Did you know that when you enter a room you don’t even look around you properly? Your gaze is drawn directly to a very specific visual point. And this is usually not an accident but has been cleverly thought out. In this article you’ll learn how to draw attention to your own photos.

Think about when to frame your pictures. A framed photo is much more likely to catch the eye. Use this to your advantage and choose your most important photos as the ones you’ll frame. The easiest (and often least expensive) framing technique is a passe-partout.

A magnet for the eye: a frame

Photos are an integral part of our homes. Whether they’re our own holiday snaps, high-quality art prints or photo reproductions, we decorate our living room with photos to produce a more personal mood. With the right photos we draw out pleasant memories and feelings. But how can you display your photos most effectively?

A canvas with a shadow frame or a poster with a passe-partout – frames attract attention to any image

If you want to bring a photo into focus, choose a larger format and avoid placing additional photos around your chosen image. But you can also make a small gallery with photos of various sizes. It’s important that you have a unifying element in the decoration – it can be the central axis around which you arrange the frames, or you can choose an identical frame design for all the photos. Take care that your arrangement is not too restless and that it suits the remaining interior design in form and colour. And don’t forget to hang your photos at eye level!

You can easily replace or rearrange pictures if they’re placed on wall ledges

An elegant floor decoration

Photos needn’t always be displayed on the wall. If you have differently sized photos in beautiful frames, you can also place them on the floor and lean them against the wall. These original design choices give your living room a modern look – but it’s only suitable for relatively large rooms where the furniture is quite sparse. In rooms that are already quite full this type of decoration can quickly look messy.

Floor photos: elegant in large spaces with little furniture

Think big – larger formats for more impact

Next tip for an instant eye-catcher: if you want to decorate a large room, canvas prints in XXL format can be used. Printing on canvas gives your photo more warmth and vitality and provides artistic charm, thanks to the vibrant colours and interesting surface texture.

So big that you just have to look: XXL photo canvas

Also worth noting: with photo wallpaper you can decorate your room any way you like. Of course, you should choose a subject you’ll enjoy looking at for a long time. Remember that photo wallpaper requires a different approach to hanging up when compared to standard ingrain designs, and of course it’s not as easily replaced as canvases or frames. Choose a calming design in pleasant colours, perhaps a nature or architecture photo.

An elegant eye-catcher: acrylic glass and aluminium

Photos appear particularly refined when they’re laminated and covered with acrylic glass. This can show off nature shots beautifully, since the smooth and glossy acrylic surface provides a sense of depth. In choosing between acrylic and aluminium, the place where the photo’s going to be hung is critical. If it’s going to be in a place with strong light, you should avoid glossy acrylic glass. Aluminium’s better in this case, because although it lends your photo just as elegant an appearance as acrylic does, it reflects less light.

Crystal-clear acrylic glass or refined aluminium – both show off your photo to perfection

During the aluminium printing process the photo is laminated with a special glue on an aluminium plate which is protected against warping. You can also hang a photo on aluminium outdoors without any problems, meaning it’s a perfect choice for decorating your balcony. Fully weatherproof, an aluminium print is a real eye-catcher that will give your terrace the individual touch.

Eye-catcher tip: decorate in new ways

Why not get your photos printed on textiles? Right on trend at the moment are nature and animal motifs. Try decorating your sofa by placing printed photo cushions with matching designs on it. Other ideas include mouse pads, puzzles or mugs that are printed with your photos. These photo gifts aren’t only great for your individual use, they also make great ideas for personalised gifts for your loved ones.

Unusual positions for photos – for example, on the sofa

Photo books for daydreaming

Got so many beautiful photos of your last holiday or your wedding that you can’t decide which to hang up? Then create your own personal photo book. If you’ve got a large number of photos, a hard-cover book exudes sophistication. Photo books are available in so many individual design formats that you can adapt your book to your own individual tastes.

A photo book isn't just decorative, it’s a great conversation starter too

Another guaranteed eye-catcher: the most beautiful photos from your US road trip are ideal for a decorative coffee table book. And if you enjoy reliving memories but don’t necessarily want to share them with every visitor, a photo book with the most beautiful moments in your relationship is more discreet than a set of framed photos hanging in the apartment and visible to everyone.

Conclusion: be creative

No matter which option you choose, decorating your home with your photos is the perfect chance to get creative. At My-Picture.co.uk you can get your photo printed on canvas, on aluminium or behind acrylic. You can also create photo gifts such as cushions or mugs – the process is simple. And if you prefer to frame a photo yourself, you can still be creative: browse at the flea market for a vintage frame or make one yourself from driftwood.

Never before have there been so many opportunities to display your photos to great effect. There are some rules of thumb to observe, but ultimately you’re limited only by your imagination. Using your most treasured photos, you yourself can create a decor item that’s a guaranteed eye-catcher.