Finally! A metal frame guide to help you answer all your questions. Today, we will be covering size differences, color options, and giving you plenty of metal picture frame ideas. As you know, we provide our customers with high-quality, affordable frames that are completely customizable. We have tons of options for you to create your perfect, custom frame for your home.
All of our metal picture frames are made out of aluminum, through a process called “extrusion” that’s either anodized or powder-coated, which are processes to create a decorative, durable, and corrosion-resistant finish.
Between all of our metal frame styles, there are many different colors to choose from — metallic options like silver, gold, black, and rose gold, to bright colorful frames in hot pink, red, blue, purple, and green. Whether you choose to design all of your frames using the same color for a uniform look or mix and match your frames to create an eye-catching display, we will be going over some options for choosing the best frames for your space. Maybe mixing and matching is the best option? Let’s find out more!
Our Metal frames have room for artwork up to 1/4″ thick. (This includes matting, so if your frame has a single mat the artwork shouldn’t exceed 3/16″ thick and if it is double matted the artwork shouldn’t exceed 1/8″ thick.) The spring clips that hold your art into the frame will adjust perfectly as long as your art doesn’t exceed this thickness.
Why Choose Metal Picture Frames?
Sleek & Durable Design
- Slim, modern profile — perfect for minimalist spaces
- Durable finishes that resist chips, scratches, and everyday wear
- Offers a true metallic look you won’t get with wood
Strong & Reliable
- Won’t warp or twist over time — stays straight and sturdy
- A great option for humid areas like bathrooms or kitchens
Archival & Art-Safe
- Aluminum is an inert material — it won’t release chemicals or damage your art
- Ideal for preserving meaningful pieces and keepsakes long-term
Flexible Hanging Options
- Adjustable hardware makes it easy to tweak height after hanging
- Great for creating gallery walls or art groupings
- Works with secure hanging systems for peace of mind
Satin vs. Gloss Metal Frame Finishes
First, let’s talk about the difference between our Satin and Gloss finish frames. These variations are offered in Black, Silver, and Gold. While the verbiage might be self-explanatory to some, we figured we’d go over the differences in how they look — just so you have a better idea of what you’re getting.
Our gloss option is the shinier variation. If you’re looking for a classic look, it’s not quite that glossy, but it is a good in-between; if you’re looking for a color that’s shinier than our satin, but isn’t quite chrome, a gloss color would be a good pick for you.
Then you have our satin finish, which offers a more contemporary look with a matte finish. Our Satin finish frames would be perfect for those modern and minimalistic styles.
Shop our Metal Frames in Silver
Metal Picture Frames in Silver
Silver metal frames are a timeless choice—sleek, sophisticated, and versatile enough to pair with just about any artwork or décor. Whether you’re looking for something modern or classic, our wide variety of silver styles offers plenty of inspiration. Our most popular options, Ashford and Hanover, are minimalist at just 3/8″ wide, letting your art take center stage. Ashford features a flat profile, while Hanover has a rounded edge—small differences that can make a big impact depending on your style.
For a bolder look, our Bradford and Stafford frames are the largest in our metal collection, with 1″ and 1 1/2″ profile widths, respectively. While their shapes are similar, Stafford adds a bit more heft. These styles are perfect for oversized pieces like family portraits, office signage, or even framed flags. With their substantial presence, they’re designed to stand out and elevate your display.
Metal Picture Frames in Gold
When you think of gold, you likely think of victory, royalty, or something else of high prestige. This is why gold picture frames are so popular! Chances are, if you’re planning on framing something on your wall, you hold what you want to display in high regard. It could be an award, a certificate, or it could be a diploma, or a nice photo of you and your closest friends all dressed up.
So let’s take a look at all the gold frames we have, and what they might be best for.
Hanover Frame In Satin and Gloss Gold
Let’s start with the Hanover style. The satin gold is a lighter shade, and it’s more matte. The satin has a more contemporary look, while the gloss has a more classic look — so choose which you would like best! We also have photos of all our colors and profiles on our Instagram page, if you want to get a better idea of what they look like.
That said, our Hanover frame is thin, only 3/8″ thick when looking at them from straight ahead. This makes it a minimalistic frame great for someone who wants their art to be more prominent when displaying it. If you want to give your frame a thin golden halo to make it shine on your wall, the Hanover might be your best bet!
As we mentioned, the Ashford frame is similar to the Hanover frame. There are two main differences: it’s slightly more expensive, and it’s flat in the front rather than rounded. This difference is subtle, but it makes a big difference in your display.
The Ashford frame in gold would be great for wedding or engagement photos since it can add that tasteful look to your photos. Consider framing your first dance photo or a photo of the two of you in front of the sunset in either our Satin Gold or Gloss Gold Ashford frame style.
Black Metal Frame Styles
Black picture frames are great for creating a bold look on your walls that are elegant and tasteful. They also match with pretty much any decor style or color you choose for your home, so if you decide to switch up your decor in a few years, you won’t need to order new frames to match!
Ashford and Hanover Frames in Satin or Gloss Black
If you’ve been on our site, you’ll know that our Ashford and Hanover are our two most affordable metal frame styles.
In black, these frames are great with movie posters. They almost have that feel of the old movie theater frames — the ones that always advertised the upcoming pictures coming to that cinema. Have some movie posters you want to frame? If so, Ashford or Hanover in black could be the right color and style combo for you.
Shop our Black Metal Picture Frames
So what are these frame styles good for? Well, if you have a sign at work — something that you want everyone to see — either of these would be a good option. Because they are metal, too, they can accommodate our maximum “Art Size,” which is 42″ X 62″.
White Metal Frame Styles
We offer two sleek metal picture frame styles: Ashford (flat profile) and Hanover (rounded profile) — both perfect for modern, minimalist displays.
Colorful Picture Frames
Our assortment of vibrant frames will bring life to any cherished memories or artwork you want to display. These frame options will let your personality shine!
Colorful metal picture frames are a bold, modern way to add personality to your home décor. Available in vibrant hues like red, blue, or green, these frames can bring energy to any space while still offering the sleek lines of metal. They’re perfect for framing playful art prints, kids’ artwork, travel photos, or even vintage posters. Whether you’re brightening up a gallery wall or adding a pop of color to a neutral room, colorful metal frames make your favorite pieces stand out in style.
Either frame color would be the perfect choice for your colorful art. What better way to display a bright and fun colored piece of art than with a bright ring around it? If you’ve been to our Learning Center before, you know that we are big fans of colorful art. What better way to add some depth to your neutral-colored walls than with some colorful art? And both of these metal frame ideas would be a great addition to your piece.
Framing Things All Together
As you can see, there are tons of options when it comes to choosing the perfect metal frame for your home, but don’t let that limit you to just one! Why not mix and match a few (or all!) different frame styles? We hope this post helped you narrow down your choices and find the best option for your space!
Once you’ve figured out which frame style and color is the best for your home, head over to our Frame Designer to start creating your custom frames.
As always, if you put any of our metal frame ideas into practice, be sure to share them with us on social media so we can see what amazing things you created with your decor.
Want to be one of our Featured Friends? We will share your photo in our weekly email for all our framing friends to see. Join our mailing list and send your photos to creative@frameiteasy.com with the subject “Featured Friends” and tell us why you love Frame It Easy!
