Examples of framing
Here is an example of some timeless framing vs some dated framing from my own house. There are four pictures here on my hallway wall which were framed in about 1999. That was the year when I travelled around Europe and when I came home, I had these artworks framed up. They were collected from street artists I came across.
Dated matting
At least one of these pictures is obviously framed in the 90s. Can you pick which one? I personally think that the yellow matt dates the photo to the 1990s when yellow was a popular wall colour. This is a picture of Avignon on in France which I bought from a lady on a walkway selling her artwork. It was the most expensive of the four artworks here and is a very beautiful picture. The frame is a very orange rimu wood colour. If you are not a New Zealander, Rimu is a much loved NZ native wood but is very orange in colour especially when stained. These two things date the framing to the 1990s. It’s one saving grace is that the frame is not very wide and has a slightly more square look.
Also a bit dated
The picture of the Spanish steps also has a slightly dated frame. The silver tone of the frame is a little bit more old world. This look was also popular in the 1990s. At least the matt is white which is a classic timeless colour. There is a touch of blue matt also to pick out the blue in the painting. I find this acceptable and could be done today.
Orange Rimu Look
The third picture is of the Bridge of Sighs which has a very large wide rimu coloured frame. The matt is mainly white. This is good. The inside Matt though is maroon which is again a very 1990s look. All three of these paintings are matted in a standard way with even card on all four sides.
What I think is timeless framing
The last picture is the most timeless of them all. It could have being framed yesterday or in the 1960s who knows. It will never date. When I first had it framed at Eco Frame and Mirror in Christchurch I thought their bottom heavy matt idea was weird. At this stage I had not taken up photography so seriously and didn’t understand the power of a bottom heavy matt. When I went to pick it up I absolutely adored the wooden grey frame which will never date. And the plain white matt with the image high in the composition.
A timeless image
The fact that this image is black-and-white also adds to its timelessness. It is an image I would proudly hang on any wall and any room and enjoy looking at for a long time. The scene is Amsterdam and the canals with plenty of bicycles and it shows the top of the buildings which are usually very ornate. I bought this from a man on the side of the road. My travelmate was from Auckland – we were both on a Contiki Tour. She wanted to buy the artwork but he had a deal, buy two and save money. She convinced me to buy one with her, even though I wasn’t in love with the image at the time. It is now my absolute favourite painting.
A neutral frame
The wood is grey which never really dates and the stain is timeless. There is no glossy stain or heavy bright coloured wood. It is a square frame with no ornamentation and it would easily go into a cottage or in New York loft and look stylish in both. When it comes to photography, black-and-white family photos can be framed in the same style and look very stunning on the wall. If you combine classic clothing and hairstyles with classic black-and-white photography and classic framing you will never want to take it down from your wall.
A neutral frame can be black or white or a very neutral wood. I have some lovely neutral frames for framing my photography with plain white matts. Hopefully these are timeless and will not date!
If you would like a black-and-white photography session and some classic framing please let me know.