How to use photos to bring your blank wall to life

A big canvas print can be a perfect solution for a big, blank wall – and it’s a brilliant way to make a strong visual impact and instantly inject style and individuality into your home. Simply choose the photo you love most in the world (the higher resolution the better), and away you go! Jessops offers a whole host of canvas sizes, so you can choose the perfect dimensions to fit your space, and your artwork will be completely bespoke.
Top tip: Don’t hang your canvas too high. This is a very common mistake, but it can make your whole room feel off balance. As a rule of thumb, pictures work best at eye-level (on average, this is around 160cm from the floor, a rule followed by most museums and galleries – and they should know!). If you’re hanging your canvas above a sofa or headboard, try to keep it no more than 25cm above it, rather than floating in its own space, so it feels connected to the rest of the room.

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to display your photos and make a blank wall more beautiful is to print out your favourite pictures and hang them from strings of fairy lights. Instax photos work well here too. All you need is a couple of sets of string lights, an assortment of printed photos, and some mini clothes pegs. Once your lights are hung in a pattern you’re happy with, just clip your photos where you want them. You’ll add interest to your wall, as well as giving the whole room a cosy glow. It’s that easy!
Top tip: To hang your string lights, simply tack some nails to the wall and wrap the wire around it. If you’re worried about making deep holes in your walls, thumbtacks or invisible picture hangers work just as well and will leave less of a mark.

Have you always wondered how your friends make that seemingly-random-but-obviously-curated wall of art look so good? It’s easier than you think! The key to creating a picture gallery is to achieve a balanced display. Begin by printing out your favourite photos in a number of different shapes and sizes. At Jessops, there are no limits – why not go extra-large with one or two, by printing a premium photo poster?. To create your display, choose your largest photo for the centre, and progress from large to smaller pieces as you move outwards towards the edges of the walls. Alternatively, you could go for symmetry and precision, selecting pictures of the same size, with the same frames, and keeping exact distances between each one to create a uniform effect.
Top tip: If you’re hanging images in a mixture of dimensions, try drawing their shapes first on a piece of paper roughly the shape of your wall. Cut them out and arrange them on another sheet, playing with patterns until you find the arrangement you most like. This saves a lot of time and means you won’t need to keep making unnecessary holes in your wall.

Displaying a selection of themed photos is another way of injecting character, charm and intrigue into a blank space. An entire wall filled with flower photos, for example, can look beautiful, or perhaps you could create a family gallery wall, with favourite portraits of everyone (you could even include the dog). Alternatively, pull your photo display together by choosing a colour theme. Selecting some treasured black and white images, for example from a wedding, can create a timeless, stylish effect. One of our favourite ways to make an impact with photo displays is to choose identical frames, such as our beautiful block oak frames from Jessops, which come in a variety of sizes.
Top tip: Remember to consider the colour of the wall you want to display your pictures against – it may be that the tone of your paintwork will highlight one of the accent tones in your images, showing them off to greater effect.

Create some intrigue when you’re sprucing up your blank wall by experimenting with texture. You can display your photos with a vast array of finishes and frames, from glossy or matt prints to fine art metal panels, wooden frames, foam boards, acrylic prints and canvas – and they’re all available at Jessops. For an unusual textured effect, try these wooden panels – they’re a wonderful way to add excitement to a boring, blank wall and provide a natural backdrop for your treasured memories, plus they’re durable and extremely tactile.
Top tip: As well as adorning your wall with photos, you could use other decorative elements to add visual interest: a sticker picture made by your child, a tapestry, a hanging basket, or even a poster in a shiny aluminium print <>. Playing with textures and finishes is a great way to add depth and interest to your wall, and allows you to be really creative. Enjoy!