The best frames can bring out the artwork or photographs you want to show off. Choosing a frame carefully can enhance a piece, add to its appeal, and boost its value. But with so many framing options, it’s hard to know where to begin. This guide focuses on five things that will help you select the right photo frame for your pictures.
Use Your Frame Choice to Let the Artwork Influence You.
The artwork itself is, by far, the most important factor when deciding on a frame. The frame should have something to give to the piece which should complement the piece and not detract from it. Look at the artwork’s style, colour palette and tone.
Traditional wooden frames with ornate features may be suitable for traditional pieces such as oil paintings or watercolours. For modern pieces, a sleek, minimalist picture framing will help keep the artwork clean and modern.
Consider The Wall Colour
Wall colour is the second crucial aspect to consider, as well as where the frame will hang. It is important to notice that the frame should match the wall.
You can use colours of the wall and frame to always make subtle links between the wall and the frame. With this approach, the
artwork becomes part of the room, rather than looking out of place.
Think About Colour Harmonies
The artwork colours and the frame should complement each other in the sense that there will be proper coordination between the two. This does not mean that they have to be identical all the time, they have to ‘make sense’ together. It is suggested that a frame should be chosen that addresses an accent colour in the artwork.
Black, white or grey frames do not impose on your clothing, so are versatile options, but it may be worth thinking outside the box and using bolder or metal frames if they complement the garment. The purpose is to create a certain harmony with the frame and the picture where the picture is still the main attraction.
Think about the Materials and the Type of Environment it Sets
The frame material is essentially crucial to the whole tone and depth of the art piece. The wooden frames can make people feel more comfortable and traditional, whereas the metal ones can provide people with more unfermented temperaments. Whereas a wooden frame utilising raw and recycled timber will create a more provincial and antique view, a sleek frame produced from acrylic or aluminium will exude a more modern and sharper appeal.
If you feel that a certain piece of work requires a specific realm of atmosphere to be associated with then consider what material will both suit that artwork and the feel of the room.
Consider Whether or Not You’re Going to Use a Mat
This aspect of a mat is to give separation between the artwork and the frame as well as space between different artworks on the wall. A mat does bring more perception and sophistication especially when applied when framing small items, paintings such as watercolors or photographs.
The colour of the mat has also to be selected in the right manner, together with the size of the mat. A white or cream mat is the best option as it is non-intrusive but a coloured mat will provide an extra level of elegance, especially should it be the same colour of the cast as the tones detected in the artwork. Just keep in mind, though, that a mat may add an extra dimension to the size of the framed artwork, so the space on the wall must also be considered.
Final Thoughts
Selecting the frame to be used should therefore not be limited to the looks. It is all about the consonance of the piece, its frame and the environment it is to be placed in. Let the artwork guide your decision, determine where to hang the picture, think about what combination of colours you would like to see, and what type of materials and mounting would help to create a perfect framing for the picture and the overall appearance of the room.
I encourage you to spend time thinking about your framing choices because then you will find something that would complement your art piece to the utmost.
