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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do you put photos up of your family or yourself in your house?

204 replies

ecoanxiety · 19/01/2022 17:07

I do! I'm obsessed! I love walking round looking at all the good memories. I always scour the charity shops for more frames!
But I never used to, I think it was because I never had time to get photos printed but you can do it online now.
I have noticed my parents never had our photos up though. I have given framed photos to family before of us all having a nice day out, some put them up but some don't and I was wondering if I committed some kind of faux pas giving photos for other people? What would you think?
I wouldn't gift wall art because I think that's a bit off but a photo I didn't think think was the same category.
Aibu?

OP posts:
HelloFrostyMorning · 19/01/2022 18:23

Oh yes. Smile We have a bunch of framed photos... Several pics of mine and DH's wedding 35 years ago, half a dozen or so of our (adult) DD and their partners, pics of me, DH, and DC on holiday in New York, Paris, and Barcelona, (in the noughties,) 2 pics of the cats, and half a dozen of extended family... parents, and grandparents, and one of my brother's wedding from 20 years ago where my 2 DD were bridesmaids.

I have noticed many younger people don't go for pics around the house. Both my DD (who live with their boyfriends,) hardly have any photos of people in their house.

They both have a corkboard with about 10 pics of them and their boyfriends and mates in photobooths, and a few they've printed off in Boots (of their cats, parties, and day trips with their friends and boyfriends.)

DD1 has one of me and DH too from 1989, in our 80's gear, with the 80's hair and everything... Her mates love it. DD2 has one of our wedding, on the chest of drawers in her bedroom ...

Wishihadanalgorithm · 19/01/2022 18:24

Quite a few yes. DD’s school photo is in the lounge, several of DD and my friends in the study, a photo wall in the hall of DP, DD, Ddog and me plus various pics of family on the landing. We also have the dreaded family photo canvas in the back room.

It is a case of each to their own with this sort of thing.

WhyYesYABU · 19/01/2022 18:24

No I don't really like photos up, not sure why, possibly a love of minimalist aesthetic. I do like them on my phone etc though.

MrsAvocet · 19/01/2022 18:24

My DD (PFB!) jokes that our living room is like a shrine to her early childhood. There are 6 professional photos of her on the walls....all taken before her brothers were born. Then nothing, of any of them after that. Priorities kind of changed! 😂😂
There's one wedding photo in another room and then another one of the whole family taken by my BIL at a family event, that I really hate but DH likes so it's half hidden by a vase.

ManicPixie · 19/01/2022 18:25

A few, but mostly art. Empty walks strike me as a waste.

galacticpixels · 19/01/2022 18:26

No, I just don't like the look of it. I can't explain why really. I have lots of framed prints and paintings up instead.

We do have the side of one bookcase that we stick some random pictures and post cards on to, but that's it.

FloatyBoaty · 19/01/2022 18:26

4 or a 5 of DS scattered about the house; small prints in frames on desks/shelves etc. Most quite arty shots - nothing posed. Eg one of him walking through a winter woods in a bright coat- you couldn’t tell it was him if you didn’t know him. One of he and I in profile and quite dimly lit after his born.

Far more art prints and a couple of originals I bought from an artist I like.

AnAverageMum · 19/01/2022 18:26

Yes. I have photos in our hallway of the kids, and the kids have photos of them & their friends in their bedrooms.

draramallama · 19/01/2022 18:31

My parents and grandparents all did and would have been very happy to receive framed photos. It made them happy to have connections to moments with the people they loved around them.

As far as I can tell from 2 years of zoom meetings, it seems pretty normal in most other homes too.

nellly · 19/01/2022 18:36

@kookievee

A couple but I don't like it. I think it's quite naff and the more pictures the worse it is. Sorry!
No need to be sorry Grin I think plain walls and pretentious art are naff but luckily we don't have to live in each other's houses
Susiesue61 · 19/01/2022 18:42

I have loads, they make me happy to look at and remember when they were little 😊 I have 2 big ones taken professionally when they were all at primary school and then loads of others, some team photos and I have my nieces too!

WitchWithoutChips · 19/01/2022 18:42

Lots. We have picture ledges in the sitting room which make it easy to swap out and update the pictures. Nothing posed or professional beyond school portraits and I am not at all fond of the Venture style studio photos but otherwise I’m very fond of them all. We have a few decent amateur photographers in the family and as our extended family aren’t local I love being surrounded by their faces.

tinkywinkyshandbag · 19/01/2022 18:44

Yes I have a little gallery up the stairs and small photos in frames on tables. All snapshots though not studio shots or anything. My parents never had any on display it was only going to other peoples houses that I even realised it was a thing.

ChocolateCakeYum · 19/01/2022 18:47

I have photos up everywhere. Love looking at holidays, days out and ds doing things.

Gwenhwyfar · 19/01/2022 18:52

I have photos of me and my friends having fun. I was told it was not done to have photos of friends on the wall on MN, but I don't have a family of my own and want to have photos of friends so...

TravellingSpoon · 19/01/2022 18:54

Yep, I have loads of canvases and collages up on my walls. Like you OP I like looking at them and remembering the fun.

No posed portrait sessions though, that would be my worst nightmare.

TravellingSpoon · 19/01/2022 18:55

Although I do have a couple of DC's school photos up.

StarbucksSmarterSister · 19/01/2022 18:57

A photo of each of my late parents in the sitting room, one of me and my sibling as kids with my parents and one each of my nieces. The latter are all upstairs.

saltandpepper234 · 19/01/2022 18:57

I think we have about 4 in the whole house and that’s enough for me. My SIL has tons and I find it too cluttered. And I would never put photos up on the wall, I would much rather have some nice pieces of art tbh

Mumofsend · 19/01/2022 18:59

I have lots of the kids up. Not posed, from our adventures. I love them

Norgie · 19/01/2022 18:59

Yes, I have lots of photos in frames of the kids, DH, friends and family but only on my bedroom walls and shelves, nowhere else.

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 19/01/2022 19:02

Yes loads, I think it's a bit sad not to have any family photos out tbh.

GrandDuchessRomanov · 19/01/2022 19:04

Not a single one. We have just one from our wedding which is in a cupboard somewhere but other than that I don’t possess a single family photo from my past or present.

I am living another life now and hate reminders of the first one (blissfully happy as it was and so is this second life) but I loathe and have no desire to document how different they are.

ImInStealthMode · 19/01/2022 19:07

Quite a few, particularly of us with friends we don't see often, or pictures that particularly make me smile. Every so often I get new ones printed and change them up. I got DP framed pictures of his Mum and his (late) Dad as a gift when he moved in with me, as I wanted him to feel like this was his home too, with his family acknowledged.

Svara · 19/01/2022 19:10

I have photos of relatives, like my grandfather with his parents and siblings, and paintings of my cat that died. I don't have pictures of us up on the walls, we live here already.