The secret behind this trendy layered look

My original plan was to hang these frames in a gallery style on the wall behind my green and white striped sofa. But after propping them on the window sill, I fell in love with the trendy look of the layered frames, so I decided not to mess with something that’s already perfect.

In addition to looking great on the deep window sill, the layered frames hide an unsightly mess on my neighbours’ beach (my neighbours are great but I prefer not to see the clutter). I was planning to hang a curtain, but the pictures turned out to be a better accidental solution that allowed me to hide the mess without covering up the gorgeous view. Café curtains or a bottom-up blind might have done the trick, but I prefer the look of bare windows, especially in a casual space like my walkout basement.

To get started, I played with the placement of each frame to get the height needed to hide the mess. It took me a few tries before getting it right, but I’m happy with how it turned out. It’s aesthetically pleasing and functional too.

Ta da!  What mess? All I see is greenery or a spectacular view of the lake, depending on the angle. This is a picture perfect example of solving a decorating challenge with an easy and inexpensive décor solution.

I’ve been getting lots of compliments on this little black and white vignette, and until now I’ve never revealed what’s hiding behind the chic look. It’s my decorating secret (it was). The best part about this relaxed arrangement is that I can easily change it when I grow tired of it. Vintage tin cans, pretty boxes or neat stacks of books would also be terrific ways to hide the messy view.

This is also a great decorating solution if you’re a renter and can’t put holes in the walls or if you’re not ready to hang things up.

In addition to liking the layered look, I love the contrast of black frames and crisp white mats. And you can’t go wrong with black and white photos as they never go out of style and fit in any décor no matter the color scheme or style.

On occasion, when it’s time to dust, I like to challenge myself and create a slightly different look while keeping in mind that it needs to cover-up the mess on the other side of the window. I always start with tall frames in the back row and add one frame at a time. Stepping back as I add pieces helps make sure I place the frames in the right spots.

What do you think of this layered look?

Liette Tousignant
Co-Founder of Under The Roof Decorating