The Picture Frame Shape You Don't Want To Overlook At The Thrift Store And Why

It's no secret thrift stores are filled with common items that can be styled into spectacular and unique home decor. Between offloaded wicker items, teacups, glass jars and the like, the repurposing options can seem endless. But there's one item you shouldn't pass up if you see it: a square picture frame.

After all, most people's brains are trained to veer toward the most common dimensions: 8 by 10 inches, 5 by 7 inches, 4 by 6 inches, or even 2 by 3 inches. Whether it's school photos, baby pics, wedding images, or even the photos we choose to rescue from their digital cage of your smartphone, you almost always print them out in those sizes. But it's actually a great time to be square, especially when there are many ways to breathe new life into an old frame. 

Thrifter @lazypennydesign on TikTok was lured in by a square frame which featured artwork surrounded by red matting. She took it home and kept the matting but replaced the artwork with a Polaroid of her grandma, making it a personal and stylish addition to her wall. And that's just the tip of the iceberg: Square frames are versatile and rife with possibilities, especially when you consider social media sites prominent with squares (hello, Instagram!), the resurgence of vinyl records, and the positive effect the square has on attracting viewers' attention.

Now that you're thinking outside the 8-by-10-inch box, let's dive into the benefits and styling ideas for square frames. Due to their symmetry, they offer clean lines and create a sense of order; they lend themselves to any kind of art, from landscape images to portraits to children's creations; and they come in a variety of styles, including modern, minimalist, vintage, and eclectic. There are other benefits of choosing a square shape for images: The neutral shape encourages the viewer to spend more time looking at the image, it enhances diagonal lines and other geometric shapes within the frame, and it creates a sense of calm.

Music offers some cool opportunities to take advantage of square frames, too. Whether you're a vinyl record collector or just a music lover who's mesmerized by interesting album art, large square frames are a great way to decorate while displaying your taste in tunes. Frame an album cover, or center the vinyl album itself in the frame (playing with that idea of mixing in other geometric shapes), especially if it's one of the vibrantly colored ones many artists drop these days.

You can harness modern social media vibes by using several square frames to create a gallery wall grid or by loading smaller, cohesive square photos into a grid within the frame. Try cutting your matting into a circle to create a round focal point. With endless options, truly the only mistake you can make is passing up that hidden gem on the thrift store shelf.