Design Lesson: How To Mat Art

My sweet husband made me a pair of these for Christmas: (ignore the protective cardboard covers)

It is so handy having a live-in custom framer!  He used this frame from our bedroom as inspiration:

and he's leaving me to choose the art and matting.  Smart boy!  One of the most common mistakes I see when it comes to framing is the use of too small of mat board.  A general rule of thumb is to have the matting twice the width of the frame.  If you have a chunky 3" frame have 6" of mat board surrounding your art.  But you don't have to stop there!  Check out this beauty:

The larger the mat board, the greater the emphasis on the art.  Isn't that what it's all about?  The one place I feel it's alright to break this rule, though, is when you have a gallery wall full of art.  Some can be heavily matted and others, not at all.  This is a great way to add variety to your collection.

"A piece of art cheaply framed or with wrong proportions and scale can detract enormously from the piece. I know it can be expensive, but if you’ve already invested in the art, you should finish it properly. It’s like buying a wonderful dress and wearing it with cheap, wrong shoes."  -Vincente Wolf

Yet again, another element I MUST have in my future home: a hallway chock-full of black and white photography. Tres chic!

The moral of the story?  Don't be timid or chintzy when it comes to matting your photos!  Be daring and make that artwork POP! 

Stay tuned for the finished product of my Christmas frames!  I'm off to find the perfect black and white prints...

{images via Canadian House and Home, Houzz, Pottery Barn and Vincente Wolf}