It will come as no surprise that the most common shape of picture frame is the rectangle. There are quite a few more though, and that variety of shape lends itself well for creating unique displays.
Depending on the size of the photos you’re framing, there may be some manipulating required to get your prints to fit into a frame. As an example, there are hexagon photo frames available to buy, but with something as unique as that, you would definitely have some print trimming to do to get your prints to fit.
There are common shaped photo frames you can use to either add a uniqueness to a print or to put together a varied display using a selection of mixed shape frames.
3 Common Shapes for Photo Frames and When You May Want to Use Them
The Oval Photo Frame
Oval picture frames are often of the ornate swept and decorative option that’s suited to portraits of people. They’re able to stand out very well on their own without much surrounding them. These are suited to wall displays in sitting rooms and are an excellent choice for entranceways and staircases to add a little character. In terms of sizes, these are available in small enough sizes for tabletop displays up to large sizes suited for over mantel, and focal point sized frames for sitting rooms, hallways and dining rooms.
The Circular Photo Frame
Round frames are ideal for children’s play areas and nurseries given there are no sharp edges, and it’s even safer when acrylic glazing is used to ensure nothing shatters if the frame were to accidentally fall from the wall.
Asides from having a great use in children’s bedrooms and play areas, they can also add a unique look to a gallery display or a group of frames by introducing a different shape to any part of your collection.
The Square Photo Frame
10” x 10” and 8” x 8” are common square photo frame sizes although there are smaller frames available suitable for Instagram size photographs. Where these can really excel is when used creatively for craft projects such as framing a feather, dry-pressed flowers or framing other flat objects.
Vary Your Shapes with Mounts to Prevent Destroying Prints
While there’s a lot can be done with different shapes of photo frames, in a lot of cases, to use the frames, you would need to manipulate the original print, usually by trimming it to the shape of the frame. Naturally, anything that’s of any value, monetary or sentimental, you want to preserve.
You can be creative with shapes and still preserve your prints by using standard shaped photo frames and trimming the mount board instead.
By trimming the board into a heart shape, oval or even star shape, you can get creative inside the frame without having to take a craft knife or scissors to your original print just to get it into a unique style of frame to help it stand out.