Five Ideas for Photo Frames

If you’re anything like a good proportion of the Distinctive Chesterfields office team, you’ll receive at least one photo frame a year in gift form. Like socks, mugs and toiletries, photo frames (with cheeky mug shot of the gift-giver brazenly inserted) are a Christmas and birthday staple. And if you have more of them than you have frame-able photos, here’s how you can transform them with little effort…

Get Creative with Polaroids

This is a large, mirror-sized frame and most of us won’t receive one of this size as a gift. But the great thing is this Polaroid collage can be achieved on a smaller scale with a more modest sized frame. Using some carefully placed nails and wire, photographs have been attached with mini pegs to create a small ‘gallery’ style wall.

This also answers the question of what to do with all those smaller photos which can’t easily be framed, as well as adding a great focal point to a feature wall in your living room or hallway.

Utilise Old Wallpaper

A real favourite amongst Pinterest members, this simple photo frame project is extremely effective. Simply take an old frame, give it a lick of paint if it requires it, and add some striking wallpaper to it, before hanging it in a prominent position in your living room. Choose complementing shades and patterns for an eye-catching look; pick up old scraps of wallpaper from your local DIY shop, or order a cheap roll online and get creative.

Make a Tray-iffic Coffee Table Staple

Got an otherwise bland-looking coffee table? Add interest to it by taking an old photo frame, painting it and adding some vibrant wallpaper or gift wrap. Next glue on handles – et voila, you have yourself a convenient tray for displaying your favourite books and magazines, or for transporting tea and cakes from kitchen to living room. Just make sure you’ve carefully glued down the tray’s handles to avoid burned hands and tea-stained carpets.

Channel Your Inner Artist and Try Something Bold

OK, so this is for homeowners who like to take a risk, but we couldn’t resist sharing the above photo with you. Discovered via Pinterest, this colourful living room immediately stood out. To achieve a similar look, you need serious patience, so why not try this on a smaller scale in an alcove, or a guest bedroom before you go all-out and repaint your living room? These colours really shouldn’t work, but someone they just do! Do you agree?

Spruce Up Your Dressing Table with a Cute Vanity Tray

Perhaps one of the easiest photo frame transformations, this vanity tray looks no less effective than some of the other creations on this list. Simply find an antique-esque frame and add pretty floral wallpaper, before placing it on a bathroom windowsill or dressing table as a handy spot for your favourite perfumes and products.

Will you be giving any of these ideas a go? Let us know by commenting below. Or maybe you have some fun ideas of your own? If so, we’d love to hear them!