Flipping through Ikea’s newest catalogue I spotted this art arrangement above a bed and I thought it would be fun to share with you which frames they used and how they lined everything up.

Ingredients

• Frames
  • one Fjallsta frame measuring 70 x 100 cm
  • two Fjallsta frames measuring 30 x 40 cm
  • one black Ribba frame measuring 19 3/4 x 19 3×4 inches
  • one white Ribba frame measuring 19 3/4 x 19 3×4 inches
  • one black Ribba frame measuring 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 inches
  • one medium brown Ribba frame measuring 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches
  • two black Ribba frames measuring 8 1/2 x 11 inches
  • one white Ribba frame measuring 9 x 9 inches
  • two black Ribba frames measuring 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches
  • one Haverdal frame measuring 13 x 18 cm
• Artwork
  • one vertical 20 x 28 inch black and white photograph
  • one horizontal 12 x 16 inch black and white photograph
  • two 12 x 12 inch black and white photographs
  • two vertical 8 x 10 inch black and white photographs
  • one horizontal 8 x 10 inch black and white photograph
  • one vertical 5 x 7 inch piece of neutral toned art
  • two vertical 5 x 7 inch black and white photographs
  • one horizontal 5 x 7 inch piece of neutral toned art
  • one 5 x 5 inch black and white photograph
  • one vertical 4 x 6 inch black and white photograph

Method

They layout above should give you a good general sense of how everything is lined up, but here’s some tips for how I’d get started:

1. Frame up all you your art like this, or however works best for you:
   1. 20 x 28 vertical photograph in the 70 x 100 Fjallsta frame
   2. both vertical 8 x 10s in the 30 x 40 Fjallsta frames
   3. a 12 x 12 in each of the large square Ribba frames
   4. the horizontal 12 x 16 goes in the Ribba 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 frame
   5. the horizontal 8 x 10 goes in the brown Ribba frame
   6. put the vertical piece of 5 x 7 art in one of the 8 1/2 x 11 Ribba frames
   7. and put a vertical 5 x 7 photo in the other 8 1/2 x 11 Ribba frame
   8. the 5 x 5 goes in the small Ribba square frame
   9. the remaining horizontal piece of art goes in the 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 Ribba frame
   10. while a vertical 5 x 7 photo goes in the other 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 Ribba frame
   11. and the 4 x 6 fits nicely in the Haverdal frame
2. Lay your framed art out on the floor to start working through your layout. Starting with the bottom row lay out the following frames from left to right: Fjallsta 30 x 40 cm oriented vertically, the black Ribba 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 frame oriented horizontally, then the black Ribba 19 3/4 x 19 3/4 square, the Fjallsta 70 x 100 cm oriented vertically, and lastly the Fjallsta 30 x40 cm oriented vertically, lining up all the bottom edges so they’re even with each other.
3. Then start building upward from the right, putting the 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 art filled frame above the Fjallsta 30 x 40, and the 8 1/2 x 11 art filled Ribba above that, centring one above the other.
4. For the next column the big white square Ribba frame gets centred above the Ribba 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 frame in the bottom row, and the brown ribba frame goes at the top, aligning the right edges.
5. The third column is really easy with the 8 1/2 x 11 Ribba above the large black square frame with the small white square frame at the very top, lining up all the left hand edges.
6. The 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 Ribba frame goes above the large Fjallsta frame in the bottom row with the left edges even-steven, and the small white Haverdal frame goes to it’s right, lining up the bottoms flush.
7. You can tweak the spacing to whatever works best for the size of your wall but try to keep it relatively even at about 1-4 inches between each frame. Now’s also a good time to swap any images in the frames around if you think you’d like them better in a different spot.
8. Once you’ve got a design you’re happy with it’s time to get it up on the wall, centring the whole thing above your bed. You can either dive right in with the hanging or you can do a trial run using paper or newsprint to make sure it’s exactly how you want it.

Why this Arrangement Works

Bedrooms are supposed to be soothing but with a hint of personality. This arrangement works great because the tones of the art are neutral and not demanding, and the layout of the frames is somewhat organized but a bit fun because it’s not just a standard grid. Plus a nice big art display like this really extends the bed frame up the wall.

Variations

• use frames that are all one colour to create a simpler photo wall
• add some colour photographs to draw more attention and add a pop of fun to the room
• you can also flip, mirror, or rotate the photo wall so it fits better with your space

Cost

You’re looking at about $210 for the frames and what you fill them with is up to you, here’s the breakdown:

• one 70 x 100 cm Fjallsta Frame: $49.99
• two 30 x 40 cm Fjallsta Frames @ $19.99 each: $39.98
• two 19 3/4 x 19 3×4 inch Ribba Frames @ $19.99 each: $39.98
• one 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 inch Ribba Frame: $14.99
• one 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 inch Ribba Frame: $9.99
• two 8 1/2 x 11 inch Ribba Frames @ $9.99 each: $19.98
• one 9 x 9 inch Ribba Frame: $12.99
• two 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 inch Ribba Frames @ $5.99 each: $11.98
• one 13 x 18 cm Haverdal Frame: $7.99
• Total Cost for Frames: $207.87

So it’s fairly affordable considering the size of the finished design and as far as the price of a room’s focal point goes, it’s hard to beat.

Do you have art hanging above your bed? Is a collection of images or is it one large piece? Is it a spot for art and soothing thoughts or more for happy family memories?