How to choose the right mat or mount colours for your picture frames

Matting is framing art with a window mat (also known as 'mount' in the UK and 'passepartout' in Europe) or simply, a mat or mount colours for your picture frames. It's wi dely used with works on paper since this device naturally leads a beholder's or viewer's eye towards and into the framed art, the focus of our attention. Perhaps the foremost aspect to consider in this exercise, is whether a white or off-white mat will suit. Bright whites often dazzle and distract and this is perhaps why off-whites tend to be more often chosen. These colour tints are neutral and versatile, tend not to not compete with the subject matter, and generally suit most images, photo frames and picture frames.

Other neutral colours such as greys, beiges or creams. These do not draw attention to themselves and are serve to highlighting the art at the centre of the mat. Off-white mats have an elegant, sophisticated, timeless look that has never gone out of style and in most all cases will complement the artwork. If a secondary, bright or accent colour is to be introduced, then do consider a double mat. To find the right colour or colours, just look at you picture or the art to be matted.

Charcoal drawings have dark greys and blacks, outdoor watercolour scenes typically have mid-greens in them, seascapes have mid-blues, floral still lives can have bright pinks and reds, and so. Just choose a colour which is bold and self- evident in the image being matted and framed. Typically that would consist of an off-white as the top mat and a bright colour underneath it, as the second or bottom mat. In a double mat the off white would more commonly be, perhaps a 75mm width, and the accent colour, a thin, 5 mm width.

How you can match the colours to the artwork is a matter of taste but whatever colours are chosen these should never detract or overpower the beholder's attention from the image to the mat. Another important aspect to consider is whether the art has cool or warm tones as in the picture framing and matting sample image combination here. Both cool and warm combinations suit the picture and either picture framing arrangement will be correct and colour-balanced.

One good colour design rule is not to try to make the mat or mats match the wall paint colours. You can try it if you like, but it just doesn't work. Our eyes need a break or colour demarcation which will separate the wall from the framed picture, it's that simple. Proportions are also important. A weighted or heavy-bottom mat was also quite a common design though not so much nowadays. That meant that the bottom of the mat is bigger than the sides and top.

This design served to raise the horizon in the beholder's view thus harmonizing the visual balance when viewing the framed art hung on a wall. A good rule-of-thumb in deciding the size of the mat is that the its width should be 2 to 3 times the width of the picture framed. Lastly, and even if your artwork isn't valuable, the brand of the mat should be acid-free. These boards aren't that much more expensive than cheap production boards and are the very minimum of acceptable matting standards.

Cheaper acidic boards made from untreated lignin cardboard pulp will stain and damage your art with time. If unsure, ask your picture framer to help you with the mats and picture frame selection as it's part of the framing consultation. For custom picture frames pricing with or withour window mats go to our Prices Estimates for D.Y.O. prices. Thank you for reading this post "How to choose the right mat or mount colours for your picture frames".