Posts Tagged ‘Shelves’
Sean Donahoe asked:
Choosing the best frame for your art is one of the most important parts of buying art for your home or office. What may have looked great when purchasing may look terrible by the time you have it on your wall and leave you dissatisfied, or worse, wanting to return your art to the supplier.
How can you avoid this situation? Well, it’s all about balance…
Whether you are purchasing your art online or from a brick and mortar art store you have to consider not only which wall the art may be going on but also the surrounding objects that add elements of color to the wall itself.
Let me give you an example by picturing the following. We have a white wall, with some dark vertical shelves, a small potted plant in a tan vase and a soft light. Next, we are online ordering our art and find a wonderful piece that is a beautiful rolling landscape that we must have. Now let’s choose the frame. First, let’s consider the wall. It is very light (white) and has accents in tan (the vase), green (the potted plant) and black (the shelves). The ideal frame in this situation is something that stands out from the largest block of color in this area, the wall. We should consider a dark frame rather than a light frame. Next, we need to complement these element colors – the vase and the shelves – so that our framed art does not look out of place when mounted on the wall. We complement these colors by choosing a nice dark tan, brown or black color for our frame to really offset these accent items.
You can fine tune the style by choosing extra trim options. Look at the smaller elements in the room. What colors are you dealing with? Do you have red or gold books on those shelves? Maybe a small statue or ornament lives on top of the shelves. What kinds of shapes are used in the furniture in the room? Are you seeing a lot of curves or straight edges? Ideally, you want the shape and trim of the frame to complement these subtle sub-elements in your room.
Next it is time to choose the mats. Mats are heavy paper inserts that create a more polished look or even a embossed effect to make your art really stand out. In many cases this comes down to personal preference. However, as a general rule of thumb, to create the decorative illusion that the art was designed to be part of the room, you should choose matting that complements the color of the wall but also contrasts with the primary colors in the art itself. You can often use double matting to soften transitions of color or create virtual blend to soften any harsh colors in the art itself. Ideally, have the two mats should compliment each other.
With a little care and consideration about the area you want to place your framed your art within, you can make any art blend into your home with good framing and matting choices. One final tip – if you are purchasing art online or at a brick and mortar retailer, take a picture of the wall to compare with your framing options and matting. That way you have an accurate representation of the colors and it will help you remember the exact shades you may be dealing with.
Choosing the best frame for your art is one of the most important parts of buying art for your home or office. What may have looked great when purchasing may look terrible by the time you have it on your wall and leave you dissatisfied, or worse, wanting to return your art to the supplier.
How can you avoid this situation? Well, it’s all about balance…
Whether you are purchasing your art online or from a brick and mortar art store you have to consider not only which wall the art may be going on but also the surrounding objects that add elements of color to the wall itself.
Let me give you an example by picturing the following. We have a white wall, with some dark vertical shelves, a small potted plant in a tan vase and a soft light. Next, we are online ordering our art and find a wonderful piece that is a beautiful rolling landscape that we must have. Now let’s choose the frame. First, let’s consider the wall. It is very light (white) and has accents in tan (the vase), green (the potted plant) and black (the shelves). The ideal frame in this situation is something that stands out from the largest block of color in this area, the wall. We should consider a dark frame rather than a light frame. Next, we need to complement these element colors – the vase and the shelves – so that our framed art does not look out of place when mounted on the wall. We complement these colors by choosing a nice dark tan, brown or black color for our frame to really offset these accent items.
You can fine tune the style by choosing extra trim options. Look at the smaller elements in the room. What colors are you dealing with? Do you have red or gold books on those shelves? Maybe a small statue or ornament lives on top of the shelves. What kinds of shapes are used in the furniture in the room? Are you seeing a lot of curves or straight edges? Ideally, you want the shape and trim of the frame to complement these subtle sub-elements in your room.
Next it is time to choose the mats. Mats are heavy paper inserts that create a more polished look or even a embossed effect to make your art really stand out. In many cases this comes down to personal preference. However, as a general rule of thumb, to create the decorative illusion that the art was designed to be part of the room, you should choose matting that complements the color of the wall but also contrasts with the primary colors in the art itself. You can often use double matting to soften transitions of color or create virtual blend to soften any harsh colors in the art itself. Ideally, have the two mats should compliment each other.
With a little care and consideration about the area you want to place your framed your art within, you can make any art blend into your home with good framing and matting choices. One final tip – if you are purchasing art online or at a brick and mortar retailer, take a picture of the wall to compare with your framing options and matting. That way you have an accurate representation of the colors and it will help you remember the exact shades you may be dealing with.