Many years ago, I would scroll past home décor ideas, thinking that they looked good and I was impressed but they weren't something that I was really interested in.
Then, during one rainy weekend, I went into a small homeware shop and noticed that there was a wall full of multi-photo frames. There was something oddly comforting about them, something meaningful, full of people's faces and different places that clearly mattered to someone.
I just had to take a look at the different types of multi-photo frames that they had available to purchase. After looking at all of the different frames, I picked a few that I was going to buy. When I got back home, it was time to think about which pictures from my phone I wanted to print. This was something that took a lot longer than I expected. Once I started choosing, I soon realised just how many photos I had stored on my phone. There were some definite favourites, such as photos of birthday parties, the family enjoying themselves on holidays, and ones of my dog doing something crazy, but it was the in-between moments that caught my eye the most. A slightly blurred photo from a picnic that we had in a local park. A good friend of the family mid-laugh. Those are the ones that really make a house feel lived-in.
After hanging up the new frames, I couldn't believe the difference it made to the wall and overall ambience of the room. To say that I was pleased would be an understatement. It just made the room so much more homely. The room went from looking like a blank rental to one where a loving family spends time. Multi-photo frames have a way of making an area look neat without it being overpowering; it's a very clever balance. Just the one hook and the one piece with a big story that is being told inside of it.
In the years since, I have purchased many more of these types of frames as they have added so much positivity to the properties that I have lived in. I have learnt a thing or two along the way as well. Whereas other people like to focus on symmetry and on the photos all being even, I am somewhat more relaxed about it all. I like to mix and match when it comes to frame sizes and colours as I feel it suits my overall character, which some would say is a bit wacky!
If you are thinking about purchasing a multi-photo frame but haven't done so before, and are not particularly confident as to whether it would look good in your home, I would advise you to start small, perhaps by buying one to hang in the hallway. This is an area people tend to see every day, but one where they don't tend to stand around for too long, certainly not long enough to pass judgement. See if you like the feel and look of it, and if you do, you'll then have the confidence to also hang them in more prominent areas of the house, such as the living room.