Every home has frames hanging on the walls. Some will contain paintings, many will be photographs, and there may even be certificates and awards displayed proudly for all to see. In most cases, the only thought that will have gone into each frame is whether or not it is hanging straight after it has been mounted. However, if you want the interior design of your home to utilise framed photos and paintings fully then more thought needs to be given to the whole process of choosing the frames you hang on your walls.
Obviously, one factor in the whole process will be how many rooms you have in your home. Large houses with 3 or more bedrooms and other rooms such as a study or separate dining room will have much more scope for both the quantity and the types of framed items you can display than a one-bedroom apartment. Nevertheless, whether your home is large or small you can still make choices about the sorts of framed pictures or photos you use.
One element to consider early on is whether the furniture, fixtures and general decor in your home are mainly traditional or modern. In many cases, there may be some overlap but most homes will tend to veer towards one or the other. If it is traditional then the sorts of frames you want to hang should reflect this, even if they are to be used for photographs instead of paintings or prints.
Traditional frames can be made from several different types of material such as wood, metal, resin or even metal. They can be very decorative, especially the ones which are hand carved from wood. Often, they will be finished with a wood stain or lacquer, and many frames with a traditional style are made to look even more ornate by being painted in colours such a gold or silver.
Whilst traditional frames are more suited to holding paintings or prints they can be used for holding certain types of photographs. Normally these will be family group photos or individual photographs where the subject has posed specifically for the shot.
For apartments and houses where the overall themes are more modern, large gold leafed and ornate wooden frames or going to look completely out of place. Instead, modern frames will be more appropriate and these are made from materials such as stainless steel, plastic, vinyl, wood and glass.
Modern picture and photo frames tend to be very understated compared to traditional ones, and most will have very simple designs. Simple colouring such as black, white, grey or white is the most commonly used.
You can also find modern frames that are designed to hold more than one item, especially photographs. This means that within one ‘frame’ you will be able to place several photographs and often all different sized ones too. This is proof that modern frames tend to be less formal but they are no less attractive if used in the correct environment.
