DIY Instax Wallpaper

I have always wanted a wall in my home that was completely filled with photos! A couple weeks ago I got it stuck in my brain that this wall in our studio was the perfect spot. There were a couple challenges, though: 1. The wall is HUGE. 2. I don't have that many instant photos or film. 3. Even if I did buy enough film to fill the whole wall it would cost thousands of dollars and probably take months (or years?) to take enough photos. 

So, I came up with a solution. We "wallpapered" this wall with color copies. The cons: They are not real photos, and they do repeat. The pros: It was done in a couple days, and I can now (slowly) cover the repeats with real photos over the next few years. One more pro: We're in love with it! The photo wall makes our studio room a happier place to work. 

Here's how we did it:My brother helped me design 11x17 inch images with 9 Instax wide sized photos per sheet. We then created 4 different sheets with different photos. You could always do more if you wanted to reduce repeat photos! We measured the wall and ordered about 130 sheets on 80 lb card stock. We found an inexpensive local printer that did them for around $1 per sheet, so the entire wall only cost about $130! We got the sheets printed and trimmed. Next, we adhered them to the wall. We started with just sturdy double sided tape strips. This didn't work for our wall, so we started using a staple gun. Obviously, someday we will have a lot of staples to pull, but I am ok with that. I plan to keep this wall up for a couple years, so It was worth it to me. If you have satin paint you may not need a staple gun. I made an instagram collage in our last home using only masking tape. It was up for more than 6 months with pretty minimal curling. 

So, we adhered and stapled the sheets to the wall. We had to cut some to fill in the leftover space around the edges of the wall at the end. This took an entire afternoon with Katie and Kinsey cutting and stapling. Not bad considering the size of this wall!  

Note: We created the wallpaper to match the exact size of Fujifilm INSTAX Wide photos. We chose this instead of polaroid because the film is fairly inexpensive and accessible. It's our favorite instant camera.Now that it is fully installed I will be covering some of the repeat photos with real Instax photos. I love that I can do this over time and that I don't have to wait until I collect a thousand photos to create the wall! It's so much less pressure. :)Ta-Da! Here's a photo of the finished product! I am super thrilled with the outcome. It has so much personality. I hope that this tutorial encourages some of you to try a photo statement wall. I am completely pleased with the quality, the price and the time it took us to install the wallpaper. It was a fun project and something we will enjoy for a long time. Have any of you created a photo wall? Is this something you would try? 

XO! Elsie 

Comments

[Lulu]

This is amazing! Id LOVE to do something like this in our bedroom. Another fab idea Elsie! :)

Lulu xx

http://luluslittlewonderland.blogspot.com

[Mandy]

This is amazing! It looks gorgeous. Great job! I would definitely want to try this out in the future.

[Nina - Carolina]

I love this idea!!! It´s the perfect wall for a cozy space. You are genious! Congrats ;) Love Nina :)

[Kasia]

That's a great idea! As I take plenty of photos, I'll do a similar project in the future. I like it because it's personal.

Cheers!

http://esikfloresik.blogspot.com

[Lena]

Elsie, this is amazing! Just wanted to let you know that your blog has inspired me to start my own blog and do more DIY projects! Thanks for everything! LOVE the wall! :)

Lena

http://sincerelylena.wordpress.com/

[Charlie Cécile]

WOW! This is so gorgeous! I could so do this is my study or one wall of my bedroom. Love it.

http://charliececile.blogspot.com

[Jonelle]

i think it's a fun idea for a studio where creativity is happening, but it would probably be a bit overwhelming in a different part of the house. it looks very vibrant and it gives off a feeling of high energy...kinda like the color orange or red. and the turquoise sofa compliments it quite well. neat idea. :0
http://designthrift.blogspot.com

[Carrie Rosalind]

SOOO brilliant!! I have been seeing your peaks of this wall and was so amazed you had that many pictures...now that I know there are some duplicates I feel like this is something I could recreate too! Love love love it. <3

[Rachel]

I could stare at a wall like that for hours. I don't think I would ever do it in my home, but I love it in other places.

[Kari M]

That looks awesome! I wonder if you could set something up with a large sheet of images as an engineer print and then tack some color photos over it. The B&W vs. color as well as the image quality difference might be really cool.

[Dolores]

This is so amazing ! :)

[Valerie]

Love this idea! Actually noticed it in the espresso cart redo. Hope I can get the hubby on board so I can do this in my own house!

[Hannah Robinson]

Looks lovely girls! I'm sure the repeats aren't a problem, the overall effect is great. And as you say, you can replace pictures in your own time. Good job!

Hannah x

http://haveagohannah.blogspot.co.uk

[Katie]

So amazing, it looks stunning.
Katie xx
http://gravityandshe.blogspot.co.uk

[lindsay]

I died when I saw it on instagram :) What a great idea. A friend of mine did this in highschool but with normal prints. It was always so fun!

[Victoria]

Wow - this looks incredible!

[Chantal]

Holy shiz, this it the most tip top thing I think I have ever seen!

http://chantallovesvintage.blogspot.co.uk/

[Catherine Denton]

GEN-IUS!! Now, I definitely want a photo statement wall!
http://catherinedenton.com

[Celine]

Elsie I love you :) This is magnificent!

[@distract_me]

Can't even put into words how much I LOVE this. xx