Family photo wall ideas and layouts

A wall of family photos is one of the cheapest ways to make a house feel like a home, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Frames end up too high, too far apart, or in a slow climb up the wall as new ones are added. An hour of planning on the floor avoids all of it.

Start with the photos, not the frames

Choose the photos first and let them decide the frames. A good wall mixes:

one or two anchors: the wedding portrait, the whole family together;
people alone: each child, each grandparent;
moments: a trip, a festival, a graduation;
one surprise: a baby photo of a parent, a grandfather's old studio portrait.

Old and new photos sit well together if you unify one thing: all black and white, or all in the same colour of frame, or all with white mounts.

Five layouts that work

1. The grid

Frames of one size in neat rows: two rows of three, or three rows of three. Calm and formal. It needs careful measuring, and it suits a set made at one time, such as nine photos of one child from year one to year nine.

2. One large, many small

A large anchor frame slightly off-centre, with smaller frames gathered around it. The easiest layout to add to later.

3. The line

Frames of different heights hung so that their centres sit on one level line. Good above a sofa, along a corridor or beside a staircase, where the line follows the slope of the stairs.

4. The shelf

A narrow picture ledge with frames leaning on it, overlapping a little. No measuring between frames, and you can change the photos whenever you like. A good choice for rented homes where you want few holes.

5. The single collage

If wall space is small, put the whole story in one frame. Make a collage of six to nine photos in the collage maker, print it at 8 × 10 inches or A4 and hang one frame. See printing a collage.

Height and spacing

Height: the centre of the arrangement should be at about the eye level of a standing adult. Above a sofa or a sideboard, keep the lowest frame roughly a hand's width above the furniture, so that the pictures and the furniture read as one group.
Spacing: keep the gaps between frames small and equal, around two to three fingers wide. Wide gaps make a wall look like separate pictures instead of one arrangement.
Width: above furniture, an arrangement about two-thirds as wide as the furniture looks balanced.

The paper template method

Lay all the frames on the floor and move them around until the arrangement pleases you. Take a photo of it.
Trace each frame on newspaper or brown paper and cut the shapes out.
On each paper shape, mark where the frame's hook sits.
Stick the papers on the wall with paper tape, following your photo. Step back, live with it for a day and adjust.
Fix the nail or hook straight through each mark, tear the paper away and hang the frames.

This way every hole is in the right place the first time.

Sizes that mix well

Three sizes are enough for most walls: 4 × 6 or 5 × 7 for the small frames, 8 × 10 for the middle ones, and one larger anchor. Our frame and mount sizes page explains which print goes in which frame, and the megapixels chart tells you whether a photo is large enough for the anchor frame.

Fixing frames to the wall

Use a fixing that suits both the wall and the weight of the frame. For heavy frames, or for walls that crumble, ask a carpenter or the local hardware shop for the right plug and screw. In a rented home, check your agreement before drilling, or use the shelf layout. Never hang a heavy glass frame directly above a bed or a child's cot.

Keeping the wall alive

Leave room to grow: an arrangement that can take two more frames will not need to be redone.
Change one photo each year, at Diwali cleaning or on an anniversary.
Keep the wall out of direct sun, and wipe the glass with a dry soft cloth.
Write the names, place and year on the back of each print in pencil. Someone will be grateful in forty years.

Questions people ask

How high should family photos be hung?

With the centre of the arrangement at about the eye level of a standing adult. Above a sofa, keep the lowest frame about a hand's width above the furniture.

How much space should there be between frames?

Small and equal gaps, about two to three fingers wide, so that the frames read as one arrangement.

How can I make a photo wall without many holes?

Use a narrow picture shelf and lean the frames on it, or put all the photos in one printed collage and hang a single frame.

Frame a photo Make a collage