Ways To Create Memento Wall At Your Home

Mementos serve as happy reminders of loved ones, friends and past events. Instead of storing them away in the attic or basement, surround yourself with memories and create conversation pieces by displaying your mementos in creative ways throughout your home.

If you’ve got a drawer that’s full of photos and other mementos, it’s time to get them out of hiding and up onto the wall so that you can enjoy them on a daily basis. Most people collect photos, souvenirs and other mementos, but rarely do they receive the display space in the home that they truly deserve. By selecting one wall in your home to display these treasures, you can use them as interesting home decor while reliving your memories of past events at the same time. Here are some tips you can use to create a memento wall display area in your own home.

Gather Your Treasures

The first step is gathering a collection of photos and mementos that you would like to display. The number of them will depend on the amount of display space you have. However, you might want to wait to decide which wall in your home to use until you can assess what you have to display. Sometimes the subject matter of your mementos will inspire you to use a specific room, such as the family room if your collection contains primarily vacation mementos and other souvenirs or photos of time spent together as a family.

Don’t be afraid to gather more items than you feel you have room for, since then you’ll have plenty to select from. While you’re at it, gather up any old picture frames that you can find around the house. Shadow box frames work especially well, but any picture frame will do.

Planning The Wall

Once you have your treasures collected, it’s time to start planning how you will display them. Choose a wall in your home and measure it to find out how much display space you have. Cut a large piece of paper the same size as the display area, gluing paper pieces together as necessary. The reverse side of large rolls of wrapping paper can work well. Lay the paper on the floor or on a table. You will use this piece of paper to plan your arrangement, which will make things much easier than trying to imagine what they would look like on the wall. Assess your gathered items to see if they can be grouped into meaningful collections. If so, see if they can be mounted together in a single frame.

You can also add personality to the wall by including other decorative items, such pieces of art which complements your overall theme. For example, a metal tree art piece could accentuate a collection of multi – generational family photos or mementos, as a tribute to your family tree. Move the items around on the paper until you find a pleasing arrangement. Purchase additional shadow boxes or frames if necessary to properly display all your items. You can remove the glass and mat from a standard frame to allow the display of dimensional objects if desired.

Create the Memento Wall

Once you have an arrangement that you like, it’s time to hang everything on the wall. Transfer each item from its place on the paper to the corresponding area on the wall, measuring if necessary to ensure accurate positioning. Use picture hooks and other appropriate wall hardware to hang each item securely. Reposition the lighting within the room so that it properly highlights your new memento wall.

One or more wall mounted candle holders can also be strategically positioned to add interesting light and focus to the wall. When finished, stand back and enjoy your artistic creation.