It's official: you finally had your long overdue photoshoot and the photos are amazing!!! But now you are stuck and can't figure out what to do with them. So why not turn your favourite shots into beautiful pieces of wall art? Not sure what your options are? Keep reading for wall decor ideas on how to create your own stunning display.
But first, we should probably start with the elephant in the room.....are you OR are you not a wall art person?
In my experience, there are 3 groups of people when it comes to portraits as wall art:
Group 1: I don't have anything on my walls. My vibe is minimalistic and I want my walls bare!
Group 2: I only have "real" art on my walls.....it's silly/vain/pedestrian/middle class/fill in the blank to have pictures of yourself and your family on your walls!
Group 3: I love having the people I love most in the world on my walls. It brings me joy every time I walk into the room. I just want to do it right!
I could go into the detail about the studies that have shown the psychological importance we place on items we put on our walls or the self-esteem boost that children experience when they see themselves adorned on the walls of their homes. Or even the confidence boost we get when we tell ourselves, we are worthy of being seen and valued and unapologetically claim our space in our homes. But this would make this a super long blog post.
So instead, this post is just going to focus on Group 3 - our wall art lovers who just need a little help and inspiration in the home decor department. There are many decisions to be made when you are deciding on wall art as home decor, including your colour schemes, size of your room, design aesthetic and finish selection. For now, we'll keep it simple and just focus on the simplest arrangements to get you started.
This is often a statement piece that is the focal point of the room and is sure to capture everyone's attention. Perfect for your absolute favourite portrait from your photoshoot. It can be a glam picture of you in your living room or a sexy boudoir portrait for your bedroom or even a picture of the whole family over the sofa or fireplace for all to enjoy.
Can't decide on your favourite portrait? Then why not make it a series? Choose a diptych (2 image series) or triptych (3 images series) to showcase your favourite images from your shoot. Or tell a story with portraits from different shoots. The options are endless.
A gallery wall can be simple or it can be involved. Either way, it's the perfect way to show off family memories. I personally love the idea of a living gallery wall that I can add to and update as the family grows and evolves. I'll share my example below. Ideally, you want to pick a blank wall for this so you have lots of space to play with.
The picture below isn't perfect but I always think it's worth sharing. When we moved into our (former) new home, I had a huge blank wall I wanted to fill. Using the amazing wonders of technology, I was able to pre-design my gallery wall to figure out the best arrangement before I ordered the canvases. I sadly don't have a picture of the final product (dope!) but it is still one of my favourite walls to date.
I started with the family portrait as the focal point and then built on that. I wanted to add our wedding and pre-wedding photos as well as portraits of my kids at the same age.
Every morning, I'd come down the stairs and the first thing I would see were my favourite portraits of my babies and that would always make me smile. #ThePowerofWallArt Plus my kids just loved showing off their pictures to every guest we had. It always made for a great conversation piece.
So hopefully you've found this helpful and you are now eyeing those blank walls in your home with interest.
There are lots of options and decisions to make when it comes to decorating your home with your wall art, so at Wani Olatunde Photography, we work closely with our clients from consultation to final product to make the process as stress-free as possible.
We offer a wide range of fine art canvases, frames and sleek acrylic prints, which aren't available to the masses. So there's something special to suit every taste and style.
If you are interested in creating some wall art for your home, then get in touch. We'd love to chat about how we can help you achieve your vision.
And whatever happens, just have fun with it. Show off your personality and style. The most important thing is that you enjoy your portraits.
