How to choose a frame for a painting

Most people choose a frame by thinking about their sofa or their wall colour. We understand why, but the frame belongs to the painting, and a painting usually moves house more often than people expect. So we start with the work.

First, look at the edges of the painting. An oil on canvas with a strong painted edge often needs no glass and only a slim floater frame, which leaves a small gap and lets the canvas sit forward. A watercolour or drawing on paper needs a mount, glass and a deeper rebate to hold it flat.

Next, colour. A frame that matches the strongest colour in the painting tends to fight with it. We usually pick a frame from the darkest or the most neutral tone in the work: a dark teak for an ochre landscape, a pale ash for a cool grey seascape. Gold works with older styles and with ink drawings, in a thin fillet rather than a heavy moulding.

Then width. A small work often looks better with a wider mount and a slim frame, which gives it room to breathe. A large canvas needs a frame strong enough to hold it square, at least 3 cm. Finally, hold three options against the work in daylight. It is almost always clear which one is right within a minute.