2, 4, 6, 8, Who Do We Appreciate? Planning!
And why do we appreciate it? Because we get burned when we don’t. We certainly learned that after the framing project above our sectional went sideways.
Here’s what happened. We’d always planned to fill the large blank wall above Karl with a grid of oversized frames. Our idea was essentially a larger take on the frame grid we’d hung over the couch in our old den.
Instead of 8 x 10″ frames, we planned to use 20.5 x 20.5″ Ribba frames from Ikea for more impact (we already owned four and knew they were a good size and affordable at about $19 each).
After some quick measuring and holding up a couple of the frames we had, Sherry and I decided on a grid of six frames (two rows of three). That layout would fill the center of the wall while leaving room on either side for table lamps that will sit atop a future console table behind the sectional. Note: we had temporarily moved the 5 x 8′ Pottery Barn rug into the guest room for an in-law’s stay, and it’ll eventually live there permanently. We’d brought it back into the living room for now since we’re guest-free and Clara likes a soft spot to play.
We went to Ikea and bought six new Ribba frames—frames can vary slightly in color, so we didn’t want to mix new and old—and brought them home to start hanging. I suggested we tape up paper templates to decide the height and spacing. Luckily, the paper insert that comes with the frame is nearly the exact size, so it works perfectly for planning. We started by taping up two sheets to test the height.
This is where things went off track. Sherry wanted to tape up the other four sheets to see how all six would look together. I, eager to start drilling, waved that off—I thought it would look fine and told her we didn’t need to tape the rest. Famous last words.
She hesitantly trusted me, and I began drilling. Measuring, marking, and double-checking took time, so an hour or so later I had five of the six frames hung.
Then Sherry pointed out the obvious: five (or six) frames weren’t enough. We actually needed eight. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, she was right—the arrangement looked too small and floated awkwardly on the wall. The impact we wanted simply wasn’t there.
**I’d insert a photo of Karl sitting under those poorly placed frames, but I was too annoyed/shamed to take one.**
This was my fault. Had I taken the time to tape up all the paper templates first, we would’ve realized it before I drilled a single hole. Live and learn: tape everything up first, take a photo, then start making holes.
So I removed the five frames with a sour face and re-measured the wall to center eight frames above the sectional (and aligned with the ceiling beam). That meant removing the ten screws I’d already installed (I’d used two per frame) and drilling an additional sixteen holes. Fortunately, we had two older Ribba frames that matched our new ones, so we avoided a last-minute Ikea run and ended up hanging eight frames in total.
The eight-frame grid looks right—balanced and substantial. It should be perfect once we add table lamps on either side of the arrangement and finish the long console table behind the sectional.
We’re still deciding what to display in the frames—family photos, graphic prints, or something else—but it’s a relief to have the hanging done, even if it taught us a hard lesson. The cost was only time, effort, and some humility rather than money. There are still a few holes and pencil marks to patch from the first attempt though—Sherry’s domain, so she gets to handle that.
What about you? Surely we’re not the only ones who’ve skipped a simple planning step and paid for it. If you’ve got a story of a project gone wrong (or a lesson learned), we’d love to hear it. Bad planners, unite!
P.S. We came across a clever frame designed for easily rotating kid art without removing the frame from the wall—great for displaying changing artwork.