Creating a Photo Collage Table or Desk Surface

By Jessica Ackerman

You can use photos and a piece of glass to create a beautiful and interesting surface for a desk, table or other piece of furniture with a flat top. All you need is a variety of different photos, a piece of glass to match the size of the furniture's top surface, and a variety of papers, flat mementos, or other embellishments that you can use to design a beautiful tabletop creation.

Materials Needed

Glass Pane: To start, you will need to purchase a piece of glass that you can use as the top surface for the furniture top, so that the photos are protected from wear and moisture. Measure the dimensions of the top surface carefully, and take these measurements to a glass shop. Tell them that you want a piece of glass to use to top a piece of furniture. They will then be able to cut you a piece of glass to the correct size, using glass that is best suited for this kind of use. When transporting glass, be extremely careful to avoid breakage and possible injury.

Photos, Decorative Papers, Mementos: You will also need a collection of photos to display on the table surface. You can use whatever photo arrangement method you find most appealing, either creating a random display of photos, or choosing a single theme, such as family vacations, grandchildren, or pet photos. Although it is certainly possible to create a beautiful table display using only photos, you can add extra design interest and color by using scrapbook papers, paper embellishments, and mementos to accessorize the photos. The only requirement is that they have to be absolutely flat, as the piece of glass will go on top of the finished collage.

Collage Canvas Base: To make things easier, use a solid sheet of paper or light cardboard, cut to fit the top of the table surface, as the base for your photo creation. Not only will this give you something to affix the photos to without damaging the surface of the furniture, but it will also let you easily remove the photo collage later if you need to clean the furniture or the glass, without the need to rearrange the photos. Cut this piece of base paper or cardboard just slightly smaller than the size of the piece of glass you purchased, so that the glass will cover the photos completely. You will also need a pair of scissors and tape or photo adhesive squares. It is advisable to use only tape and adhesive squares to assemble the photos, to avoid the risk of liquid adhesives seeping through the base paper and damaging the furniture surface.

Getting Started

It's usually easiest to create your photo collage directly on the table where you intend to display your photos. Not only will this let you assess the look of the end result as you work, but it will also prevent you from having to move the photos to the table after you have completed the collage. Start by laying your base piece of paper or cardboard on the surface. If you are using plain cardboard, you will want to either cover the surface entirely with photos, or a combination of photos and scrapbook papers, so that none of the plain cardboard shows when you are finished. Lay the papers and the photos on the base paper without using adhesives at first, so that you can move them around until you find a design you are happy with. Or, use a more freeform collage approach and simply attach the photos in a random manner as you go along.

Final Assembly

Once you have all the photos attached, make sure the base paper is perfectly centered on the surface of the table. Then carefully place the piece of glass on top, and stand back and admire your photo creation. •

Copyright 2010, Wall Decor and Home Accents.

About the Author

Jessica Ackerman is an exciting and originative designer with vast experience in residential interior design. ...

5/15/10