How To Coordinate Any Wall & Frame Colour For A Striking Décor
When it comes to home décor, wall colour really sets the mood or feel of a space.
But whatever colour, blank walls can be pretty boring & a home isn’t a home until there’s some artwork on the walls.
It’s just as important to colour coordinate other furnishings with each other as it is the room colour, & this holds true for picture frames as well.
How do you match a picture frame to the wall colour? The best approach is to choose complementary or neutral coloured frames. But tone, hues & shade of colour is also a factor in determining colours that sit well together.
As well as the style of picture frame complimenting your décor, colour is just as important.
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Create Harmony On Your Walls With These Tips & Ideas
Who enjoys a blank & empty wall?
Room décor isn't complete until there's at least one piece of artwork on the wall.
But dressing up your walls is a bit like getting dressed, you want to make sure your outfit matches.
Certain colours work well together, others will clash.
Here's some tips & ideas to make sure your walls look their best.
Black & White Picture Frames
Whatever your wall colour, black or white picture frames are a versatile & flexible choice.
This is because they are neutral colours that won’t clash on any wall & will also sit well with other furnishings.
But this doesn’t mean they’re a boring choice.
A white picture frame will really pop against a coloured wall.
Hanging a photo in a white frame on a white wall will also give the illusion of the picture floating, but you need to make sure the frame & wall colour are reasonably close.
You could use leftover paint from decorating to paint the frame.
White frames can also look contemporary & elegant when hung against grey, royal blue & other rich colours.
Black picture frames can be more subtle & they help to tone down a room that is decorated in livelier colours.
Lime green can be a wonderfully funky colour for example, especially for a feature wall.
Whereas white frames will create a clean, yet vibrant vibe, black frames will help to tone it down a tad.
Another advantage of black or white frames is that they won’t clash with the photograph they’re framing.
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Grey Picture Frames
Another neutral colour is grey, whether it’s the wall or picture frame.
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Although grey picture frames are neutral, they could look a bit drab against certain colours or shades.
It depends on personal taste of course & what look you’re wanting to achieve.
You could hang a lighter shade of grey against a darker grey wall, or vice versa, especially if the other furnishings are zesty colours like yellows or bright blues.
Similar to black, grey frames will help in toning down vibrant & punchy coloured walls.
A more formal space will benefit from grey frames, as grey is often associated with being more traditional & distinguished.
Coloured Picture Frames
Let your creative imagination run wild I say!
If you have white walls, you’ve basically got a blank canvas to work with.
Especially if the furnishings & décor are fairly neutral, you can even use a mix of various coloured frames to create a fun & playful vibe.
Many interior designers recommend a room’s palette should consist of no more than 3 colours.
So whatever the wall colour or décor, using this as a guideline will help to add vibrancy to a space without it becoming too loud or confusing.
Applying the 3 colour rule will also help you decide on a frame colour whatever your wall colour may be.
The main thing to remember is to use complementary colours.
There’s many ways to become inspired with coloured picture frames.
Just as a picture appears to float on a white wall when in a white frame, this can also be applied to coloured walls & frames.
Sometimes a room may have a feature wall painted a different colour.
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You could try hanging picture frames of the same colour as the non-feature walls on the feature wall.
You can also apply this in reverse or have these opposing coloured frames on multiple walls.
Wood Picture Frames
Wooden frames can be made from various timbers ranging from pine, bamboo to walnut, oak & many other timbers.
Timbers can vary in shade, as well as whether a light or dark stain has been applied.
Wood will sit against most colours, so it’s more the shade of the frame & the wall that you need to consider.
There’s no hard & fast rules, but a dark timber frame on a dark wall may be overpowering, so a nice light bamboo or beechwood will be more cheerful.
If you have wooden furniture items, matching to a similar shade will create coherence in the room.
Wood stains & varnish also come in different hues.
Some stains have a reddish tinge, others can be slightly orange or black.
If you’re staining the picture frame yourself, there’s a number of colours available from green, blue, purples to yellow.
In this instance you’d match the frame to wall colour as you would a coloured frame.
Gold Picture Frames
Gold picture frames can be very ornate & decorative as well as modern, so you need to match the style to the room.
But gold is neutral & sits well against many colours.
Against a white wall, a modern gold frame will look very clean & light & a more decorative frame will add a touch of bling.
Ornate gold frames are a wonderful way to add elegance to a room that has blue walls.
Especially against a dark or royal blue, but against paler blue walls, gold introduces a touch of sophistication.
Gold frames against pink walls really help to bring in a feminine touch.
Green, grey or purple walls are all a lovely fit for gold frames too.
Silver Picture Frames
Like gold, silver is also a neutral colour.
Again, silver frames can look very modern & contemporary as well as being decorative & adding a touch of elegance.
Also like gold frames, silver can be hung against pretty much any wall colour.
Gold can be a more flamboyant colour, but it also has a warmth, whereas silver is cooler & can look a bit cold or uninviting depending on how it’s used.
Brass Picture Frames
If you’re looking for some middle ground between gold & silver, brass picture frames may be just what you’re after.
Depending on the style of frame of course, brass can still offer elegance without being as bling.
Brass also matches well with most colours & against lighter wall shades such as yellows, blues or even greens, it won’t look as heavy.
Walls that are a darker shade of blue, green, purples & grey work well also & the brass frames add that touch of luxury.
Final Thoughts
There’s a wide range of frame styles available, but if you shop around you’ll also find there’s many coloured frames too.
If you’re having a custom frame made, then you can order a specific colour of your choosing.
Other than that, get creative & paint a frame yourself.
I hope this article was helpful in giving you some inspiration as to how to match a frame to your wall colour.
Please feel free to pass it on .. it always makes my day if I know it’s helped someone.