2, 4, 6, 8 — Who Do We Appreciate? Planning!
Why do we appreciate planning? Because you feel it when you don’t do it. We learned that the hard way while arranging a gallery of frames above our sectional.
We’d long planned to fill the big empty space above Karl with a grid of large frames. The idea was basically a larger version of the frame grid we had above the couch in our old den, but with big 20.5 x 20.5″ Ribba frames from Ikea for more impact (we already love four of them and they’re only about $19 each).
After some rough measurements and holding up a couple of existing Ribba frames, Sherry and I decided on a grid of six frames (two rows of three) to fill the central portion of the wall while leaving space on either side for two table lamps that will sit on a long console table we plan to build behind the sectional. (Side note: we temporarily moved our 5 x 8′ Pottery Barn rug to the guest room for family visitors, and will eventually replace it with a larger rug in the living room. For now it’s back so Clara has a soft spot to play.)
We bought six new Ribba frames at Ikea — they sometimes vary slightly in color, so we decided not to mix the old and new frames. When we got home I suggested we tape up paper to test heights and spacing. The paper that comes inside the frames is nearly the perfect size for mock-ups, so we started with two sheets to gauge how high they should hang.
This is where the plan started to unravel. Sherry wanted to tape up the remaining sheets to see the full six-frame arrangement, but I brushed it off — eager to drill and confident it would look fine. I was wrong. After measuring, marking, and drilling, we had five of the six frames up when Sherry pointed out that the arrangement still felt too small. We actually needed eight frames — the five (or six) floated awkwardly and lacked the visual impact we wanted.
At this point I could have shown you a photo of Karl sitting awkwardly beneath the poorly placed frames, but I was too frustrated to take one.
This was entirely avoidable. If I’d taken the few extra minutes to tape up all the paper templates, we’d have seen the problem before any holes were drilled. Hindsight, as always, is 20/20.
So I took down the five frames (grudgingly) and re-measured the wall so eight frames would sit centered above the sectional and align with the middle ceiling beam. That meant removing the screws from the first attempt and drilling and installing additional screws for the new layout. Fortunately we had two matching old Ribba frames, so we didn’t need to make another trip to Ikea and were able to hang all eight frames in place.
All eight frames look much more balanced and should be the right scale once we add table lamps on either side and the long console table I’ll build. We’re still deciding what to put inside them — family photos, graphic prints, or a mix — but the hanging part is finally done. The mistake cost us time, a few extra holes, and a bruised ego more than money, so it could’ve been worse.
There are still some leftover screw holes and pencil marks from the first attempt that need patching. That repair task is firmly on Sherry’s to-do list — so good luck with that, babe.
Lesson learned: plan the layout completely before committing to holes in the wall. Tape up full-size templates, step back, and photograph the arrangement if you can — it saves time, energy, and frustration. Have you had a similar experience? We’d love to hear stories from fellow under-planners and recovering overconfident drillers.
Psst — if you’re looking for an easy way to display kid art and rotate it often without taking frames off the wall, we spotted a neat frame for that on BabyCenter.