How to Choose the Right Frame for Your Artwork: Size, Colour and Light

How to Choose the Right Frame for Your Artwork: Size, Colour and Light, Sorted

Photo submitted by a Mulbury customer

There's a special kind of frustration in standing in your lounge room, holding a print you adore, with no clue what frame won't make it look a bit daggy. We've all done it. (Even those of us who frame things for a crust have a quiet panic now and then — we're just better at hiding it.)

Good news: choosing the right frame isn't about some secret design gene you reckon you missed out on. Knowing how to choose the right frame really comes down to three honest things — size, colour and light. Get those sorted and you're most of the way to a wall that looks like you planned it all along.

By the end of this you'll be able to choose a frame for your artwork without second-guessing yourself. No design degree, no jargon, no worries.

Start with size

Before colour or anything fancy, get the proportions right. The frame should suit both the artwork and the wall it's going on.

Rule of thumb: big walls with high ceilings can carry a chunkier frame, while a small nook or a narrow stretch of hallway wants a slimmer profile. A heavy frame in a tiny spot will overpower everything around it, and a dinky one on a huge wall just looks a bit lost. When in doubt, size the frame to the wall first, the art second.

This is where a mount earns its keep. A mount (some folks call it a 'mat') is the border between your art and the frame, and it pulls double duty: it gives the piece breathing room, and it makes smaller works on paper feel intentional rather than apologetic. Even a few centimetres of white border can turn a modest print into something that looks properly considered.

A quick guide by size:

Small prints and photos: slim frame, generous mount. Let it breathe.
A statement piece: go for a bigger, bolder frame — this is your moment to draw attention.
A gallery wall (or a relaxed salon hang): mix frame sizes, but keep one thing consistent — the timber tone or the mount colour — so it reads as a collection, not a jumble.

When selecting a frame, orientation matters too: a tall frame flatters a portrait, a wide one suits a landscape. A box frame is brilliant for objects with a bit of depth, while a flatter profile suits most paintings. (A canvas on its stretcher can even hang happily without a frame at all — but that's a rebellious choice for another day.)

Choose a colour that works with the room

A photo of our Revival Frames

Think of the frame as a bridge between the artwork and the room, not a competition. The best frame doesn't shout; it lets the piece sit comfortably where it lives.

Warm timber tones bring cosiness and suit snug, lived-in spaces. Lighter, paler timbers feel airy and fresh, gold in a bright room or against white walls. You can match the frame to existing timber (floors, a shelf, the dining table) or deliberately contrast it. Both work: matching feels calm and pulled together, while a coloured frame or a bolder contrast adds a bit of personality.

Here's where natural recycled timber quietly wins. A glossy black frame or stark white frames can look sharp, but they're unforgiving... one clash and the whole thing feels off. An ornate gold number or a heavily ornate finish can tip into "nan's good hallway" if you're not careful (charming, but maybe not the brief). Natural grain is far more relaxed about it. It adds warmth without competing, so your colourful artwork or moody seascape gets to be the star.

One gentle rule: let the subject matter lead. If the art is already busy, keep the frame quiet and honour the artist's intent. If the piece is simple, you've got room to play. And if it's something sentimental — a kid's first painting, a wedding photo — a wood frame with a bit of soul beats a cold, conventional frame every time.

Don't ignore the light

An artwork by one of our resident artist, Kerry Evitts in a Natural Floating Frame

Light changes everything. The same frame reads bright and breezy in a north-facing room and brooding in a dim hallway, so think about where it's actually going before you commit.

Glare is the usual villain. Glossy glass bounces light straight back, with reflections that interfere with viewing the artwork and distract the eye. A few framing options help: low-reflective types of glass cut the shine, and acrylic is a lighter, less fragile pick if you've got little ones or a busy fireplace nearby. A good mount helps too, lifting the art off the glass.

There's a practical side as well. A quality frame with the right glazing and a UV filter will help prevent your art from going to fade in harsh sun. If you're somewhere humid, decent framing keeps humidity, mould and warping at bay — your archival photos and watercolour paintings will thank you. (Damp is the silent killer of treasured things.) And a sturdy frame keeps everything secure when you're hanging works this heavy.

Best tip going: hold a sample against the wall at different times of day before deciding. Natural recycled timber shifts beautifully as the daylight moves — something a flat painted finish simply can't do.

The quick decision shortcut

When in doubt, run this three-step check:

Measure the space; get the gap between the artwork and the wall edges feeling balanced.
Match or contrast the timber tone.
Consider the light and choose your glass.

That's genuinely the whole list of things to consider; the rest is personal taste. Recycled timber suits almost any room because the grain is naturally versatile — it plays nicely with bold canvas pieces, delicate fine art and everything between. (Got a sculpture instead? That's a plinth or artwork stand chat for another day.)

One last thought, because it matters to us: a good frame should last decades, not end up in landfill. Buy once, buy well. The perfect frame isn't the flashiest one — it's the one that holds up and lets your artwork breathe.

At the end of the day, the right frame for your artwork is the one that makes the piece feel like it belongs, as if it was always meant to hang exactly there.

If you'd like a hand, have a browse through Mulbury's recycled timber range, or get in touch about custom sizing. We're framers, not salespeople — happy to help you find something you'll love for years.

Get in touch - we'd love to help you!

To make an enquiry, please head to our Shadow Box Frame page, Custom Framing Page or Floating Frame Page and fill out the form or head straight to our standard size picture frames.

Prefer to pick up the phone? Call us on 03 9532 3424

Email: hello@mulbury.com.au