Why Don't You: Hang a Picture Ledge

Now that our house is in a more comfortable place, I'm turning my focus back on to the site (redesign almost done! huzzah!) and to my design business. I've picked up a couple new clients this month that I'm excited about. I flew to New York last week to meet with one of them and to help the other style her home after a big move. One of them has about a million framed family photos - and they are beautiful! So homey and personal. None of them are formal portraits, just sweet candid shots, lovingly blown up and framed. I came home inspired to tackle the monumental task of sorting and organizing and printing our favorite family photos. (still working on getting to that one!) :/
You all know I love a good gallery wall. I think it's a great way to display a collection of art or photos that are different, but work well together. I've been thinking of other ways to display family photos besides the traditional nail-in-wall method (something like my friend Emily's picture rails), and I am finding myself so drawn to picture ledges that look like these below - simple, mostly monochromatic, and really artfully curated.

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IKEA sells a simple 4' ledge for only about $15. It would be so easy to make your own version too, with a few pieces of glued and pinned together lengths of wood.


I really love India Hick's family photo ledges in her dining room. I'd love to do something similar in our dining nook. It makes me happy to think about seeing all the faces of people we love and have been inspired by every day, at every meal! And what a great conversation starter for dinner guests!

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Have you seen any cool/different ways to display family photos lately?
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18 comments:

  1. Chelsea StrongAugust 27, 2014 at 2:04 PM

    I love these! Such a great solution to a gallery wall. We just lost a bunch of frames during last weekend's earthquake in Napa - hopped right off the wall! Any suggestions on how to do the picture ledge idea, but secure the frames a bit more?

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  2. ShannaduAugust 27, 2014 at 2:16 PM

    I'd love to do a picture ledge except for well, earthquakes (as another commenter said). Living next to Napa is great until it isn't.

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  3. LayeredLivingAugust 27, 2014 at 2:37 PM

    I love picture Ledges, You aren't restricted to just a few picture. The layered look with multiple photos is my favorite.

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  4. UnknownAugust 27, 2014 at 3:02 PM

    Check the depth on the ikea ledges. I found they were not deep enough to lean my frames the way I wanted to.

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  5. Feisty HarrietAugust 27, 2014 at 3:47 PM

    I've been toying with this idea for our master bedroom, which we just repainted. All my frames are black and walls are now a beautiful gray. Would you recommend painting ledges to match the wall? Keeping them in a similar color? All these ledges are white and pale walls, and I'm just wondering if it's best to keep the ledges in the same color (or close color) to the wall behind it.

    Input?
    xox

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  6. Feisty HarrietAugust 27, 2014 at 3:52 PM

    ^^meaning, all the ledges in your post are white with pale walls.

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  7. Elizabeth DownieAugust 27, 2014 at 4:12 PM

    I love these and have been thinking about them lately. My question for you is - do you think these could work with color photos or would it be too "busy" to have that many color photos on a shelf like this?

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    Replies
    1. Knicker Elastic FantasticSeptember 1, 2014 at 9:11 AM

      I was just thinkingblbthe same thing! The post is heavy on monochrome, but I reckon if you pick a palette of three colours it'd be fabulous! :)

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  8. DesertNails8August 27, 2014 at 5:34 PM

    To Chelsea, get a bunch of those tiny eye hooks and put one or two in the back of each frame. Run fishing line through all the loops and secure at both ends of the ledge, above it and in the wall using much stronger attachment to wall that is rated to take the weight of all frames at once. Best wishes!

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  9. AviLynnAugust 27, 2014 at 5:59 PM

    I absolutely love my ikea ledges. I've had no issues with the depth. I have 4' white ones in our living room and some shorter black ones I have yet to find a home for but for the price they're amazing.

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  10. Viva CindyAugust 27, 2014 at 6:51 PM

    My blog does not get a ton of traffic. However, a couple years ago I was featured on Brooklyn Limestone for my DIY ledge shelves and it is still the popular post to date
    They are so easy to whip up and you can customize them to suit your space.
    Hope you find it useful
    http://cindyjespinoza.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-picture-ledge-shelves.html

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  11. Kristy @ I Design LoveAugust 27, 2014 at 10:17 PM

    I love the layered look that they create. It makes a space look so pretty!

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  12. UnknownAugust 28, 2014 at 11:22 AM

    I love this. I think it's a little more casual than a gallery wall because you can so easily change it around.

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  13. Carrie August 28, 2014 at 12:20 PM

    I love this idea, and I am especially loving the idea of hanging it in my dining area. Great images!!

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  14. ColeenAugust 28, 2014 at 2:10 PM

    Mango fruity vinegar

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  15. UnknownAugust 29, 2014 at 2:52 PM

    What a great idea! I especially like the idea of doing it in a clean, modern way.

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  16. HOUSE OF PROPER styling + decorSeptember 1, 2014 at 11:27 PM

    definitely adds depth to the 'gallery' wall.. ledge lover over here! ;)

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  17. UnknownSeptember 5, 2014 at 6:23 AM

    I read your blog faithfully! I wanted to share our Etsy shop with you, as we custom make picture ledges. Our market is typically urban industrial. We have outfitted several arty galleries and advertising firms. Check it out ;)

    https://www.etsy.com/shop/mimabirdboutique

    Thank you!

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I so appreciate hearing from you. Nice comments make my day! Thanks for keeping things light here, friends! :)