“Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch…”
OK, in all seriousness, have you ever found a great piece of art you love, but the frame is not your style? Or have you seen a stunning frame, but the art was terrible? Reframing vintage art is the perfect trick to fix this problem.
Finding vintage (or quality) artwork from the thrift shop that checks all the boxes is rare. The solution? Buy the art and frames you love as separate pieces, then play matchmaker!
Reframing Vintage Art Video
If you’re like me you enjoy adding personality and dimension to your walls with art. Knowing how enjoyable art is, keeping an eye out for good pieces every time I’m thrifting or at an antique store has paid off.
For a long time, I would pass up wonderful pieces of art because the frame didn’t go with my style at all. Or sometimes I would find an amazing frame and wish it held a good piece of art.
It can seem intimidating at first to try mixing and matching art with frames. You may wonder: If I buy a piece of art I like will I ever find a frame that really works with it? Or, if I bring home the perfect frame how will I know what piece of art to put inside it? Then there are mats and glass to consider as well…
It is not as difficult as it seems and I’d love to share my 8 best tips for matching art with frames.
Tip #1 Look at artwork as separate pieces.
We naturally look at a piece of art as one whole unit, and when done well this is the end goal. The frame, artwork, and mat all blend together as a smoothly unified piece. This is how the art is supposed to work when it’s hung on our walls, but when shopping at a thrift store it is better to think of the pieces separately.
Before you pass on something you’re not crazy about, ask yourself if you might actually love the art if it were framed differently. Or, consider the frame by itself and you might realize it goes perfectly with your style. Reframing the art doesn’t have to be intimidating.
For example: Matt surprised me with this painting (above) one day and while I love the painting I felt the frame was too dark and heavy.
I kept an eye out at the thrift store and this narrow, gold frame with a linen mat showed up for $1.25! It was the perfect match for this painting. The overall feeling of the painting was lightened and lifted with the more delicate frame. The gold color of the frame is much more suited to the color and style of the painting.
Tip #2 Develop an eye for seeing art and frames paired differently.
The first tip is about seeing things separately. This tip is about imagining those separate pieces paired with other pieces. It’s not always easy to imagine a piece of art in a different frame. One of my favorite methods in training my eye is to use Pinterest to collect loads of pictures of art that I like.
Next is to study how those pieces are commonly framed and what looks appealing. Below is an example of a cross stitch rose in a very 1980’s style frame. Re-framing it in a vintage frame with green and gilded colors somehow makes the rose look more elegant.
For more examples of English country style artwork, explore my Cozy English Gallery Wall board on Pinterest!
Tip #3 Changing the size of your art
Sometimes you need to minimize a piece of art. Other times you’ll want to expand or emphasize a piece. I wanted to simplify the sketch of the Scottie dog above.
Originally this piece was much larger, but by trimming off the excess paper from this sketch it then fit easily into this simple vintage frame. This technique can work well for sketches, prints, watercolors, or any pictures with wide margins.
If you are wanting to expand a piece of art you can simply add a wide mat, double mats, or a thicker frame.
Tip #4 Change the frame color
Sometimes the only thing wrong with a frame is its color. Fortunately this is not difficult to fix. A little spray paint for a custom color, or rub-n-buff for a gilded touch can transform the look of a frame to perfectly fit your style. This is a simple, inexpensive DIY project.
This set of vintage monument prints leaped out at me from the thrift store shelf. I am gathering pieces for a gallery wall over Matt’s desk in the study and this set is ideal for that. The gallery will include ships, maps, and buildings. The prints in the orange-y 1980’s oak frames look a bit dated, but if you take a peek at the video, you’ll see a simple update with satin black spray painted frames.
Now these elegant vintage prints have a classic English vibe! I also replaced the regular glass with non-glare glass from the thrift shop. The entire project was about $10!
Tip #5 Frames can hang either way.
This may seem obvious, but it is easy to miss. The frame you love may currently have some art displayed in the landscape orientation. If you haven’t found a piece of art that will go with it, try something with a portrait orientation. By thinking outside the box you might be surprised that you have the perfect piece of art already on hand.
Tip #6 Save the mat
You may be tempted to toss or donate the mats that come with your frames, but I recommend keeping them. Mats are expensive and since they usually come in standard sizes they are likely to fit a frame you have or may find in the future. If you don’t care for the color of the mat, spray paint can change that too!
Here is another example of a great antique frame found separately from the vintage, moody lithograph. They seemed like a good pair to me!
With two mats saved from another piece of art the separate pieces came together well.
Tip #7 A mat can unify a grouping.
You may be trying to group a collection of artwork for a gallery wall, but it isn’t quite coming together. In this case, try pulling a color you like that is found in all the art and add a mat to those pieces that are giving you the most trouble. This may be all that is needed to pull the whole look together.
Tip #8 Get an art hanging kit and paper cutter.
If you really love art (and I do!) having the right tools on hand can make re-framing vintage art a breeze. These kits are great because they have everything you need in one place. A good kit should include:
- Several different types of hangers for artwork.
- Wire for hanging the art.
- Assorted nails and hooks for fastening the art to the wall.
- A paper cutter for trimming the actual art, and mats.
These two pieces were thrifted probably a year apart for about $10 each.
Once they were paired you’d never guess the pair weren’t designed for each other and for a total cost of about $20!
Conclusion
If you want to create that personalized, curated look in the art you display in your home (on a budget), then reframing vintage art is the way to go. Antique, or vintage art is a great way to express your design style and elevate the look of your home.
Once you master pairing vintage art with the perfect frame you will have an affordable way to curate a wonderful, uniquely personal art collection.
If you already have a good art collection going and are wondering how to hang your art, consider reading our post on creating the perfect English gallery wall.
Until next time, take care.
Rachel
