Looking for a simple way to make a statement with portraits in your home? Read this post about oversized wall portraits of your kids to find out how!
When I stumbled upon a photo of oversized wall portraits on pinterest, I immediately wanted to add them to our rec room wall at home!
There is something so special about these oversized portraits. They feel like such a huge statement while still being minimal and timeless. They capture the ages and personality of your kids in a unique way. Not to mention these oversized wall portraits are actually affordable!
In this post, I’m going to tell you all about how you can make a statement with oversized wall portraits of your kids in your home!
Oversized Wall Portraits
Take Your Portrait Photos
Choose a blank wall to use as your backdrop. Make sure you have a good amount of natural light. If possible, take your portrait photos during the hours of 10am-3pm without any additional help of overhead lights (or lamps!). It is easier to lighten a photo that is too dark than it is to fix a photo that is too bright!
Have your child stand against the blank wall and strike lots of different poses. I personally love photos that are candid and show off personality.
For our project, I kept our photo taking super simple by snapping lots of photos on my iphone and then picking my favourites. Of course, the higher the quality of camera you use the better the photos will turn out. I loved the idea of candid/not-too-perfect photos for this project so my iphone did the job just fine!
If you are taking photos of multiple children, try to capture their varying heights so that when the photos get blown up to poster size, they look like realistic life-sized images!
Edit Your Portraits
I love the lightroom app to edit photos. You can simply download the app on your phone and then upload photos you want to edit. On the app, you can use your favourite black and white preset or simply use the free features in lightroom to edit your photo in black and white.
Editing your portrait photos to black and white is totally optional but I personally love the impact it makes!
Print Your Portraits
Use your local copy and print store to print your photos. There are many ways to go about printing your photos. I personally printed them on 24×36 inch poster paper at Staples! I simply uploaded my photos online, selected the size I wanted them to be printed and then picked them up in store when they were ready.
The oversized prints cost under $25 each. I found this to be an affordable price considering how large they are!
You can also look into engineering prints to save money! I was not able to do this successfully at my local Staples (because engineering prints are typically exclusive to line drawings and/or renderings) but it is worth looking into if your print shop is able to accomodate this for your photos!
If you aren’t sure what your copy and print store offers, give them a call to learn more about their options and prices!
Choose Your Oversized Frames
For this project, I used 24×36 inch frames. I love how much of a statement 24×34 inch frames make in a space without overpowering it!
Choose which frame size works best in your space. It all depends on where you would like to hang your portraits, how much wall space you have and the overall look you are going for.
I decided on a minimal black frame for this project, but there are lots of colour choices to choose from! I found my frames from this company! You can order directly from their website or find their products on Amazon. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for sales on these frames. They go on sale every so often and it can take quite a bit off the overall price!
Frames are also a great home decor item to thrift! If you are willing to hunt, you can find unique frames at amazing prices!
In addition to the style of frame you choose, be sure to keep in mind the type of glass it comes with. We chose frames with plexiglass which makes them way lighter than if they had regular glass in them. Having light frames makes them easier to hang and there is less worry if they happen to fall. Plexiglass is also way more durable – it wouldn’t shatter the same way as regular glass if it were to fall off the wall for any reason.
Assemble Your Oversized Wall Portraits
Once you have your oversized frames and portraits, it’s time to put them all together! Simply add your portraits to your frames and decide where you want to hang them.
I wanted to hang our oversized portraits in our rec room. We are currently working on transforming our rec room (check out the progress photo below) and these portraits are the perfect statement piece.
Our rec room functions as many rooms in one. A playroom, a tv room, a family room, an office…
The key to decorating a multi-purpose room is having the wall decor tie each function together. This is the perfect spot to do fun oversized portraits because there are many fun activities that happen together as a family in this room. And when it comes to using the office for work? What could be a better motivation than our kiddos?
Hang Your Portraits On The Wall
I will be the first to admit that I am not a naturally handy person. If you were to look under each of the frames I hung, you would see several extra nail holes.
As is true in life and in decorating our homes, sometimes the fear of making mistakes holds us back. We stall the project because we don’t think we can do it perfectly or we doubt our ability to do it on our own. Is it a big deal if there are extra nail holes if they are a) covered or b) easily patched? Nope! Is it a big deal if we have to youtube how to complete a project from start to finish? Not a big deal in the slightest!
The best part of taking on these projects is getting to see a room come together in a new way. It is worth the learning curves, twists and turns!
Spacing Your Frames On The Wall
This will be personal preference! I hung our wall portraits 3 inches apart and arranged them by varying size to create visual interest.
Our rec room is in the basement where the ceiling height is lower. I used the top of the ceiling as a guide to decide how far down to hang the portraits. I wanted to make sure the photos didn’t make the room look smaller by hanging the frames too high or too low.
It was a challenge to take photos of these wall portraits because the rec room window is directly across from the wall we chose to hang them on. But if I may say so, I think this has a positive effect in this cozy room. The light reflecting off the frames acts similarly to a light reflecting off a mirror in that it provides the illusion of more space and more light.
So while it was difficult to get a picture without a reflection, it really does make the space feel even bigger and brighter! (Pretty cool, right!?).
Cleaning Up The Wall
Of course, with all my trial and error, I scuffed up the walls quite a bit while hanging these large portraits. If you find yourself in the same situation, my go-to solution is to use a magic eraser! If you don’t have one on hand, try Mr. Clean (yellow) or a simple mixture of hot water and tide. I was able to get the marks off no problem with a little elbow grease!
In Conclusion
This post has been all about making a statement with oversized wall portraits of your kids!
Oversized wall portraits of your kids will make a special statement in your home! Whether you add them to your own rec room or elsewhere, like a hallway or a mudroom, these prints will be sure to be a show stopper.
I cannot tell you the amount of times I have broken out into a huge smile just staring at these prints! They make me so happy, and I know the kids love seeing their photos on the wall too!
I’m excited by the idea of being able to switch the prints out every year to commemorate their growth.
The best part about changing them next year? I’ve already invested in the frames and done the “hard part” of planning where to put them, how to print them and how to hang them! These portraits are an easy, affordable and special way to display photos for many years to come!
Where would you put these oversized portraits of your kids in your own home? Tell me in the comments below!
Here’s to you and your beautiful family!
