I have waited nearly eight months before hanging anything on the walls after moving in to the house. Firstly, I’ve been waiting to figure out what I want and where and secondly I’ve been saving up to buy a few new prints as I’ve never really invested in art work so I didn’t really have much to hang on the walls here (except a few pieces that I had for Mimi’s room that I had from our old flat). In fact, I’ve decided it’s something that I would really like to focus on saving for as it makes such a difference to the way a home looks and feels. Hanging the right piece in the right place can instantly make a room feel ‘finished’.
This is one of the new prints I have bought recently and framed using eFrame. I am beyond thrilled with it as I really feel that it has made this space feel complete.
Starting or adding to an art collection is a whole topic in itself but today I want to focus on framing art work as this often seems to be a massive stumbling block for a lot of us. I am very pleased to be collaborating with eFrame on this post to bring you my advice on how best to frame your wall art on a budget so that you can actually get it up on the wall rather than stashed in tubes or piled up in a corner.
I have had this portrait unframed and either propped up on a shelf or stashed inside a heavy book to keep it safe for the last few years. I am so happy to have had a bespoke frame made by eFrame to fit it perfectly so it can finally hang on the wall after all these years.
Budget for framing
First and foremost I would say that it doesn’t make sense to buy a poster/print/original art work if you don’t have the money to frame it. I think it’s really important to add the cost of the framing to the cost of the art work you are buying otherwise you run the risk of never ever getting it on the wall.
I bought this alphabet print for Mimi’s room and didn’t get a frame for it as soon as it arrived. This was a massive error as Mimi managed to get her hands on it and tear a corner and scrunch one side of it! I managed to salvage it and chose a simple 14mm black wooden frame from eFrame that will hopefully protect it from naughty fingers in the future.
There are a few different options when it comes to framing with a professional framer doing it being the most expensive option by far. If paying someone else to do it is out of your budget then eFrame is definitely your next best option. Not only do they offer custom frames (and mounts) made to your exact measurements but they offer such a wide range of frame and mount styles. Admittedly, it can be cheaper to buy mass produced frames elsewhere but choosing that option is so difficult unless your art work is of a standard size but even in that case the choice of frames is usually very limited and they always tend to be relatively bulky as they are not handmade as the ones from eFrame are.
Once you know what print you want to buy it is so easy to tap in the measurements to the eFrame site and get an accurate idea of how much a frame is going to cost for that exact piece so you can budget accordingly.
To mount or not to mount
It can be tricky to know whether or not to use a mount within a frame. Some art pieces look great with mounts and others look much better with just a frame. Generally I would say that smaller pieces look better with a mount as it makes the overall piece bigger and it draws the eye to the art work itself. Larger pieces, especially posters, don’t need a mount as they have enough impact on their own.
You can add more drama to a piece by using a coloured mount or even a black mount but often restraint pays off as an off white mount will makes most pieces look lovely.
eFrame do standard sized framing mounts in lots of different colours as well as custom sized mounts cut to your exact specifications, which is so useful if you have an unusual sized piece. One tip I would give you is to always make your mount 0.5cm smaller than your art work so that it sits comfortably behind the mount and doesn’t fall through the aperture.
I decided to have a mount for this print that Jules bought me for Mother’s Day. I went for a textured rose pink colour to tie in the colours of the print and the colours within Mimi’s room where it hangs. I think this colour makes the art work stand out rather than detracting from it.
On the other hand I just love the simplicity of this frame with no mount and all the focus is on the print itself.
I was considering this frame with a mount for this print as it is a mid sized print so it looks good with or without a mount. However, although I love how fresh it looks with the white mount I just think it stands out more with no mount. What do you think?
For this poster sized print a mount would have been overkill as it is so big already.
Colour and material of frame
When buying new, I am a big fan of slim wooden frames as a rule as I think they are classic and they sit against the wall well without protruding too far (which is a major reason that I hate buying frames from high street shops as they are always so bulky and deep). I also think that wooden frames are preferable to metal ones as wood is softer looking and more elegant.
The choice of colours and textures that eFrame offer is brilliant; from bright primary colours to highly decorative gold frames that would make a vintage or antique piece look amazing. To help you decide what colour to go for it depends on the colours in the art work but also the colours in the room you intend to hang it in. eFrame offer a very handy tool where you can upload an image of your art work and try out the different frames. This is very helpful and I would definitely recommend using it.
Try to pick out a colour within the room that will complement the frame and make it feel a part of the overall interior scheme of that room rather than a random add on.
I chose a beautiful 12mm natural bare wood frame for this print as I knew I wanted to hang it in the bathroom and the bare wood ties in really well with the bathroom door.
I chose exactly the same natural wood frame for this print in my hallway as it ties in with the stripped doors so well.
This print is a bit more kitschy so I chose a moulded gold frame that actually works perfectly with the feel of the piece.
Another point to add is that all these frames are offered by eFrame with Clarity+ premium synthetic glass, which is so much better than real glass in my mind as it makes each frame so much lighter and safer to hang (especially like the one above that is near Mimi’s cot.
I have my eye on a few more pieces that I will get framed and hang very soon and then next up I want to focus on getting some family photographs framed as I have absolutely none up on the walls, which feels sad. I will definitely be using eFrame for that as you can upload the photograph directly on to their site and they print it and frame it for you so it takes all the hassle out of the process – amazing!
Hope this has been helpful and I will keep you up to date with how I do with covering my walls finally!
Katy x
*This post is a paid collaboration with eFrame but all opinions are my own.