Mat Styles For Your Picture Frame

Most people viewing art with wider mats feel comfortable with the visual breathing space between the picture frame and the art.  Although once primarily used by art collectors and museums for expensive pieces, these wide mat borders are now used for all kinds of framed art.

The right choice of mat borders is mostly personal preference which may change over time.  It is a good idea, when trying to decide your preference, to look at framed art in magazines, in museums, in other people’s homes, or really anywhere art can be found.

Besides the width of the mat border, there are different styles that have developed over the years, some to suit different styles of art as well as decor.  You can create specific moods for your art by choosing different styles of mat borders.

Single Mat, Equal Borders

The most common, basic mat has equal widths all around and looks great with any type of art.  The color and texture of the matboard’s surface can provide the overall character of the artwork.

Multiple Opening Mat

With this type, which is usually utilized for photographs, multiple openings are cut into one matboard to allow the display of more than one picture, each in its own individual window.  The openings can be a variety of shapes and sizes, or all the same shape and size.  This type of mat can also be used to display collections, like trading cards or stamps.  When including many items in one frame, usually it is better to choose simple frames, such as plain silver plated picture frames or other wood natural picture frames.

Double Layered Mats

A double mat is simply two mats, one on top of the other. A small amount of the bottom mat is revealed in the top mats’ opening, usually from an eighth of an inch up to half an inch.  Usually the mats are two different colors, but that is not necessary.  Visual depth and physical depth are created with this type of mat.  Artwork utilizing a double mat is also considered to be a more finished, professional looking piece.

Weighted Bottom

A slightly extended, or wider, bottom border is what a weighted bottom mat is all about.  Some people believe that it suits the eye well and gives it the feel of a solid base.  This is a very popular style for many types art framing.

Museum Mat

This type of mat has significant borders at the top and sides and a distinctly wider lower border.  Art museums usually use this type of mat to display drawings, engravings, and watercolor paintings, which is where the name comes from.  Museums normally prefer using neutral mats such as white, gray, and off-white, but for use in home decor, some prefer more density in the color of their matting.

Oriental Mat

Meant to mimic the proportions of art on scrolls, this type of mat has two narrow opposite sides, with much wider borders on the two remaining sides.  Usually you will find that the narrow sides are one fourth to one third of the width of the other sides.  This style of mat is usually seen in Asian paintings and art prints, but it also works well with elongated art.

Arched Mats

For a classical, traditional, or even romantic feel, go for a curved arch mat.  This type of mat gives artwork a feeling of antiquity and would be great for vintage photographs.  It’s also a good choice for romantic photos such as from a wedding or anniversary.

Print Mats

With wider sides and a narrow top and bottom, this mat gives a piece of art a contemporary character and is great for prints on oversized pieces of paper.

Oval Mats

If you want an old fashioned or romantic feel, a good choice is a mat with an oval opening.  It is best to center your image in this mat, because the corners of the art will be hidden.  Oval mats are often used to frame wedding pictures, silhouette portraits, and vintage photos.

Fabric Covered Mats

Depth and dimension can easily be added with the texture of a fabric mat.  You can find these covered with many different types of fabrics, including suede, silk, linen, and velvet.

French Mat

The French mat has ink lines surrounding the opening and panels of watercolor washes between the lines.  These can have just two lines with one wash of color, or they can have a series of lines and color panels.

Embellished Mat

You can apply stickers or any other decoration to the surface of a mat, like a simple monogram in one corner or a tiny decorative design on all four corners.  Make your artwork playful or even elegant and formal, depending on what kind of embellishment you choose to do.