Picture Frames for Your Contemporary Style Living Spaces

The contemporary approach to interior decorating emphasizes simplicity and an uncluttered look. This interior decorating style does away with curios, knick-knacks and bric-a-bracs. However, this does not mean totally empty walls – you can still use picture frames when you do your decorating. It just means that you need to be subtle about the placement and use of the frames, as well as choose frame designs that can serve as the focal point or that can blend with the rest of the decorative elements.

Gold corner gallery. Rather than placing a gallery at the main wall, choose a corner spot to place a set of matching and contemporary gold picture frames. Then, add some subtle lighting so that it can draw the eyes to that part of the room. A suitable theme for this corner gallery would be landscapes and modern-themed artwork. With this, you can leave the rest of the walls blank.

Black and white gallery. Black and white gives off a very modern vibe that you can easily match with the rest of the decorative elements in a room. Print your favorite photos in black and white. Frame these photos using simple black frames and wide white matting. Then, hang these frames using a grid layout. Another option would be to take rectangular and square picture frames in varying sizes and hang the frames in a variation of the grid style – where the overall gallery display still looks tight and tidy. Using black frames with white matting borders provides the display with a coherent and “put-together” look.

Silver display. Animal print fabrics, modern prints and photographs in black and white can pop with an all-black wall if these are placed in silver picture frames, preferably ones that feature straight and simple lines. The frames provide the “silver lining” that effectively delineates the black and white prints with the black wall. With the proper lighting, the effect can be quite stunning.

Framed LCD TV. Give a whimsical touch to a strictly modern interior design by adding an antique picture frame to your flat LCD TV. For a more fanciful look, choose a frame with ornate woodwork design and a glossy white finish. The frame can do double duty by hiding unsightly cables and cords.

Multi-canvas photos in floating frames. If you have a favorite photo that has a high resolution, you can consider getting it printed section by section. Have this printed in canvas and then stretch the strips of canvas into a wood base. Then, hang the picture strip by strip.

Empty picture frames. Combine empty antique and modern picture frames in the same sizes. You can arrange smaller frames inside the bigger ones. Experiment with various placements – smaller frames centered or placed at one side of the bigger frames. It is best to work with frames with the same shade – gold, silver or white.

Small picture frames. Instead of using large picture frames, you can make use of smaller ones for a more structured look. These can be photos of you and your family or modern prints. You can group a few of the frames together or you can distribute the frames around the room so that you encourage the viewer’s eyes to go around the room. You can also group the frames around a focal point such as a television for balance.