My Paper World By Shell

The Versailles section of my Holiday in France album continues — and this is where the experience truly unfolds.

In Part 2, I reveal the four interior pages of my six-page fold-out layout. These pages were designed to feel like walking through the palace itself, moving from one richly decorated room to the next while experiencing the beauty, history, and grandeur of Versailles.

If you missed Part 1, we created the cover pages and introduced the fold-out concept. Now the full design comes together.

Creating an Immersive Gallery-Style Layout

For the interior pages, I stretched one sketch across four pages to create a continuous gallery-style design. My goal was to make the viewer feel as if they were walking through the museum — seeing artwork displayed along the walls with labeled sections guiding you from room to room.

This layout includes:

• Continuous visual flow across four pages
• Gallery-style photo placement
• Room labels that guide the experience
• Vintage textures that create an old-world atmosphere
• Balanced white space for a relaxed viewing experience

Rather than filling every space, I allowed some openness so the photos could “breathe,” just like artwork displayed in a museum.

Working with Bold Red Photos

One of the biggest design challenges in this project was working with photos that contained strong red tones. The Mars, Mercury, and Apollo Salons — also known as the King’s Apartments — are richly decorated in red, which can easily overwhelm a layout.

To balance the intensity of the photos, I used a carefully chosen color palette:

• Pecan Pie — warmth and richness
• Basic Beige — soft vintage base
• Lost Lagoon — depth and contrast
• Gold accents — luxury and elegance
• Poppy Parade — to support and balance the red in the photos

Instead of competing with the photos, the palette enhances them while maintaining a cohesive design.

Vintage Texture & Old-World Design

To reflect the centuries-old beauty of Versailles, I incorporated:

• Ink blending for soft vintage texture
• Background stamping and splatters
• Layered papers and distressed edges
• Rich embellishment clusters

These elements help create the feeling of stepping into a historic space filled with detail, elegance, and grandeur.

Capturing the Experience of Versailles

The interior pages highlight three magnificent rooms inside the palace:

Mars Salon

Originally used as a guard room, this space reflects the power of the king through imagery of Mars, the god of war.

Mercury Salon

A state room where Louis XIV held public ceremonies, including his formal getting-up and going-to-bed rituals.

Apollo Salon

Dedicated to the sun god Apollo, this room symbolized Louis XIV’s identity as the “Sun King” and served as a throne room and ballroom.

Each space contained extraordinary paintings, sculptures, and decorative details that inspired the layered design of these pages.

Why I Love Fold-Out Layouts

When fully opened, this fold-out creates large continuous spreads that keep the entire story connected. Seeing all the photos together creates an impact that a traditional layout simply can’t achieve.

It’s always exciting to reveal the “secret” inside — and once you try this feature, you may find yourself using it in every album. I know I do!

A full tutorial on how to create the six-page fold-out structure will be coming soon.

Watch the Process Video

You can watch the full process and reveal of these Versailles fold-out pages on my YouTube channel.

👉 Watch Part 2 here: YouTube – Holiday In France Album – Versailles

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What’s Coming Next

Our Versailles journey continues next week, and I’m also excited to begin a new series called “This Is My Story,” where I’ll share monthly scrapbook layouts inspired by weekly creative prompts.

Stay tuned for more inspiration, techniques, and storytelling through memory keeping.

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Thank You for Visiting My Paper World by Shell

Thank you so much for following along with my creative journey and for supporting this series. I hope this project inspires you to tell your own stories and preserve your memories in meaningful ways.

If you enjoyed this project, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.