AboutSara Tro Expertise I am a professional custom picture framer and designer. I have experience in all areas of
picture framing, and own my own custom framing shop. I can answer questions relating
to the design of a piece, the preservation of the artwork, color theory, photograph
restoration, decor, art placement, room balancing and installation questions.
Experience I have owned my own retail custom frame shop for 5 years, and managed a high-end shop before that for 5.5 years. I worked for a professional restorer and archivist for 8 months prior to the management position. I am also a fine artist myself, with a BFA in Photography and Printmaking, and have been framing my own work for years and years.
Education/Credentials BFA Fine Arts, NYSCC at Alfred University, NY
Expert: Sara Tro Date: 11/7/2007 Subject: stairway decorating
Question Hi, we have a curved stairway. Its not a straight line. However, I love the way pottery barn shows frames and they have an idea showing you how to do the frames. My question is, if I wanted to put frames because the wall is kind of boring, could I mix and match art with photos? I like the dark wood they have on sale now, its prints of birds, i think they are like 17X20, and we have high ceilings, so could i mix and match other sizes and would i go the whole way up or just part way?
Answer Hi Jen!
what a good question!
Well, I went to pottery barns website and saw the bird prints in the dark wood frames, just for a reference. Very nice!
I just installed 85 family photographs I framed up a clients entryway stairs, and it looked great, but was a tough enough job on a straight stairway, so I'm glad you asked about this!
So, a few things to consider here:
what color is the wall there?
do you have a modern or traditional approach to your home?
how curved is the stairway?
And, to answer one main question, as to whether or not you can put family photos AND art, (like the bird prints?), this is tricky. I haven't seen too many people pull off this task... But there are really no rules. My best advice on that is to stick to a grouping of family photos, all framed in a similar style, but different sizes and treatments. If you have a lot of pictures, this can be a very expensive investment, but looks fabulous in the end. If you only have a few photographs to hang, then i would try to make them all around the same overall size, them hang them going up the stairway, at very planned increments, (like all the same distance from the step below it, and from each other.. This creates a nice "eye line", or draw, from the bottom if the stairs. You can put more than one photo in each frame to increase the overall presence of the frame and collection.
If you only have a few, continuity is important, to give it a planned and purposeful look. If you have many to hang, I'd keep them all very random sizes if you can, and because the ceilings are high,(how high?), I may recommend you frame them a little larger than normal, so they dont look teeny on the wall. I would sort of ignore the wall height otherwise, as a stairwell is a transitional space, and while a perfect place for the intimacy of family photos, is not a good spot to hang pictures "salon style" , or all the way up to the ceiling. It will look better if you hang a collection or a small series at about eye level.... At a good height for the average person when walking by. The difficult part of installing a collection on a stairway is that a pattern you create or layout has to creep up the stairs without looking like an awkward shape.
Here's the way I would do it, if I had many many things to hang....
I would first draw a sketch of the stairway. Then I'd try to get a good idea if a general overall shape of the way i want the collection to look once installed..(so, what kind of exterior line/shape will ALL the pieces together create? The shape of the whole..). The shape should not end abruptly, or be too square or perfectly alinged on the edges.. Think about a scattering or a collage of sorts.. Or a wide, horozontal diamondish shape. Once I had a visual of how I'd like the over all collection to look, I'd layout the framed photos on the floor, and put them in order based on how they look next to each other. So, if you have them framed in all different, but similar frames (ie: all antique silver frames, or all dark wood, but all slightly different... (framing them all in the same frame is more modern look..)), place the pieces in groups of what looks good together so when you're hanging you can draw from the group already in order. Keep in mind that if the wall is white or very light, dark frames will make a big statement if you have a whole cluster of them, so you may want to pick frames that are lighter, like silver in that case. With the few framed pieces option, dark wood is fine but can be traditional looking.
The bird prints from PB would look great in a dining room, or dining area, placed side by side, and odd numbers are nice in a series like that, so I'd get 3 or 5. You can also use those birds to "bookend" a doorway, so two on one side, two on the other, in a diningroom or kitchen.
So, to clarify this LONG mess, I'd recommend;
-dont hang the prints with family photos.
-if the wall is very curved and complicated to hang a grouping on, stick to hanging either artwork OR family photos (many in each separate frame). Like seven or eight pieces(?), and i think they should disappear around the upper curve of the wall if at all possible, if you stand at the bottom. This creates warmth and intimacy, but also draws good energy up from downstairs.
- if you wind up hanging just the seven or so main art pieces in the stairway, but want to do a family photo area, you can often hang a grouping of family pictures at the top of the stairs, in a hallway, especially if you'll see them right as you approach the landing.
- pay attention to the balance if the space you're working with. If there's nothing else going on in the room where the stairs start, you can probably assume that having a large collaged grouping in a cluster will maybe look like too much in one place. If you have a lot of texture (oriental carpets, many objects and artwork) in the space, the cluster can help draw the eye around the room and keep the stairway from becoming "not part of the house" visually.
So, without seeing the space, I think I'd lean towards the smaller collection of pieces. 7 or so framed works, either a series of photos that remind you of a vacation spot your family loves, or something slightly remeniscent for you, maybe keep them around 16x20ish, (any wider and they may look funny on the curved wall?). I think it'll look "cleaner" and still break up the space and keep that area homey, without looking messy.
You can also think of hiring a pro to help you make this decision.. Many framers will offer help with this kind if thing..( can't say they're all great at it, though!! Its hard to do well!). An interor designer could help too..
So, if you choose to hang the series, just make sure you space them evenly and the same height from the step below it. This is easier than it sounds. If you have a long sweeping stairway that you can see for a long distance up to the 2nd floor, I'd maybe start hanging them at the bottom of the steps, and go up. If you run out of pieces, you can always get more, but make sure they dont look too far apart from each other, (so they remain a series), and that they dont just end in the middle. You may need to get a few more to finish the line. The right frame and placement will really look nice and even can accentuate the grace of the stairway.
Whew!
sorry that took soooooo many words to say.
Hope that helped.. Please feel free to write again with more specifics, as you have a hard job in your hands! Best of luck to you, and thanks for the question. :)
