A simple, stylish solution for displaying family photographs

One of the things that instantly makes any home more homey is personal photographs. Displaying them isn't always that simple though, since frames are an investment, and generally need to coordinate in some way if you're arranging them in a group. Which is why I love the charming, no hassle, no cost method that interior designer Rita Konig wrote about in her T Magazine blog.

There's basically no technique involved: just tape photos directly to your walls (or use sticky putty if you've got some lying around, or push pins if you don't mind the little holes). It couldn't be easier to do, and the look is informal and upbeat in a way that a bunch of matching frames just isn't. Some further benefits, as Konig explains:

"Unlike framed photos, pictures stuck on the wall have a much more playful feeling, and the people in them seem so much friendlier. I also feel much less committed to them that way, so they end up being a more varied group, often including people I don't know that well. If you put photos of people you didn't know well in a frame, it would be quite peculiar. But it's absolutely not when they are plastered on the wall! And people are delighted when they find themselves there, where they might be a little freaked out to find themselves in a silver frame atop an acquaintance's baby grand!"

Konig taped grids of black and white pictures to the walls in her living room, which add some whimsy to an area that otherwise feels very polished. She also utilized a nook in her kitchen, this time mixing in Polaroids and other kinds of photographs in different shapes and sizes, plus trinkets and mementos from her travels. One note of caution though: if you're an avid cook (which I'm guessing Konig isn't!), avoid putting precious keepsakes so close to the stove!

PS: Also, turns out Konig is as big a fan of mason jars as we are! Note the pretty blue glass ones she uses for stashing dry goods in her kitchen.