• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Valentine's Day
  • Recipes
  • Birthdays
  • About
  • LTK
  • Amazon Shop

traditionallycozy.com logo

Home » Home Decor

Published: May 10, 2022 by Claire

Use Family Photos as Large Wall Art

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Displaying family photos is a great way to add personality to your home. I wanted to create a display using large photo frames, but that would still be easy to swap out. Frames can be really expensive the larger of size you're looking for, and if you order photos there's typically an additional cost of having them matted and shipped, so I decided to create my own large wall art to display family photos.

When you're in our home, there is a formal dining room but it's still fairly open and not a completely separate/walled off room. There's also a bigger wall and a bay window facing the street. On the other 'side' of the empty wall is our living room and built-in bookcases. I decided to use black frames and black and white family photos for the wall art.

dining room with photos displayed on wall.

IKEA Ribba frames

Who doesn't love an IKEA hack? I'm not sure this classifies as a hack, but, it is upgrading an IKEA piece and saving lots of dollars, so, maybe it is. 🙂 These frame have been a favorite of mine for a long time. I've mainly used white ones to create gallery walls, but this time I went for the largest size, the poster frame size and the black finish.

black and white photo, frame, measuring tape, scotch tape and scissors.

Supplies and Costs

  • Ikea RIBBA Frames (3)- $22 each
  • Poster Board- I bought this 10-pack at Target in this size- $5.50
  • Photos- I ordered mine since I wanted a speciality size (10x14), but you could print at home as well
  • tape
  • nail and hammer, or command strips, hooks, push pins.. however you prefer to hang art
  • tape measurer

Tips

  • The frame plastic that comes with the frame instead of a glass front has a little black marker symbol on it. Nail polish remover works like a charm to take this off!
  • Poster board worked as matting. My original idea was to use the paper that comes with the frame, but then I realized it has dimensions on one side and the other side is gray.
  • Use scissors to help open and close the tabs that keep the poster board photo mat in place.
woman holding nail polish remover to use on project.
using a pair of scissors closed to push down the tabs to keep the picture frame secured.

How to hang an IKEA Ribba Frame

I really think there are 2 main ways to hang these frames. They're super light, so you could get away with nails or even thumb tacks on the metal teeth or in the corners. Melanie's gallery wall method would most likely work too with command strips placed strategically. The hardest part is making sure everything is level. I typically use my laser level, but you can use a tape measure and draw the lines/mark where you'll be nailing the hook too.

A miscellaneous tip that may be helpful... this 3M high-strength small hole repair compound works really easily. It has the compound in the tube, then you can scrap and sand it with the lid/end of the tube. I've only used it 300 times in this house, ha!

Photos

I used 3 photos gray-scaled, and ordered them from Nations Photo Lab. The size I picked was 10x14. One thing I'm really excited about is swapping out these photos over time or for special occasions.

dining room including wall art, buffet, dining table, chairs and rug.
Print
5 from 1 vote

Picture Frame Wall Decor

Use IKEA poster frames to create a family photo display that looks more expensive!
Prep Time15 mins
Yield: 3 framed photos
Cost: $80

Equipment

  • 1 tape measurer
  • 1 level
  • 3 hooks or nails or command strips, however you prefer to hang art
  • 1 Pair of scissors
  • 1 pair pliers optional, but useful for popping off the back of the photo frames

Materials

  • 1 roll scotch tape
  • 3 pieces poster board

Instructions

  • I always start by laying out how I want the frames to be, and marking with a pencil where the photo is going to sit within the mat.
  • Cut your poster board down to align with the photo mat. You want it to not have any gaps showing.
  • Tape your photos to the poster board, facing forward. At this point it helps to kind of lay the frame over the poster board and mat so that you can see what it will look like.
  • Take some nail polish remover to the front of the plastic photo cover, it takes the black marks right off.
  • Stack everything back into the frame and close the frames.
  • Hang your photos!

I hope this helps you in your home! xoxo, Claire

« Our Barn Balloon Mosaic Photo Backdrop
Rice Cake with Peanut Butter and Chocolate (A Giant PB Cup!) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Claire says

    May 11, 2022 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    Love a good IKEA hack!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Stay Connected with Traditionally Cozy!

Footer

Stay Connected

My Favorites

two heart-shaped pizzas on plate.
heart-shaped hot cooca bomb in a heart-shaped baking dish.

Stay Connected

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme