When you decide to hang a picture on the wall, you may think you just need to find a frame that's the right size and suits the picture. These are important factors, but you also need to take the style of your room into consideration. The wall frame needs to complement the photo without overshadowing it, and it also needs to look like it belongs in your home. So how do choose wall frames? Here's an overview of three popular wall frame types and when you should consider them:
Wood
A wooden wall frame can be matched to a rustic or contemporary room, and you can choose a wood colour that blends in with the other accessories in the room. As a natural material, wood exudes warmth and is ideal for family portraits, wedding photos and candid shots. If the picture you're framing has dominant warm tones, such as deep oranges and reds, choose a frame made of darker wood, such as mahogany. Pictures with dominant cooler tones, such as green and aqua, should be mounted with a lighter frame, such as pine.
Black
Solid black frames convey elegance when paired with the right picture and can be a good choice in formal rooms that have a modern or minimalistic feel to them. The strong colour of the frame can accentuate the beauty of the picture, but it's also easy to make the mistake of choosing this type of frame for a picture that lacks the depth of tone required to prevent the frame from overshadowing it. However, when using such a bold frame, your picture will still need to have enough lighter tones in it to ensure it appears balanced with the frame when it's on your wall. Black frames can work well when creating a gallery wall and can make candid and casual pictures stand out as a main feature of your room.
Metallic
Metallic picture frames have a modern feel to them, but they often don't work with casual photos, as the grandeur of the frame overshadows the image. Consider metallic frames for formal portraits and landscapes or to create contrast with black-and-white images. This frame type is best suited to rooms you want to add a little elegance to or rooms that are decorated with deep colours and bold patterns.
When shopping for a wall frame in person, take images with you of the room you want to hang the frame in. This will aid you in selecting a frame that complements the décor of the room rather than contrasts with it.