DIY Picture Displays that Don’t Involve Frames
Updated on July 12, 2017
We’re nostalgic people who love hanging photos all over our walls. After a while, though, space becomes crowded and there are only so many picture frames that will fit across your walls. That doesn’t mean, however, that you have to stop displaying the pictures you love just because you don’t feel like hanging more frames! Particulatly if you’re a DIY enthusiast, there are plenty of ways to hang pictures even more creatively than you might have thought.
Check out these 15 awesome and stylish DIY ways to display pictures all over your home without any frames!
1. Memory wall collage
When you picture your ideal photo display, does it involve as many pictures as you can possibly fit into one cohesive collage? Well, there are plenty of ways to make collages and we used to make them all the time on big poster boards in high school, but if you’re going to make one as actual home décor, you might want a design that’s a little more permanent and actually look like part of your room’s aesthetic. For example, we love the way A Beautiful Mess designed a collage or printed pictures right on their wall, but also drew all the pictures together with cute little sketches and captions to give everything a cohesive theme.
2. Chicken wire mood board
Perhaps your tastes and styles change often so you’re looking for a way to display your photos that you can easily switch up as you take new ones that you like? The try making yourself a cute chicken wire mood board instead of something that features just one specific set of photos more permanently. The Anastasia Co.‘s design lets you clip pictures on and off the wire using miniature clothespins whenever you feel like it! We love that you can even include other little trinkets like cards and mementos rather than just printed photos.
3. Layered embroidery hoop photo hanger
Perhaps you very much enjoy the idea we just talked about of being able to clip different pictures on and off your display as you please, but you’d rather something free hanging rather than something that just sits against your wall? Then check out how created a rounded hanging photo mobile from embroidery hoops in decreasing sizes.
4. Wood block photo clusters
If you’ve never done wooden photo transfers before then we certainly think you should give them a try, because you’re missing out on a very fun DIY project that helps you put some of your favourite lasting memories on display. Once you’ve transferred a few, switch your attention to what you can do with them! One Love Photo suggests arranging them on your wall nice, even columns or clusters for a look that really features the images themselves rather than distracting with other big decorative elements.
5. Photo collage on canvas
Perhaps you’d actually prefer one photo piece that stays contained in one area, but you’d still like it to look more creative than just a picture in a frame? Then check out how Annapolis and Company arranged some prints all together evenly across a canvas like a frame, but without encasing the pictures. We like that you could paint the background however you please before pasting the pictures in place.
6. Vintage window pictures
Have you always preferred DIY projects that upcycle other things or let you repurpose something that you’ve had sitting around? Then you might prefer this vintage window frame photo display idea featured on Capturing Joy! As long as you size your pictures right, they’ll fill the windows in a way that makes it look like they were always meant to be there.
7. Jar lid photo wreath
Does your family eat a lot of jam, jelly, marmalade, and other foods that come in mason jars? Then you know just how weird it can feel to dispose of so many useful looking pieces of metal when you get rid of the tops, even if you’re putting them in your recycling bin. Instead of throwing them away, why not upcycle them as an unconventional photo display? That’s What She Said guides you through the process of making a ute jar lid wreath with photo, stickers, and trinkets stuck to each lid. Bonus points if you’ve collected lids in all different colours and patters!
8. Rusted metal photo magnet board
Have you spent a long time carefully building a very specific aesthetic for your space that you don’t want to interrupt in your quest for unique photo displays? Then contribute to it instead! If your décor scheme is rustic chic, then we suggest this cutely weathered but stylish rusted metal board idea from Rebecca Sower. They show you how to put it up on your wall and cover it with printed photos kept up with magnets.
9. Photo table runner
Are you nostalgic enough that, even when you’re decorating for nice dinners or event that you’re organizing for special occasions, you’re still thinking about how you can incorporate lovely old pictures in some way? Then be straight out with it and put those wonderful memories right there on the table for everyone to see! Ruffled shows you how to make a beautiful photo collage table runner that everyone will love looking at between dinner courses. Just make sure you use duplicate prints to no one spills food on any old original photos.
10. Chalkboard door collage
Are you still intrigued by the idea of upcycling old household wares in order to display your pictures? Then grab that old closet door you just removed from the wall when you remade your bedroom and turn it into a long, horizontal wall display for your favourite pictures! We love the way Amanda Medlin reserved the photos for the centre section of the door and turned the outside ones into practical chalkboard sections for making lists or writing daily quotes.
11. Windowed patio door collage
Have you been thinking about how nice that window frame photo idea looked ever since you saw it earlier on our list, but you’ve only been table to find windowed doors in your rummage sale searches? Well, Photog Mommie is here to show you that a door will work just as well, especially if you have a lot more pictures that you want to include and are having trouble choosing between!
12. Photo clothesline in a frame
We’ve talked a lot about photo clotheslines, but what if you have more photos in your mind than what a single string will hold? Then try creating a multilayered version of the same idea. We’re pretty big fans of how Be Kind and Smile Often built their clotheslines within a large empty frame. This gives some definition to the overall look of the piece.
13. Geometric rope and clipped photos
Maybe you’re very interested in the clothesline photo display idea but you’re looking for something a little more funky than just a singular line? Then check out how The Caldwell Project put a cool spin on the idea to make a geometric string design rather than just a line! Fasten photo prints all across the design using little clothespins or mini binder clips.
14. Polaroid heart collage
Polaroids might be an older concept but with the re-release of the new pastel Instamax cameras, they’ve begun trending again in a big way! In fact, people love the idea so much now that you can even get little printers that will print photos from your smartphone into Polaroid style printed photos! If you have Polaroids available, then you have everything you need to make this adorable heart-shaped display right on your wall, just like Made By Girl did here.
15. Hanger photo strings
Are you still totally in love with the idea of photos on strings but you don’t have much wall space to work with? Try building the strings vertically instead of horizontally! We love the way Simple Stylings mounted their photo strings using a clothes hanger. The whole idea makes the pictures look like they popped out of a photo booth!
Have you designed and created yourself other types of photo displays that don’t involve frames, but you don’t see anything similar on our list? Tell us how you did it in the comments section or link us to pictures of your work!