Over the last few months, I’ve had just enough extra time on my hands to get creative and make some changes to my apartment. I’ve always had an interest for interior design, but it’s not a field that comes to me easily. The bed in my master bedroom sits on a frame without a large headboard, which meant that I had a large space to fill on the wall above. I knew there were a number of things I could fill the space with including paintings, wall art collages and photographs.
I wanted something that would stand out; something that would tie in with the chill, but glam atmosphere of the rest of the room. I immediately thought of polaroids. The look of a polaroid photograph is classic and timeless and the ways you can arrange them are endless. Before beginning my project, I scoured Pinterest for ideas and inspiration. The end result is truly one of my favorite projects to date. The arrangement of the polaroids and the sleek shine of the mirror borders give it the perfect aesthetic appeal, but what stands out the most is the personalization of the photographs. It’s an expression of the things I love giving the project a one of a kind vibe. Below, I’ll go over everything you’ll need to create your own polaroid gallery wall including materials and a step by step guide on how to put it together.
Prepare
The first thing you’ll need to do is measure the area of the wall you are trying to fill. This will allow you to purchase the correct length of the mirror anchors and plan the layout of the polaroids. My project was on the larger end, measuring an area of 60 in. by 45 in. (LxW). Using the Adobe Illustrator App on my iPad, I drew a blueprint of how I wanted to layout the polaroids. I chose to use 4 columns with 7 polaroids each. You can switch up the number of columns and polaroids per column to fit your needs.
Plan
Once you’ve laid out your blueprint, it’s time to start thinking about what photographs you want to print for each polaroid. If you already have a collection of polaroids to put up, you can skip to the next step (just make sure that you have enough for each column and that all of the polaroids are the same size). If you’re starting from scratch, this step is the most creative because the combinations are endless. You can use a consistent theme throughout or you can mix it up. My project consisted of 35 polaroids, so I decided to mix it up. I chose 5 themes and selected 7 photographs for each theme. My themes included things that I love such as science, nature, animals, fashion, and personal photographs from my life. Apart from my own personal photographs, I downloaded images that I liked for each theme using google images until I had all 35. Regarding the color scheme, I decided to use black and white, but you can choose any color scheme to fit your aesthetic.
Gather Materials
Now it’s time to order your materials. The first thing I ordered were the printed polaroids using a website called squared.one. This website allows you to upload your images and print them on a polaroid style photograph. You can choose between different sizes such as a traditional polaroid (3¼×4″) or a square polaroid (4×4″). I chose to use the square polaroid. You should consider the size of each polaroid and make sure that you have enough space in your layout for all of them.
The other materials you’ll need are the mirror borders, wired twine, command strips, a hot glue gun, and tape. The mirror borders are actually called mirror edges and are used in home improvement projects to add edges to a free standing mirror, however it works perfectly as a chic border for this project. I ordered the mirror borders from Home Depot and they offer a variety of lengths including 60 in., 48 in., and 36 in. Make sure that your order includes a 2-pack of mirror edges. The wired twine can be ordered from any craft store. I ordered from Michael’s. Be sure to order enough twine for your project. An easy way to calculate how much twine you need is to multiply the width of your project by the number of columns you have. For my project, I multiplied 45 in. by 4 columns so I needed at least 180 in. or 15 ft. of twine. The command strips are what you’ll use to stick the project on to the wall, so be sure to order the picture hanging strips in the large size for the most durability. For my project, I used 8 pairs of strips (4 for each mirror border). The hot glue gun will be used to stick the twine to the mirror border and the tape will be used to stick the polaroids to the twine. Click the images below to visit the websites I ordered from.
Assemble
Once you’ve received all of your materials, it’s time to put it together. You’ll need a large floor space to work and be sure to have a measuring tape or ruler handy because you’ll need to use accurate measurements to neatly layout your polaroids. We’ll be assembling the project from the back side so when you flip everything over, you’ll have your finished product.
The mirror borders should come with the mirror side covered in protective film. Place one mirror border with the mirror side faced down on the floor. I like to work along the part of the floor that is against the edge of the wall so that it doesn’t move around too much. Use your ruler or measuring tape to mark the parts where you will be gluing one end of the twine to the mirror border. For the neatest look, there should be an equal amount of space between each column. Make sure to mark both mirror borders in the same exact spots so the twine can form a straight line after assembly.
Next, you’ll cut your twine up into equal lengths for each column. I cut my twine into 4 pieces measuring 45 in. each. Use a hot glue gun to stick the end of the twine on to the place that you marked on the mirror border. Be sure to use enough glue and hold the twine in place until the glue has fully dried. Once it has fully dried, slightly tug on the twine to check if it’s secure. Once you’ve glued the top end of all your pieces of twine on the top mirror border, place the other mirror border underneath the bottom ends of the twine. Before gluing the bottom ends of the twine, make sure that borders are aligned and that the each column of twine forms a straight line. Wait for the glue to dry.
Now that you’ve assembled the backbone of your project, you can begin to place the polaroids in their respective spots. I thought about the position and place of each polaroid before beginning the assembly, but if you didn’t, now would be the time. Once you’ve decided where each polaroid goes, place the polaroid faced down and underneath the twine (make sure you place it so that it’s not upside down when you flip the project over). Making sure that the space between each polaroid on the twine is equal, tape the twine down to the back of each polaroid. Complete this for each polaroid.
The last step before you can flip over your project is to add the command strips. Add your command strips to each of the mirror borders, making sure to place one on each end and two or three spaced out in the middle. This will ensure that your project will be secured on the wall. Follow the instructions on the Command box on how to place the strips.
Once you’ve added your strips, you can flip over your project and Voila!, it’s ready to hang. Use the measuring tape and a leveler to accurately stick the top mirror border on the wall. Then, stick the bottom mirror border, making sure to keep everything aligned and straight. Congrats, you’ve completed your polaroid wall!
I hope you enjoy crafting this polaroid wall as much as I did. It’s such a personal and versatile project and is a perfect addition to any space. If you decide to try this out, take pictures and tag me on Instagram (@jafrinalamgir) so that I can see your work!
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