Professional Photography and Interior Design.....It's madness I tell you! Madness! Actually it makes perfect sense.
As a professional portrait artist, it's my job to make people look amazing. But then what? After the images have been seen what happens to them? In this digital day and age where everything lives in the cloud, it has become quite standard to share on our social platforms to get likes and loving comments and then forget about them. Essentially having our cherished family portraits collect digital dust as we continue on with our lives moving on to the next thing that might bring us joy.
I definitely see the need for digital images and how wonderful it is to be able to share them with our loved ones. But I also know the importance of printing our images and having them displayed in our homes. This also impacts our children and their confidence levels. (read more about this here)
First I want to address one important fact. If your treasured family images are stored in the cloud or on an electronic device they aren't completely safe, which is scary when you think about it. (click here to learn more)
Since I'm a huge believer in the power of printing and displaying treasured images. I knew that I couldn't just hand over a USB and say "signora" leaving clients to figure it out for themselves. So I have opted for a hybrid business model. Where clients create their own collection that gives them both a piece of art and digital files.
Now, this is where Interior design comes in. We all watch the HGTV shows and are gaga over the amazing transformations that happen when a designer comes in and recreates the space. What if you hired a photographer who had no idea what your space looked like or even cared to ask what you wanted to do with your images? The end result on your walls could be very disappointing.
On the flip side what if your photographer came to your home looked at the type of design style that is your favorite (mine is Scandinavian and Mid-century modern) checked out your color palette, and based on that, curated your photo session to be a perfect addition to the interior design style in your home, measured the wall (s) where you wanted to place your portraits and figured out what sizing of the portraits matched the space? Well, you would have art in your home that just happened to be your family!
This is where I come in. I want your images to be hung, to create a feeling of love and family but to also be beautiful in your home to be part of a deliberate well thought out design.
An Interior Designers take on wall art
Recently I spoke with Kristen Stratton she is an interior designer at Smith and Stratton a local Business here in Pullman. I asked her what some of her favorite wall gallery designs are and what current trends are popular in the design world. This is what she said.
1. "I prefer a large amount of white space to really bring out a photo. I achieve this by selecting, or if this custom, having the mat cut so it’s oversized. This provides a lot of white space around the picture.
Because the mat is oversized, I then tend to work with smaller pictures, generally not larger than 8” x 10” or 11” x 14”.
For a gallery wall with impact, there are 2 methods that I think are really successful and easily achievable without a designer’s eye.
The first method is simple: a grid layout. I like to use the same size frame that’s on the thinner size, all framed in the same frame color and finish, with an oversize mat. With this method, you can use all black and white, all color, or a mix of black and white and color photographic images since the frame size and color are the same and the mats are all white.
2. Using a wall shelf with layered frames. You’ll need a wall shelf that has a lip to hold the frames and deep enough to be able to overlap 2 frames.
This method allows you to overlap frames of varying sizes and works well with different frame colors and finishes. Some images can fill the entire frame area while you may select others that have an oversized mat effect. I also think this method works well when mixing photographs with graphic design or art images, written text, etc.
Two trends I’m really drawn to right now are the incorporation of vintage frames or images in a gallery wall effect and plexiglass or acrylic frames that are set off the wall with metal standoffs.
No matter what your design style is, family portraits are still a huge design positive in the home. There are more design options available than ever before. So whether you adore the traditional style all the way to ultra-modern there is something that will fit within your home seamlessly!
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