You have so many frames that there is no room left to space them neatly along the walls or down the staircase. They all deserve to be hung, so the answer is a whole wall of art. The trouble is that the frames are different shapes, sizes and colours, and what's in them doesn't go together either.
Should you embrace the mismatch, or reframe everything to match? Should it all be one medium, or anything goes?
The case for matching
A neatly matched wall may simply please you more. In a cleanly decorated room it keeps the simple look while adding character.
- Same shape. Frames of the same shape, even in different sizes, slot together neatly, particularly rectangular frames on a rectangular wall.
- Same colour. Several frames in one colour have great impact, especially in one of the room's accent colours.
- Same medium. If everything is a black-and-white photograph, or a bright watercolour, there is less risk of themes and colours competing.
The case for contrast
Don't rule out contrast, especially if you like a more eccentric look. Vintage is in, and probably will be for years, so mixing frames is the logical thing to do with those bric-a-brac finds that don't quite go together.
Paintings from different periods mixed with photos, and shabby wooden frames among ornate metal ones, may look a little crazy. If that's the effect you want, it works well. The frames don't have to be antique or retro either: you can buy new frames that contrast with each other.
A happy medium
You can hang contrasting frames without them clashing. It works best when at least one thing ties them together.
Your frames might all be different colours, but all very bright and all holding black-and-white photos. Or they might be different shapes with the same gold finish, which looks quirky while the colour pulls it together. Contrast doesn't have to mean clash, and there is a way to fit all your different art in.