You’ve likely seen a photo where the objects are so perfectly arranged that you can’t take your eyes off it. It’s a style known as "knolling" in photography circles, and it has become a social media trend for good reason.
There is even a dedicated subreddit for all things knolling, where over 12,000 people share their appreciation for an artfully symmetrical photograph. Scrolling through the page may satisfy your need for uniformity and correspondence.
We’ve compiled some of the photos from the page into this list for your enjoyment. As always, don’t forget to upvote your favorites, and even share some of your knolling work if you have any!
#1 Keeper Of My Grandparents’ Things The Rest Of The Family Would Have Thrown Away
Image credits: satsumasilk
#2 Contents Of A Croatian Firetruck
Image credits: Slopz_
#3 Came Across This Facebook Post
Image credits: bizarrekitties
You can’t deny the soothing feeling that an organized image brings. According to physicist Alan Lightman, it represents order, something we all inherently crave.
As he wrote in his book The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew, the emotional pleasure we get from our search for symmetry helps us make sense of the world around us.
#4 All Of My "Beach Trash"
Image credits: k_like_the_letter
#5 Sea Glass Collected In Kodiak, Alaska
Image credits: Otherwise_Maize6378
#6 Do My Pop Tabs Count?
Image credits: senchou2
Lightman went on to compare our innate satisfaction with symmetry to the enjoyment we feel in the repetition of seasons and the reliability of friendships. As he noted, symmetry is economy, simplicity, and elegance.
"The architecture of our brains was born from the same trial and error, the same energy principles, the same pure mathematics that happens in flowers and jellyfish and Higgs particles," Lightman wrote.
#7 Leaves I Picked Up On Campus Today
Image credits: rombo679
#8 First Time Trying Out Knolling With My Vintage Toy Brush And Comb Collection
Image credits: Bubblebee-Bunny
#9 Sea Glass Collected On Holiday
Image credits: meeksalot3
However, there is also such a thing as symmetry OCD. Simply put, it’s having feelings of distress upon seeing objects that are not symmetrical, even if there is no logic behind it.
According to Healthline, it may manifest through strong urges to align things that are perceived as “crooked,” discomfort and anxiety when something “feels off,” and intrusive thoughts about spatial arrangements and shapes, among other symptoms.
#10 My Daughter’s Latest Origami Obsession
Image credits: Cleanwater-04
#11 All Those Hex Keys That Come With Furniture And Only Get Used Once
Image credits: Maxwaltzwell
#12 Montreal Insectorium Beetles
Image credits: Jazzlike-Event5534
Since this type of condition often involves compulsions, symmetry OCD could involve tapping things an equal number of times, stepping or walking in specific patterns, or even mentally redoing tasks that would make the person feel like they are creating a “sense of balance.”
#13 How I Use My Phone Less
Image credits: BowserTattoo
#14 My Collection Of 80s Beach Scope Photos
Image credits: shezcrafti
#15 How About This? Found On Another Site
Image credits: mrl33602
Knolling is perceived as another manifestation of symmetry OCD. Recognized treatment methods, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and medication, are used if the condition becomes disruptive to daily life.
But if it is at a manageable level, knolling could be an effective outlet. At the very least, you get to create something visually appealing in the process.
#16 I Volunteer At A Used Book Store. I’ve Been Collecting The Bookmarks We Find In Donations For Months And Finally Got Around To Making This Display
Image credits: pearkh
#17 My Collection Of Odd Pasta Shapes
Image credits: crazyfacedcat
#18 My Fidget Collection
Image credits: chatterwrack
#19 A Huge Collection Of Smalls I’ve Found Over The Years Of Working At A Rubbish Dump In The UK
Image credits: Daverose68
#20 I Arranged My Cherry Tomatoes
Image credits: non_victus
#21 What Got Me Into Knolling Years Ago
Image credits: communityveg
#22 Over Christmas At My Parents’ House, I Dug Out A Box Of My Jewelry From High School (Late 90s To Early 2000s)…. Along With Some Random Trinkets From The Same Box
Image credits: lyricmeowmeow
#23 Didn’t Know This Was A Thing, So Here’s One I Made About 10 Years Ago
Image credits: Friendly_Program2289
#24 Kind Of Gross, Kind Of Cool. Objects Found Stuck Behind A Built In Bathroom Cabinet On My 1910 Apartment
Image credits: Mousey_Mostly
#25 Leaving For Antarctica In 3 Hours!
Image credits: KamVachon
#26 A Gift For My Surgeon After My Top Surgery. Top Surgery Tom With Removable Breasts, Hospital Gown, Binder, Drains, Drains Holder, Admission Bracelet, Shirt And Shorts
Image credits: ijustlovesnails
#27 Lifted The Couch This Morning
Image credits: ktzoom
#28 Does This Count As Knolling?
Image credits: reddit.com
#29 Thought I’d Share My Typical Setup For Spinal Cord Surgery
Image credits: DetentionMrMatthews
#30 Cleaned My Purse Out After... A Very Long Time
Image credits: CreamyAltruist9
#31 Was Tidying Up Stationary Drawer And Found Some Pens
Image credits: dumplingwrestler
#32 My Late Granny’s Trinkets
Image credits: Intergalacticbeetle
#33 Soy Fish School
Image credits: shanibreadtagproject
#34 Two Views Of What’s In My Work Bag
Image credits: satsumasilk
#35 Just Learned Out This Subreddit, Here’s Some Weekly Food Prep
Image credits: jv819
#36 I Loved This Book As A Kid. I Still Find It So Satisfying To Look At. Baby's First Knolling!
Image credits: lionrace
#37 Singapore Civil Defence Force Shows What’s Inside Their Fire Engines!
Image credits: aniln
#38 Packing My Backpack For Tomorrow For... Reasons
Image credits: LuciferLovesTechno
#39 My Partner Once Called My Purse "A Series Of Smaller Purses" And He Wasn't Wrong
Image credits: HephaestusHarper
#40 What My 4yo Packed To Evacuate For The La Fires
Image credits: kltay1
#41 My Never Ending Quest To Find The Perfect Lip Balm
Image credits: Raesheezy
#42 I Spy Page Made With A Portion Of My Trinket Collection
Image credits: Laurel_shada
#43 All The Pens I Used Writing And Researching My Dissertation
Image credits: doopiesweat
#44 My Painting Inspired By Knolling
Image credits: 4thehopeofitall
#45 Found Shopping Lists From 6 Months Of Part Time Cashiering. 🛒
Image credits: honeybeesocks
#46 Knolling Nerds
Image credits: theRealMrCinnamon
#47 I Teach Elementary School, And I Use Fun Flavors Of Lip Balm As An Incentive (If They Line Up Quietly, They Get A Swipe On The Back Of Their Hand). Here Are All The Scents I Have So Far!
Image credits: MsKongeyDonk
#48 My Vintage Coach Collection Knoll I Made Before I Knew About This Page!
Image credits: Fucklers
#49 All The Lisa Frank Rubber Stamps I Found At A Garage Sale Last Week
Image credits: Eastern_Reality_9438
#50 First Time Poster, Hope I'm Doing It Right. These Are The Contents Of My 8 Year Old Daughter's Purse
Image credits: BomberBootBabe88
#51 Things I Collected Off Floors /Bleachers During My Time As A High School Janitor
Image credits: cass-a-roni
#52 My 9 Year Olds Halloween Haul. Did This By Himself, I’m Quite Proud
Image credits: rlwarnock
#53 Friend Told Me To Post Here. Took This In 2023 For A Photography Contest. Didn't Win
Image credits: corpseil
#54 My Color Coordinated Derm Conference Skincare Sample Haul
Image credits: Necessary_Effort_426
#55 My Dad's Collection Of "Junk" He's Picked Up Over 10 Years Of Being A Mailman
Image credits: victowie
#56 Mom’s Pins
Image credits: Spirited-Character87
#57 My Eraser Collection
Image credits: Inside_Ad9304
#58 My Favorite Yarns In My Collection
Image credits: Forest_Froggie
#59 Things Found In The Past 12 Months While Picking Up Litter In My Town
Image credits: jilllian
#60 Contents Of My 5yo’s Favorite Backpack
Image credits: Back2DaLab
#61 All Of My Socks That Are Missing Mates
Image credits: BluellaDeVille
#62 Knolled My Lunch For Y'all. I'm 29 And Proud LOL
Image credits: Empty_Variation_5587
#63 My First Attempt At A Purse Knoll Featuring My Cat’s Paw (Not Usually In My Purse)
Image credits: lovekaleah
#64 Things Found In My Drawers
Image credits: shanibreadtagproject
#65 Essentials Of A 7yr Old On Her Bike Ride
Image credits: Boenessa
#66 Purse Was Getting Heavy, Idk Why
Image credits: silkysmoothtee
#67 The Contents Of My Almost 4 Year Old’s Bag
Image credits: lem1018
#68 Orange Breadtags ( Panids )
Image credits: shanibreadtagproject
#69 My Late Grandmother’s Purse And Contents
Image credits: raelynkitty
#70 What I’m Bringing To A First Date
Image credits: pghsci
#71 Dumped My Entire Coffee On My Bag And Somehow Missed (Thankfully) All The Contents Inside
Image credits: froststomper
#72 My Collection Of Color Test Strips From Packaging
Image credits: suburbiabarbie
#73 I Feel Like Patrick Bateman With My New Setup
Image credits: OddAstronomer1151
#74 Cleaned Out My “Every Day” Makeup Bag
Image credits: PongACong
#75 The Contents Of The Bag I Keep Packed In Case I Need To Go To The Hospital
Image credits: SupernaturalPumpkin
#76 Cleaned Out My Trinket Dish
Image credits: bobby_portishead
#77 First Day At A Shelter In NYC
Image credits: themacweenie
#78 Knolling My Meal Preps For The Week
Image credits: softrotten
#79 Swedish Mountain Ranger Prepared To Cross Greenland
Image credits: saciisac
#80 My First Knoll Of Broken Pottery I’ve Found In My Towns River
Image credits: reddit.com
#81 Shopping Lists I’ve Found At My Job
Image credits: honeybeesocks
#82 Someone (On Another Platform) Building A New Deck And Found This Under The Old One
Image credits: mrl33602
#83 I Do Underwater Trash Cleanup Of Tourist Spots. I Catalog Everything After Each Cleanup
Image credits: RIBBITT_KING
#84 Purse Knoll Of A 19-Year-Old College Student
Image credits: Ok-Recommendation102
#85 Cleaned Out My Lip Treatment Bag
Image credits: reddit.com
#86 All The Things I Picked Up On My Walk In 2024
Image credits: realdonaldtrumpsucks
#87 My Mom Saved My Childhood Bin Of Legos To Pass Onto My Son. This Is Everything I Sorted Out That Wasn't LEGO
Image credits: augustprep
#88 Purse Lay Of A 41 Year Old Woman LOL
Image credits: GerardDiedOfFlu
#89 Mom Let Me Knoll Her Soap!
Image credits: GoofiestGoober4
#90 Leaving For A Year-Long Trip Tomorrow, Heres The Pack
Image credits: swimzone
#91 My First Knoll Using My Girlfriends Everyday Bag
Image credits: Conscious-Click-7078
#92 The Contents Of My 6 Year Old’s Coat Pocket
Image credits: RegularAbject
#93 All The Stuffed Animals I Made For My Upcoming Craft Fair
Image credits: z123carleigh
#94 Work Bag Guess My Profession Or Favorite Color
Image credits: raditastical
#95 Accidentally Dumped Gravy In My Purse So, Cleanup Was Required
Image credits: Ichgebibble
#96 What’s In My Purse Currently, I Do Admit I Have A Lip Gloss Obsession
Image credits: Sweeeetestofdreams
#97 Knolling My Jar Of Things I’ve Found In Parking Lots
Image credits: Sad_Ad4970
#98 Everything From The Top Pocket Of My Backpack
Image credits: rombo679
#99 My 4 Year Old's "Hazard Box"
Image credits: Outside-World9579
#100 My Best And Biggest Knoll Ever
Image credits: YellowBreakfast
#101 Knolling Is Not Just “Here’s My Everyday Bag” - R/Edc Exists For That. R/Knolling Is About A Specific Organizational Aesthetic
Image credits: TheUnknownStitcher
#102 First Time Trying This! I Found Random Objects Found Around My Apartment And Organized By Color ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💜
Image credits: reddit.com
#103 The Contents Of My Way Too Heavy Purse
Image credits: wreathboot
#104 Knolled My Purse! :)
Image credits: af628
#105 Knolled My Fruit Bowl
Image credits: rustybeaches
#106 Bedside Table Of A Blue House In A Red Neighborhood, January 2025
Image credits: that_pat
