Before I had a dime to my name, postcards always seemed like an inexpensive way to pay homage to places I had been, artists I have loved, and ideas I wanted to emulate. The small, cardstock templates were often priced 2 for $1.00, and were just as beautiful as prints. I have amassed hundreds of postcards, each serving as a reminder of my past, a small glimpse into an entire world. There were 3 ½” x 5” cards, sent to me, from a friend in Paris. There were 4 ¼” x 6” images I absolutely needed to own from the National Gallery of Art. Want to own a Warhol, Monet or Hirst? Buy a postcard! And yet, what to do with them all….
Photography by Felix Forest via homelife.
A DIY Framed Postcard Display via The Harpster Home.
The slow diagonal stacking of postcards highlights the funky ceiling of this small bathroom space via Tui Benjamin.
A display of a boxed set of 100 vintage Penguin book cover postcards found on the clearance table at Anthropologie via How About Orange. The obvious theme creates an automatically curated collection.
Instead of wallpaper, why not decoupage the entire wall? Want a less labor intensive route? Thumbtacks are always easy via Mr. Kate.
A postcard gallery wall, above a mantel place, fits right into the eclectic decor of this bright living room. Image via Jeams Merrell.
Not a fan of an old lampshade? Rip the fabric away, expose the wiring, and create a postcard carousel! Idea via Almodeus.
Photography Kristiina Kurronen via Susanna Vento.
An impermanent postcard wall using laundry lines via the Homestead Gallery in London.
Molding over an archway does double duty as a shelve in which to display favorite snippets from past travels and travails, from Boila.
These aren’t postcards from Coney Island in the 1950’s or from your local convenience store. When framed, the postcard not sent can be a reminder of the graphic designer’s talents. Don’t cover these beauties up with stamps and writing via Tangerine Tote.
A vintage postcard display filled with historic vignettes ala Brabourne Farm, originally via New York Times.
Line the shelves with postcards, even the natural bend of gravity is cool via Decorology!
I already do much of my best thinking on the commode, so now with framed postcards I will do my best remembering, via The Polished Pebble.
One does not need an entire collection to show off small prints, a single favorite can be ornately displayed as a table centerpiece. Image via Every Last Detail with photography by Focus.
Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara is on full display in this airy, white space. Bright with contemporary design. Images from Nusara’s home via Desire to Inspire.
A clever display for all notes, washi tape, snippets and postcards from the edge via the Dutch company Impressionen.
No one puts baby in the corner, but they do put postcards there. I spy some delights from the Guggenheim Museum and Barbara Kruger. What do you see? Via Ideas to Steal.
No longer just for sending, posting and stamping – use one’s memories from journeys to decorate a space in an inexpensive manner.
P.S. This post is dedicated to the inimitable Jennell McHugh of mixmediology.
