What do I have to pay attention to?
A picture frame has many tasks. It should support the picture in its development and effect and protect it from external influences. The interplay of color and material as well as the size and the surroundings are of enormous importance. Because the frame should direct the eye to the motif and must not itself draw too much attention to itself. The choice of color is a matter of feeling and taste and is very difficult to describe with a simple rule of thumb. Nevertheless, we would like to provide you with suitable examples for orientation.
The material
The material of the overframe is often at the beginning of all considerations. We offer a choice of wood and aluminum (Fig.01). These differ initially in their effect. Wood is generally perceived as warm and soft, aluminum on the other hand as modern and noble.
The brightness
A bright and delicate motif needs a light frame that does not distract from it or bludgeon it (Fig.02). The darker the frame, the harder the demarcation to the wall. This can be used wisely to focus strongly on the image, as long as the frame itself does not become the center of attention.
A dark and bold motif, on the other hand, calls for a dark frame, but can also tolerate a much wider color spectrum than a light motif. For example, a light frame around a dark motif on a dark wall can create the perfect soft contrast.
The paper
Texture and color of the paper are another important aspect. Smooth and bright white papers look good in bright white aluminum, especially when a white frame is desired. Textured, warm-toned to cream or wavy papers look great in vividly textured wood. In this case, white maple is suitable because of its slightly transparent glaze, allowing the wood to show through slightly. The texture of the paper is reflected in the wood and the off-white colors make the more yellowish paper shine (Fig.03).
The color of the motif
The colors of the motif also determine the possible colors of the picture frame, because the colors must harmonize with each other. The frame achieves a particularly beautiful effect when a dominant color from a drawing or print is picked up again. This can also be the white of the paper. Thus, black picture frames are an excellent choice for black and white pictures, but white frames also look very stylish here, depending on which color nuance predominates (Fig.04).
The surroundings
The place where the frame will hang later - as far as it has already been determined - should be considered in any case when looking for the right picture frame. There are two approaches to this. On the one hand, you can orient yourself to the material mix of the room, on the other hand, you can deliberately set accents. A picture frame in natural walnut looks great in a white room and, as in this case, harmonizes with the brown bed frame (Fig. 05).
How not to do it
This example clearly shows what it means when the frame dominates the image and does not match the colors of the subject (Fig. 06).
Ultimately, you will only find the perfect color for your picture frame by trial and error. In our picture frame configurator , you can easily and quickly upload a photo of your picture, test through the various options and even have it displayed as a 3D view in space (Fig. 07).
