Lake Life DIY Review
Do you have that one wall in your house that just needs some love? Don't we all! Inspiration struck when I found a stash of unused picture frames from the move, as well as some other wall decor that never got put up. Being "moved in" to a new home takes more than 8 months right? Figured it was time to do something with that wall and use up some items I already owned. Hello DIY! I gave myself $100 for this project and a pep talk.
After doing a little online research and inspiration searching, I pulled out my stash of frames and decor to see what I thought I needed to add to make this wall collage a complete success. Then came a trip to my local home decor store, one of my favorite stores! My husband prefers I do not go in unattended, because who knows how much stuff I will walk out of that store with. He doesn't really make it any better, he of course finds things that he loves when he joins me, and we end up leaving with even more. It's a store for everyone!
I started by measuring the space that I had to work with. This was a bit more tricky than the "normal" wall because it is in my basement and we have dropped ceilings. I wanted the arrangement to be high enough, but not against the ceiling. Low enough but not too low that someone will hit it off the back of the couch, once we get one of those of course. After getting a measurement of the space I had, I started laying out the pieces on the floor to mimic the space on the wall. This way I could get a visual of how it was going to look, and rearrange if I felt like it without having to take things off the wall or make more holes with nails.
When I started putting items up, I started with the "middle" of the layout and the "middle" of the wall. If you have an extra set of eyes handy, I found it helpful for a second opinion on spacing and height placement.
WHAT I LEARNED:
- I would prefer different sized frames to add more visual interest to the wall.
- Being a visual person, not having exact measurements for the spaces between photos messes with my OCD, but it turned out great!
- Don't be afraid to mix up your photos. All of my photos were black and white, I think color would add a bit of interest.
- Don't ask your husband to be your extra set of eyes, enlist a friend or even the kids for help.
When hanging the pieces I used nails, the couple of DIY inspiration videos I watched suggested using the photo hanging strips that you can peel off of the wall or use the Velcro ones, that way you can take the frame off and insert updated photos whenever without damaging the paint or wall you have hung the pieces on. All great ideas, but I went with the tried and true hammer and nail.
When placing the photo or decor on the wall, I used a small level to make sure my pieces were straight. Moving from piece to piece I didn't concern myself with making the spacing exact. I didn't use a mathematical formula to place the pieces precisely in the right spot. I found sometimes a good eyeball worked just as good, or better.
There was also some give and take when putting the pieces on the wall, it looked a little different when it got up on the wall compared to how it looked on the floor. It seems that the angle you view it, can also change the look of the wall. When I got to the last three pieces, I was second guessing some placement choices I had made, so I moved things around to see what I liked better, but after all that, I ended up going back to my original plan.
The fun thing about this wall is there are different textures and depths of items on the wall. The baskets added texture and the shelf added depth, which makes the wall more interesting to look at. Find pieces that mean something to you, a shadowbox full of memories would be a great addition. This wall could be added to as new items come into your possession. I look forward to updating and adding to this wall in the future. Once I find a couch to go here to replace the chair, I see us using this space a lot for family and friends to gather.
There are many great ways to enhance a space of your home without spending a fortune. Look into placing a collage wall in your own home. Everyone's tastes are different when it comes to decorating your home or even your workspace. All of us here at Lake Life would love to see your DIY collage projects, share them with us on our facebook page, @lakelifeokoboji, #lakelifediy.