Photographs offer us a glimpse of our favourite memories and allow us to relive them any time we are in a mood for it. When you frame your photographs, they not only protect those precious memories but also give you the opportunity to improve the interior decoration of your home. Every element in your room can add to the overall ambience no matter how small it is and the same goes for picture frames too.
But can picture frames alone make or break the visual flair of a room? The answer is both yes and no. While they contribute a lot, you ultimately have to pair them with other elements to make a room look complete. Here are some of the ways in which you can accentuate the ambience of a room using photo frames.
1. Define the Visual
First thing you need to do is think of a creative aesthetic for your room. This doesn’t mean that you need to change the entire visual look and feel of the room, of course. For instance, if you decide to display your favourite pictures in your den, then you also need to think of other aesthetic elements that will go well with these pictures.
What kind of a look and feel do you want to create in your room? Do you want it to be more inviting or is it something more personal and only for you and your family. Any creative decision has to be made in the beginning because all the other steps will follow the outline of what you plan here.
2. Choosing the Material of the Frame
Now that you have decided on a room and the general ambience you want to create with the pictures, it is time to pick the right frame. Do you think wooden frames will look better in your room or should you go for metal ones?
Each material adds a specific ambience to a room. Metal frames often provide a modern look whereas wooden frames are more classic and create a nostalgic sense. If you want a more contemporary look, then you might want to consider borderless canvas frames where the photograph is printed on to the canvas and stretched across the frame.
3. Choosing the Right Size
Do you want to create a focal point in your room where the main photograph or artwork becomes the centrepiece or do you want to arrange multiple frames across the wall neatly? Size plays an important role in creating visual harmony.
If you want a centrepiece for your room, to frame a great looking picture or an artwork, then you might want to go for a large mural-size frame with decorative carvings on its borders. If instead, you want to tell a story with your photographs, you should consider going for multiple small and medium-sized frames so that you can hang them one after the other in a sequence.
4. Selecting the Colour of Your Frames
This will solely depend on the background colour. So if you have a bright orange wall, then you might want to go for a colour that compliments the bright orange such as a warm brown or light brown. There is no exact rule per se because it’s based on your taste and needs.
If you prefer something that sticks out more, feel free to go for colour clashes on your wall. Don’t be afraid of doing something new. You should think well about what you want to do though because you don’t want to waste money buying a frame with the wrong colour. If you are unsure which colour to go for, try placing coloured swatches on your wall to see how well it goes. If you like what you see, then you can buy a frame that comes in the same colour.
5. Wall or Shelf?
Whether you are hanging your pictures on a wall or placing it on a shelf plays a very important role in choosing the right frame and colour. If you have an off-white room with white, spotless shelves, then going for white small to medium frames is the way to go.
If you plan to hang it on your wall though, you might want to have a bit of a contrast there. White frames on white walls don’t look that great whereas white frames on white shelves look gorgeous. So you need to consider where and how you are planning to display your precious pictures. It makes a big difference when it comes to the ambience of the room.
6. The Magic of Negative Space
One of the most basic principles of design is the utilisation of negative space which is nothing but the space between your frames. This is mostly for those who want to hang multiple frames rather than a single big one. For a big frame, placement is the main key whereas, for multiple frames, it is the negative space.
If you want to display three to four picture frames on your wall, there are many ways in which you can further enhance the look of the room. All you have to do is create a recognisable pattern by using the space between the frames. Consider four frames, all tilted to 45 degrees with equal space between them. That space in itself will create a visual flair and add to the display you have created. You can create various shapes and patterns by creatively using negative space.
If you still aren’t sure how to pick the right frame, material or colour, don’t worry. Today most photo frame websites offer you the choice to customise the frame in different ways and view them in 3D. Some even allow you to upload your photograph so that you can see it in the frame online. Doing this will help you to visualise better and decide on the right frames that will match the look you are going for. With a little bit of research and some creative thinking, you can convert your plain looking room into a gorgeous space filled with your favourite memories.
Any good framers will be able to show you a vast range of different solutions and advise on what might be the most suitable given the work and its proposed location.
For information on how to hang your perfectly framed picture we have put together a simple guide.
You can contact EasyFrame on 01234 856 501 and / or [email protected] and they’ll always chat even if you don’t want to buy!