This Colorful Trick Is How Cool People Frame Their Pictures These Days

Collecting photos, postcards, and mementos is easy, but what's sometimes harder is finding stylish ways of memorializing these treasures. A photo album is nice, but will you ever actually open it? A gallery wall could work, but they often look uncool. That's where the latest "unique framing" trend comes in; considering not only the size and shape of your frame, but it's won style, too.

"Unique framing is a great way to give your space personality," Taylor Simon, a Brooklyn-based interior decorator, tells me. "It modernizes something traditional and adds a bit of 'form' to something that's primarily 'function.'"

And it means no more settling for the matboard that comes with the frame. No, it's time to create your own; one that colorfully complements or carefully contrasts the print, picture, or piece framed within it, bringing your gallery wall ideas to life in an artful way.

Taylor Simons

Taylor Simon is a Brooklyn-based interior decorator servicing clients in person and virtually. Taylor has designed a range of interiors in New York, San Francisco, Austin, and more. Sourcing mostly vintage and second-hand pieces, she creates refined homes that feel collected and personal.

So what makes "unique framing" an interior design trend worth taking note of? Taylor Simon describes it as an easy elevation. "It's about putting in a little extra effort on things that people normally overlook," she says. "It's the small details that catch someone's eye that make a space feel really well-designed."

When you spend time carefully deciding how your photos will live on the walls, it helps your space feel unique and true to you. Sam Livingston, founder of For Living, adds, "It’s also refreshing to see the art day after day knowing I chose the color schemes and layouts I genuinely liked versus having gone with the traditional white matboards that come with most frames."

Rather than just hanging a picture, taking sentimental photos or keepsakes that one step further and customizing how they’re displayed makes them feel more like finished art pieces over something you could purchase anywhere.

"Even if you’re not buying the most expensive frames in the world, working with colorful mat boards and unique layouts that speak to you is a simple way to make your art feel more high-end," adds Sam.

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How to Create Your Own Unique Frames

When I see a DIY custom picture frame, I have to give it a shot, and this project is honestly even easier than it seems.

"I love a monochrome matt and frame," says Taylor. "It feels cohesive and intentional, and becomes more of an art piece in itself rather than just what it's framing." Just like an outfit, a monochrome color scheme is an easy way to make a piece feel playful but still cohesive.

Layered mat boards, off-centered framing, and monochrome colors are the styles that instantly caught my eye, and I found you can easily combine all three.

From there, all you need to complete the project are frames in varying sizes, mat boards and paint in the colors of your choosing (I drew my inspiration from the latest color trends), something to cut the mat board with (this craft knife and board set from Amazon would work), and tape.

Step-by Step Guide

• Make Your Plan: Sort out which unique framing idea you want to try and decide what photo or memento will go in each frame.
• Pick a Color Scheme: Picking a color scheme is crucial to your unique framing ideas being an artistic moment in your home. Think about what colors match your interior design style, and color combinations that work well together.
• Prep Your Frames: If I learned anything from this DIY, it's that if you plan to paint your frames, paint them while the glass and art are out of the frame. You don't want to ruin your creation with wet paint marks.
• Measure and Cut Your Mat Boards: No matter which idea you choose, measuring where you will cut your mat board is a must-do step. You want your mat board to frame your picture perfectly, which means the hole you cut in the mat board needs to be slightly smaller than the picture that will go in it. This way you can easily tape the photo in place without any unwanted gaps.
• Assemble: Once all the pieces are in place, all that is left to do is assemble.

Shop the DIY

Whether you choose to go with a chic monochrome palette or multiple matt-board layers, perfecting the unique framing look is all about keeping things minimalist but creative.

"This unique way of framing makes anything you’re framing feel more exciting and original," says Sam. "I framed a receipt from the Picasso Museum in France. It’s something I could’ve easily thrown away, but was the only physical object I had from a great day — cropping in on it and pairing it with a punchy red mat added some interest to an ordinary piece of paper."

It all goes back to that idea of making your keepsakes feel like one-of-a-kind pieces.