Postcard Rack Photo Display
Style School – Postcard Rack Photograph Display
THE STORY BEHIND THE IDEA
How did I choose to use a postcard rack for photo display? Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint where an amazing idea begins, but it usually it’s born from solving a problem.
Each house you own is different—obviously, but even if you’re attracted to homes with similarities (I’m a fan of warm wood and rock) they each have their strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, what seems like a strength can be a weakness.
Case in point, my new open concept home. I know that open concept homes are all the rage—and for good reason. They’re designed so that, even small homes, have a lot of breathing room. The open concept also eliminated outdated designs that created isolated and often unused rooms—formal dining anyone? But it created its own problems. By eliminating walls, it also makes it harder to define spaces—and make no mistake, your home needs defined spaces to create cohesion.
I desperately needed a defined entry, but only had a single wall to create it. I probably could have dialed it in and put a well-designed sidebar with two buffet lamps, but I had another problem to solve—no place for my piano. The question became, “how do I design an entry way around a piano? And how do I include some of the conventions of an entry way?”
It was immediately obvious that I needed to be able to display photographs, but I didn’t want to completely pepper the wall with framed photos—mostly because I’m lazy. Up until two years ago, all my framed photos featured my young children—except they weren’t young anymore. I only replaced them with up-to-date photos because my, now adult son, was leaving on a church mission and I wanted my home to reflect the stage of life I’m in.
The postcard rack photo display idea came to me one night while talking to my mom on the phone. She works for Hallmark and was talking about how she has to change out the card displays with the holidays. And it was like a light bulb turned on. I could use a postcard rack for photo display. A few days later my postcard rack arrived and suddenly, my entry wall began to take shape.
WHY IT’S A BRILLANT IDEA
People love to reflect on the past, but they also love looking to the future. Framed photographs can quickly become time capsules that don’t reflect today. The postcard rack photo display solves these problems. I display current photos, and photos of past events. Every new visitor who enters my home gravitates toward the postcard rack photo display. It’s fun to watch nieces and nephews thumb through the photos to find the stack from their wedding. My kids seem to stop at least once a week and look at something on display. I add new photos periodically thanks to SnapFish, so that it’s up-to-date and yet it honors the past.
HOW TO USE THE IDEA IN YOUR HOME
Postcard racks come in a variety of sizes and shapes, so they fit into almost any room. You can choose a rack that hangs on the wall, or a tabletop rack that spins. They can also be used to display something other than photographs, such as beautiful recipe cards in a kitchen or index cards filled with ideas in your home office.
