Breathe New Life Into An Old Picture Frame With A Quick And Easy DIY Upgrade

Photo and art frames are one of the most accessible places to try out new design trends, and this particular DIY will transform a boring picture frame into a statement piece with a quick design trick: paint — Not just painting the frame, however. This particular use of bold colors in your home is another version of the color saturation trend. It invites you to paint everything — frame backing and all — to create an intense, fashion-forward backdrop for your favorite art.

Color drenching is no doubt a growing sensation. It can also be an intimidating one. Painting everything in the room the same color? Even the ceiling? — Bringing that style to a single piece in your room, like a picture frame or collection of them, is a great way to modernize your space without the deep pocket commitment. Not only are photo and art frames easy to come by, but when you're painting the whole thing, you can take a looser approach to the style of the frame and mat to focus more on what will best complement the art. Which, of course, is the primary goal of all art framing.

How to update a frame to the color drenching style

With this upgrade, choosing the right frame for your art becomes almost secondary. Primarily, you'll want to concern yourself with size in relation to your art. Then, it's time for color. Go for one that is complimentary, meaning it is on the opposite side of the color wheel from the color you'd like to highlight in your art piece. Then, get a can of spray paint and begin by disassembling your frame.

Once you've removed the glass, you'll want to lay out your frame and its backing for painting. Give both a couple of even coats of spray paint, letting the paint dry completely between coats. Be sure to paint the inside edges of the frame as well. When everything is dry, reassemble your frame — but with the mat and glass behind the backing. Now, you can mount your art piece directly onto the painted backing that's exposed in the center of your frame.

Of course, you could just mount your art to the backing and then cover it with the glass as you normally would. However, this will change the look because of the sheen of the glass. Additionally, you may be tempted to set the glass aside altogether, but this will change the depth of the space behind your art and destabilize the framing a bit. Rather, you'll want to reinsert the glass in the back of your frame, behind the backing, to ensure that the closure on the back fits snugly. All that's left is to hang your bold, color-saturated art piece and enjoy.

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