A week or so ago, we asked you guys to weigh in on the escalating trend of using framed classic movie posters as art in your home — or as we like to call it, “reel art”. The vast majority of you who chimed in agreed that this trend is something you’d do in your own home, or at least would approve of it if you saw it in someone else’s home. And some of you already have “reel art” in your home! Therefore, we decided to round up some of our favorite classic movie-posters-turned-art options.
Movie posters of the 20′s through the 60′s have such great color. In my opinion, they’re much better as art pieces than today’s movie posters. These posters were typically drawn or painted, so they are literally more like “art” in a traditional sense, but they are also much more artistic in a compositional sense. Don’t get me wrong… I’m a graphic designer by trade, so I have an appreciation for the modern movie posters too. I just appreciate them in a different way. To me, the visual elements of classic movie posters are just more striking and memorable. Obviously, they also have tons of vintage charm which goes great with modern home design. Here are our favorites movie posters as art from all different genres…
How ADORABLE would these next posters be in a play room? I think Bentley needs a play room just so I can hang these in the house. I should probably run that by Greg before I start transforming his office into our dog’s play room…
Of course, you can’t forget musicals like Singin’ In the Rain and The King and I. Now “I Whistle A Happy Tune” is going to be in my mind all day!
If you are loving the classic movie poster as art idea but looking for something a little more on the modern side, there are options…
To add even more personality, search for a foreign version of your favorite classic film. Like theese Swedish and German versions of The Philadelphia Story…
I love the idea of switching out art for Christmas — especially classic Christmas movie posters. In our house, Christmas movies start up even before Halloween. Yeah, we may be a little crazy, but there’s nothing better than bringing in the Christmas season with a perfectly choreographed “impromptu” song and dance routine…
Sabrina is my all-time favorite classic film. Hands down. Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden in one film. What’s not to love?! And the ending… when… nevermind, I don’t want to ruin it for any of you who haven’t seen it. If you haven’t, go watch it now, then come back to reading this post! Yes, I love Sabrina that much! Moving on… about a year before Greg and I got married, I picked up this Sabrina poster for a measly $4 (It has since been marked up to $29. Boo!).
We’re still looking for the perfect place to hang it, but before we do that, we need to find a frame, decide mat or no mat, etc. Decisions, decisions.
In order to use movie posters as art pieces, they need proper frames. The most common option can easily be found at your local Walgreen’s. However, if you’re looking for something a little more “substantial”, and you have the budget, custom framing is a great way to go. There is a new option, though…
We love, love, love the Wood Gallery Frames from Pottery Barn. They are simple, classic, timeless and are great to use alone or in a gallery-like collection of photos. I could go on and on but I digress. A few weeks ago, I noticed a new addition to their collection: a POSTER frame! It’s about time, Pottery Barn! The only thing is that it’s 27″ x 41″. Large, yes. But if you are looking to frame a super large, you can find them online at places like here and here.
Here are some of our favorite resources for original and reproduction posters:
Loving one (or two, or three) posters we listed? Here’s where to find them: The Cure / King Kong / An Affair to Remember / Roman Holiday / Citizen Kane / High Society / Cinderella / Peter Pan / Singin’ in the Rain / The King and I / Vertigo / Bringing Up Baby (French) / The Philadelphia Story (Swedish) / The Philadelphia Story (German) / It’s a Wonderful Life / White Christmas / Sabrina.
I love Pottery Barn’s gallery frames too! They are so simple, but something about them makes them look so much nicer than ordinary frames. Glad to hear they have poster frames now. I might just have to pick up a “King and I” poster!
I’ve been trying to help my sister pick out wall art for her kids’ playroom (4 & 7). The vintage Disney movie posters are a GREAT idea!! I’m going to be sure to send her this link!
YAY POTTERY BARN! It’s about time!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of using movie posters as art. It just needs to be in the RIGHT room. I love the High Society poster. I’ve never actually seen the movie though! LOL
i seriously cannot love this idea enough! in college, i had a bunch of movie posters all over the room. yes, i was that girl. hehe! but i’m loving this grown up option. seeing something like singin in the rain everyday will amke a room extra happy!
I just found your site and boy do we have a lot in common! I think that you should create the playroom for Bentley and tell hubs that it will serve a future purpose when the kids come, haha.
I love the vintage classics…the bigger the poster the better! Great collection of posters in your post.
I like the notion of hanging foreign versions of the same movie side by side, visually intriguing. Great idea!
I wanted to hang some good ol’ sci-fi posters in our media room. Wife said “NO”! We could have classed up the joint with The Wasp Woman & The Blob! Yeah!
Sabrina is MY favorite movie! The clothes are 100% TO DIE FOR. The black-and-white gown she wears to the Larrabee’s party? I swoon everytime! Actually, in your last post when you mentioned the vintage film posters, I immediately searched for Sabrina. I’m so glad you just mentioned it in this post!
I must have the An Affair to Remember poster. The hubs and I love movie nights and he actually proposed after we watched An Affair to Remember in the park. So this would be perfect for our living room or foyer!
Oh my GOSH, I want that “Singing in the Rain” poster so badly!!! I love that the new orange juice commercials on tv feature the song “Good Morning!” from the movie.
Okay, love love love LOVE this post! My hubby is a film major, and our apartment (with blue accent wall)is seriously jazzed up by our theme of favorite foreign film posters.
Amelie, House of Fools, and El Mariachi. Looks fab. So grateful for the frame info, I got great movie poster frames cheap at Micheals. Bringing up Baby is my favorite film; I LOVE your idea of the french poster!!!
thanks a million.
I love the set decoration on House in general, but I’ve always loved the Hitchcock posters in Wilson’s office. And Wilson is a sophisticated grown-up person!