Portrait Gallery & Ideas for Siblings

Color-coded Frames

• Design a montage of the whole family, and color code sibling photos by choosing a series of frames in one color for each child. A stairway, entryway or well-lit hallway is best for a colorful montage like this. Balance the colored frames with black and white frames in a similar style for group and family shots. Mix up the placement of the colored frames with the neutral ones. One idea is to hang them close together but change the order of the frames from row to row. Bright candy colors such as cherry red, lemon yellow and apple green work well with black and white photographs of brothers and sisters.

Columns

• Design a separate column for each child in the family. Use frames in a variety of sizes and matte combinations. The look of each column can be altered and individualized depending on the style of the frames and whether you choose color photos, black and white or a combination of the two. For a blank wall, hang a floor-to-ceiling collection of images in each column. One idea for three children is to use all black frames for the first child, all white for the second and all chocolate brown for the third.

Layers

• Enliven a lengthy hallway with a horizontal gallery of sibling photographs. Establish one row for each child and hang a series of photographs in horizontal rows. One idea is to create a chronological gallery of images beginning with the birth of each child. Add milestone photographs such as the babies' first steps, first day of school, birthdays and onward. Center a portrait of the siblings in the center of the collection large enough to intersect each row of photos.

Other Gallery Ideas

• For a smaller area such as a foyer, add a collection of sibling photographs on a designated wall for each child. Larger families may need to use two or more separate areas to represent each child. Create mini galleries outside each child's room in a particular shape; for instance, a circle of frames for one child, next to a square formation for another child and a heart formation for the next. Another idea is to design a small gallery in each child's bedroom, include photos of the siblings together and separate.