The Best Way to Frame, Hang, and Display Photos on Your Wall
Apartment Therapy’s January Cure is a free 20-day program that’ll help you refresh your home for the year ahead. Sign up here and get all assignments delivered to your inbox.
A bare wall deserves to be dressed up in pretty prints and colors, and one of the best things to add is some art and photo prints. Not only will this create design interest in a room, but it’ll also add personality. Here’s the best way to get those art and photo pieces on your wall, stat.
Day 13: Find and frame some art and photos.
We’re going to dedicate the day to finding, framing, and then eventually hanging up art and photos in our homes. Here’s how.
Step 1: Find some art and photos.
First, you have to decide what you are going to hang up. Use what you already have on hand, such as your kids’ artwork or specially-made photographs, or visit a thrift store or flea market to hunt for a vintage portrait or other art piece. You can also purchase portraits, paintings, and prints online at sites like Etsy, Artfully Walls, and Society 6.
Step 2: Frame it.
Now it’s time to frame your piece(s). Start by measuring your piece(s) and figure out how you want to best frame it — thinking about whether or not you want frames with a mat, as well as the color choice, size option, and style preference. You can use what you have on hand or shop for straightforward options at IKEA, Target, or Pottery Barn. If you want to go custom, Framebridge and Simply Framed are great places to start. For your kids’ artworks, consider an Artkive mosaic piece that comes with a frame.
Step 3. Hang it up.
You can either proceed right to this part or carve out another day dedicated to hanging up all the art you’ve just framed. Make sure to know what kind of wall you are dealing with, so that you can use the right hanging hardware and method for it. Command strips are great for a renter-friendly option. Always do a mockup of how you plan to hang it on the wall and measure twice before doing so. Here are some options to consider:
- Focus on one or two large pieces. This is great if you have a smaller wall to work with or just prefer to highlight one or two pieces you love.
- Go for a gallery wall. Have fun with this timeless trend by playing with different colored frames and types of images being displayed or go super cohesive with similar image and frame styles.
- Try a gallery cluster instead. To create a gallery clutter, group at least three pieces together for a true “cluster.”
Then step back and enjoy the way you displayed art in your home.
Share your framed art in the community forum.
More ways to participate in the January Cure:
- Sign up for email updates.
- Visit the 2026 January Cure page and catch up on assignments.
- Download the January Cure calendar.
- Activate your free membership to talk about all things Cure in our community forum, check off completed tasks, and track your overall January Cure progress!
The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.