still so well balanced. Notice the mix of black and white frames in different sizes and that one black mat thrown into the mix, all of it hung on a blue painted plank wall – lovely.

Pottery Barn

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I’ve mentioned before my love of abstract art.  There’s something about swirly masses of color on canvas applied in a random fashion that makes me swoon!  I’ve tried in the past to make my own authentic abstract artwork but after hours of time spent applying brush stokes to canvas, I’ve never been satisfied with the final result.   I can never get the brush strokes to look like they should or how I see them in my head, but I’ve promised myself someday I’ll take the time to get it right.

Meanwhile, I was thinking about a way to add some art to walls at the emergency shelter great room that is nearing completion and I came up with a way to make digital abstract art without ever picking up a paintbrush or canvas.

Making digital abstract art can be done in Photoshop but I know many of you don’t have Photoshop so here’s how to make a comparable version of digital abstract art with a free online tool comparable to Photoshop called Pixlr that I’ve mentioned before.

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There’s been an ongoing debate in our house over the past few months around the wall map that used to sit in the kids’ playroom which we’re converting to a study.  It was a giant 8’ x 10’ wall map in earth tones from National Geographic and a definite conversation piece in our home, it took up the entire wall, and it was very cool.  The debate was about whether it should stay or go. 

Then I got to the point where I loved the idea of a map but wanted to have more of a gallery wall instead to display a collection of special prints and drawings, so we recently changed the world and opted for a smaller map surrounded by family artwork.

I actually bought second map from National Geographic (this one) and framed it in a Ribba frame from IKEA to save money.  You can see the old wall map here.  To frame the new smaller one, I had to trim the mat but that was easy, all it requires is a ruler, a box cutter or X-acto knife, patience, and precision!

Since the mat covered some of the countries on the new NG map, I subtracted as many inches as were necessary to reveal the “new world”, marked it with a pencil and carefully trimmed the mat with a X-acto knife on top of a cutting board.

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We’re sightseeing today in a mystery city, and I’m so excited to be exploring the architecture here.  Summer is the height of travel season, and in years past we would forego a faraway vacation - not this year!  One of my good blog friends toured Spain recently and his pictures of Barcelona took me back to our travels there many years ago.  No doubt since we’re all watching the Summer Olympics, you’re admiring the modern structures built for the event in London.

I’ve had a long time love affair with grand architecture.  We used to travel abroad a lot before the babies were born, once I even I climbed all the stairs to the top of the cupola above St. Peters in Rome (while six months pregnant!) and the stairs to the Eiffel Tower too.  Earlier this week, we took the kids to another famous monument and they loved it!  They’ve got their father’s climbing syndrome, he’s always looking up and asking “How fast can we get to the top?”  :)

We try to grab a souvenir of monuments, some are small, others are art prints still in tubes waiting to be framed someday.  We’ve seen some iconic structures over the last 15+ years, my favorites include La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Il Duomo in Florence, and the Coliseum in Rome.

Photo series via Third Floor Design on Etsy

The two l want to see in my lifetime are the Parthenon in Athens and the Taj Mahal.

watercolor by Bohemian Habitats

Today I thought I’d feature a few architectural watercolor prints and city views found on Etsy – be sure to check out the shop portfolios, they have a lot more to see!

Flatiron, NYC by Ilker Cocahan

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