Family-Focused Home Décor

It can be tricky to decorate with the wide array of pictures, artwork and other heirlooms that make up your family treasures. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. But the great thing about them is that they all share a theme! So use these ideas to put your family on display.

Central Spot for Special Mementoes
Create one area that reflects your family’s history and accomplishments. Choose a place in your home that you’ll see every day, like a wall in the front hallway or part of the living room. Then pull together those family mementoes that make you smile.

Trophies, photos, arts and crafts from your children or grandchildren, and heirlooms from your ancestors are what you’re looking for. Just choose your favorite mementoes so that this area doesn’t get too cluttered.

Creating A Unified Look
Turn your family photos into a cohesive collection by printing all of them in black and white or in sepia tones. Framing your photos in similar picture frames will also give them a professional photo finish.

Another way to bring out the beauty of your family photographs is to enlarge them. Turning your favorite snapshots into 8” x 10” black and white photos, then putting them in stylish picture frames, creates a beautiful artistic look out of your favorite family moments.

The great thing about children’s artwork is how unique each piece is. You can really see the difference in their artistic skills as they get older. Using similar frames for their favorite pieces will help you create a unified look for the whole collection. Hang them alongside your family pictures, and update your frames when the kids come home with newer pieces.

Box Full of Memories
To display smaller pieces, like medals, old tickets, vacation souvenirs, old jewelry and toys from your childhood, create a shadowbox. This is a useful home décor accessory that you can use to display all sorts of collections.

MATERIALS
Wooden box or sturdy gift box
Paint and paintbrush
Spray adhesive
Decorative fabric
Hot glue
Hammer and nails

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Choose a paint that will go well with the rest of your collection as well as your home décor, then paint the outside of your box.
2. Cut your fabric to fit the interior bottom of the box, then spray the adhesive on both the cloth and the bottom of the box. When the adhesive gets tacky, carefully press the cloth flatly to the bottom.
3. Repeat the step above with the four interior sides of the box.
4. Use the hot glue to attach your mementoes artfully inside the shadowbox.
5. Use the hammer and nails to hang the shadowbox on your wall along with your pictures and artwork.

Larger Pieces
Not all family treasures can go on a wall. Some of your children’s larger crafts, trophies and other family heirlooms need to rest on something. If you only have a few of these pieces, set up a table underneath your family pictures and artwork. Then arrange your pieces on top of the table.

If you have more than a few trophies or family heirlooms that you want to share, install a few designer shelves. You can hang your photos and artwork around, between and among the shelves.

Hang It Up
From tennis balls to screwdrivers, sometimes ordinary household items remind us most of the important people in our lives. With this simple, whimsical coat hook project, every time you hang up your coat, you’ll see your family and smile.

MATERIALS
2-3 3/4” dowel rods
3/4” drill bit
Wood glue
Wooden plaque

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the dowel rods into 4” lengths, creating one for each family member.
2. Using your drill bit, drill evenly spaced holes into the wooden plaque on a slight angle. You will need one hole for each dowel.
3. Apply wood glue to one end of each dowel, then adhere each family member’s item to a dowel. Insert the opposite end of the dowel into the plaque holes.
4. Mount your coat rack to the wall in your garage, mudroom or entryway.

Tip: You can use just about anything for your coat rack. Consider toys, cooking utensils, shoes, sports equipment and so on.