For many people, family photos are the heart of a home. Wedding portraits, baby pictures, school photos, and snapshots from vacations line the walls as visual reminders of love, milestones, and shared history.
But according to one interior designer, too much of a good thing can cross the line.
Shannyn Weiler, a Utah-based interior designer, recently ignited a viral debate on TikTok after warning homeowners against turning their living spaces into what she calls “family photo shrines.” Her comments struck a nerve, forcing people to confront a surprisingly emotional question: Is home décor meant to impress guests, or to reflect the people who live there?
When Family Photos Become a “Shrine”
The conversation began with Weiler stitching a video from another designer who passionately claimed that people should “never” display personal photos in their living rooms.
Weiler didn’t fully agree with banning them outright, but she did offer a strong caution.
“So family photos can become a problem when they become what I refer to as the shrine,” she explained.
To make her point, Weiler shared a personal story from her early marriage.
She got married at 21, while both she and her spouse were still in school and financially strapped. With only $50 to buy a couch, décor options were limited.
“So we do what most newlyweds do,” she said. “We use our wedding photos.”
The result?
“Everywhere in our apartment was wedding photos… it felt like what I call ‘the shrine.’”
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It’s Not Just Weddings
Weiler said the same pattern often shows up with new parents and grandparents.
“This also happens if you have one baby,” she said. “Or one grandkid.”
Her issue wasn’t with family photos themselves, but with repetition, having a single subject dominate every wall of a home.
“They can’t just be on every wall with one subject,” she explained. “We need to mix it up.”
Her suggested solution? Balance.
Mirrors, art prints, photography of different subjects, and varied textures can help break up the visual monotony and keep a space from feeling overly self-referential.
The Internet Pushes Back, Hard
While Weiler’s opinion may align with professional design principles, TikTok commenters overwhelmingly disagreed.
For many, family photos aren’t décor, they’re identity.
“The house is for us, not company,” wrote Sarah Murdock in the most-liked comment.
“I’d rather have pics of my kids and our life up than prints of random flowers,” added Ty Harman.
Others shared emotional reactions rooted in childhood experiences.
“I grew up in an interior design magazine and hated that my mom never displayed photos of our family,” Alexandra DiGiovanni wrote. “It felt like she cared more about material things.”
Another commenter summed it up bluntly:
“OR we do what we want with the homes we live in, not guests.”
Not Everyone Disagreed
Despite the backlash, Weiler wasn’t alone.
Some commenters admitted that walls filled exclusively with family portraits made them uncomfortable.
“Photographs of ourselves in my own house feel so weird to me,” one user wrote. “Narcissistic.”
Another added, “I don’t have a single photo of a person in my house. I think they look tacky.”
Even design publications have echoed similar sentiments. Writing for Apartment Therapy, Sarah Han compared excessive self-portraits to “having a tattoo of yourself on your own body,” noting that it can come across as vain rather than personal.
Decorating for Guests, or for Yourself?
At the heart of the debate is a deeper question: Who is your home for?
Is it a curated space designed to feel neutral and universally appealing, or a deeply personal environment filled with reminders of the people you love most?
Weiler addressed this tension in a follow-up video, softening her stance.
“Sometimes in design, we hear ideas and go, ‘Nope, that’s not for me,’” she said. “Sometimes we try them and still say no. But occasionally, we try something and go, ‘Okay… I kind of like that.’”
Her point wasn’t to shame people for loving family photos, but to encourage intention and balance.
So… Is It Tacky?
Like most design debates, the answer depends on who you ask.
For some, family photos are clutter.
For others, they’re comfort.
For many, they’re proof that a house is lived in, not staged.
And maybe that’s the real takeaway: good design isn’t about rigid rules. It’s about creating a space that feels right to you, whether that means a carefully curated gallery wall or a home filled edge-to-edge with memories.After all, trends change.
But the people in those photos?
They’re forever.
Featured Image: Jolanta Dyr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons