Ideas for Using Picture Frames to Decorate Your Home

You have just moved in to a new home or have finished repainting your house. Or, you may be thinking about giving your living room a new look. The question is, what do you do with the newly-painted walls? How about your empty coffee table or shelves? Our answer: do it with picture frames!

Picture frames are not just useful for displaying your family pictures. It can also have a number of interesting decorative applications. Here are some of them:

• Use a picture frame to hold a mirror. Provide a quick trip back in time by having your visitor look into his “portrait” on a vintage picture frame. The shape of the mirrored frame can also have an impact on the overall look and feel of the room. You can use a round or oval picture frame with the mirrors to expand your space and yet soften the sharp corners of the room. You can choose solid wood finishing for a rustic or cozy look. If you want a more glitzy take, consider using frames with gold or silver finishing.
• Frame your flat screen TV. If your den or living room has a television that sort of disrupts the overall character of the room, use a rectangular antique picture frame to give your TV a classic look. This makes your TV a piece of “art in motion” that matches the rest of your traditional décor.
• Use empty frames. Empty frames can make an empty wall look visually interesting and even attractive. You can take a number of empty frames (all of the same color or shade) and arrange them into a funky wall statement. You can even try doing a “frame within the frame” design within this wall installment. You can use frames of the same shape but different sizes. For instance, you can place an empty round picture frame inside a bigger round picture frame. You can also experiment with different-shaped frames – a round frame inside a square frame or a round frame inside an oval frame.
• Frame themed silhouettes or cutouts. You can frame whimsical silhouettes of people, animals and things. You can also use a related background for the matting or the mounting board. If you love butterflies, make multiple cutouts of these lovely insects from different types of paper and mount these in various configurations on the frames. For the kitchen wall, you can get cutouts of pots and pans and other cooking utensils. You can mount these silhouettes on a background that features recipes from an old cookbook. To make this idea work, use similar frames. These can be of different sizes but should be the same shapes, design and color.
• Display nature. Do you want to relive that unforgettable holiday by the beach? Get a shadow box frame to display the shell or that collection of colored pebbles and pieces of driftwood you picked up by the shore. Another way to display nature is to get several twigs (which you can paint or leave as is), evenly spread them out on the frame and attach the ends on the opposite sides of the frame.
• Picture frames on the coffee table. Highlight a favorite coffee table book by taking an empty frame (without the glazing) and using the frame as a tray where you can lay down the book. This adds a more dramatic element to drawing your visitor’s eye to the book.

Picture frames can be a great design element for any room. These can brighten the room and bring a personal touch that makes it uniquely yours, a reflection of your taste and interests. However, before you begin, think of the overall look you want to achieve in the room and use the ideas below in such a way that your décor complements your room.