When you search for advice on how to frame any art print or photograph, the advice is guaranteed to be along the lines of choosing a frame that compliments the art or photograph.
A missing component that cannot be ignored is to factor in the environment the frame will be displayed.
The correct way to frame prints properly is to choose something that enhances the artwork, presents it well, and protects it within the environment it will be hung.
The reason the environment has to be considered is that some materials are unsuitable in high humidity environments, such as hanging frames in a bathroom.
In rooms where humidity is high, framing is best done with an aluminium frame profile rather than wood. When a wood frame is left for long enough in high humidity, it will eventually warp. The protection offered to art will decrease with time. That is why when the moisture content is high, valuable prints should not be put on display. The safer option is to make a copy of the artwork, then put that on display.
Framing for presentation
It is natural to want your art to stand out, but it ought to do that in the right way; not stand out in a room for all the wrong reasons. To help incorporate artwork into your environment, consider matching the style to your existing furnishings.
As an example, in a room when the wood mouldings are all dark mahogany with Rococo style furniture and similarly styled period wall panels to display the art, then the choice of frame will be restrictive. It would likely require an ornate frame in either gold, bronze or brown to blend in with the surrounding furnishings and overall theme of the interior decor. A smoothly finished white wood frame would likely look out of place, making the art stand out for the wrong reasons.
To really capture the décor theme, pay close attention to the various frame mouldings available. Each is unique in multiple ways, and it is not limited to the colour or the material. How the frame mouldings are cut and finished can contribute to how the frame looks once on display.
Have a look at the furniture in the room the art will be displayed paying attention to the finishes. Are the corners sharp or rounded? Is the wood smoothly finished, is there a decorative dado rail, a period moulding or perhaps even a period panel to display art on?
Frames are often chosen based on the colour alone. Even just matching the shade to the rest of a room may not be enough. A smooth finished dark stained wood frame will look drastically different from a period moulding with rounded corners.
The last piece of the framing puzzle is the mount board for gallery frames. These are added for protection as well as presentation. For artwork, the most common shade is an off-white mount board. The reason is that neutral colours tend to work well with anything. The same cannot be said for frame mouldings. The finer details of the picture frame mouldings can make all the difference.