Home improvement and decor has felt few and far between since we renovated our new home. So no better time to attempt to check some items off our very long home to-do list during a Pandemic, right?
My husband and I always knew we wanted a gallery photo wall above our front entry staircase. And given stay-at-home orders, we needed to do it all ourselves.
Thought it helpful to share what we did - as it was relatively painless.
Photo Inspiration - there is no shortage of Instagram and Pinterest gallery wall photos for inspiration. Do you like your frames matching? Do you like the feel of different size frames? Find out what you (and your partner) can agree on and keep it handy.
Kylie Jenner’s gallery wall was our inspiration.
Photo Selection - this took some time. We knew we needed six horizontal and six vertical photos for the size of frames we were planning to fill the wall (8x10). We wanted a mix of our life… some before kids, during and some recent. We didn’t want too many ‘fancy’ photos, and with my constant snapping, it was a process.
Once we finalized, I used the photo App Afterlight to brighten up, sharpen and edit a few photos.
Printing & Framing - for years, I’ve ordered smaller prints from Social Print Studio. I had compared a few sites and opted to try them out for this big project. I’d been pleased with my previous orders and loved that I could support a smaller shop (they are eleven people strong).
We went with the clean, white 8x10 Modern Frame and their upload process is seamless (screenshots below).
Prep - we were thrilled when the photos and frames all arrived in perfect condition. So I cut 8x10 pieces of white paper, grabbed painters tape and put up where we wanted the frames to go.
Once you are happy with the placement, take a pencil and fill in a dot on each piece of paper so you know where to hammer the nail.
Ready! Now get to hammering! Once the nail is in, gently peel down the tape and paper and get to hanging.
You’ll need a leveler with this part and a second person will be (ideally) needed.
Take a peek at the final result!! Do you like?
