This hallway leads from the kitchen out to the garage, laundry room, and downstairs bath. It sees a lot of traffic as we leave the house from this door most often, but it also sees a lot of guest traffic on their way to the bathroom and visible from the rest of the downstairs. It was a really low priority, but once I accidentally put something there, I realized what a prominent place it really was.
These pictures are not going to be swell. A small dim hallway on top of winter light, I would’ve needed studio lighting to get shots to be proud of.
This whole project began with this picture. I thought it would be a good idea to mix some family photos in with the artwork I had collected for the wall in our living room, so I got this photo – one of my favorites ever – printed up and framed. Then when I put it with the other pieces it just seemed totally out of place. Too small, maybe, too intimate, I don’t know. I couldn’t put my finger on it. So I put this picture in the hallway and realized that I really needed a bunch more to go with it.
I decided that this hallway would be our family photo wall, which is a concept I’d been resistant to. I’ve seen a lot of hallways in a whole lot of homes where family photos plastered the place without any real consideration for aesthetics. But I also want to surround myself with what I really love, so I had to find a happy middle ground.
I spent an entire day sorting through old photos, picking out ones that were a little more artistic
Or were from forever ago and had sentimental value. This picture was from ten years ago, back when we were babies.
A Christmas card picture from last year and one of my favorite pictures of Bear and Atti together.
I chose a selection of frames in different colors and sizes and after a few experiments decided to hang them so that the internal edges lined up down the middle. I think it looks totally classy, and more like a gallery than something you’d see lining the walls of a proud grandma’s house.