The Maximalist Picture Frame Trend That Will Elevate Your Gallery Wall

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Staring at the formerly perfect gallery wall you so carefully curated and arranged, you feel a twinge of dissatisfaction. It's been hanging up a while and is itching for an upgrade that doesn't take a lot of work or money. Whether you've jumped into the deep end of maximalist decor or you're gingerly dipping your toes into the trend, giving the frames on your gallery wall a dose of color has the potential to transform your room without a lot of effort.

Influencers across the interwebs are giving their frames the polychrome treatment, sharing color combinations that revived formerly tired wall displays. At least two solid colors that complement the art you'll be showcasing are at the core of this idea. One of the best aspects of this trend is that even the most basic, budget frames shine with well-chosen hues.

The cost of spray paint can add up, especially if you've fallen for several colors. Wall paint samples from home improvement stores come at a low price and typically provide enough tint to cover an average frame with at least a few coats. If you're going for a real color bonanza and have a few other painting projects in mind, invest in a set of acrylic paints that comes highly recommended for painting crafts, especially wood. This Apple Barrel Acrylic Craft Paint Set comes with 18 colors that range from neutral to bold and all have matte finishes.

One of the best things about maximalism is that matching isn't all that important. Any hues that strike your fancy can come together to perk up the frames on your gallery wall. For this budget-friendly art hack, pick a grouping of colors that complement each other well (like all pastels or classic crayon colors). Divide up your art collection and paint an equal number of frames each color that you can intermix on your wall. Make your look cohesive by choosing matching finishes for all of the paints, since a glossy look on one frame with a matte one on another might not pair well.

If you're worried that your choice of colors might look unplanned or hodgepodge, opt for a collection of colors that appear in the actual artwork. However, instead of using an artwork's color on its own frame, borrow the color from one piece of art to coat the frame of another. Take inspiration from the video above, where two drawings from a series are unified even further by swapping their feature colors. One print sports a pop of pink and the other a splash of yellow; each frame picks up the other artwork's feature color to tie the gallery wall together.