The Vibe Walls Guide to Frames & Mats
How to Build a Flexible Art Library for Home Staging
If you’re a home stager, you probably know the artwork struggle.
Frames in too many sizes. Artwork that worked perfectly in one home but feels completely wrong in the next. Pieces that get damaged in storage. And stacks of framed art taking up valuable warehouse space.
After years of staging homes ourselves, we started looking at artwork differently.
Instead of continually buying more framed art, what if we could create a system that allowed us to use the same frames again and again—while simply changing the artwork to fit each home?
That idea became a big part of the Vibe Walls system.
Build a frame library — not an art collection.
Here’s how we do it.
Start With Standard Frame Sizes
The easiest way to simplify your staging art inventory is to stop collecting frames in dozens of different sizes.
Instead, choose a few standard sizes and use them consistently.
For Vibe Walls, we've designed our print sizes around commonly available frames:
11 × 14 Print → 16 × 20 Frame with a Mat
This is one of our favorite combinations for over a bed, bathrooms, offices, kitchens, entryways and smaller wall spaces.
16 × 20 Print → 16 × 20 Frame
Skip the mat and let the artwork fill the frame for a larger, more contemporary look.
20 × 30 Print → 24 × 36 Frame with a Mat
This gives you a larger piece with a polished, gallery-inspired feel that's great for bedrooms, dining rooms and living spaces.
24 × 36 Print → 24 × 36 Frame
For those spaces where you need scale and impact, use the artwork without a mat.
With just two primary frame sizes—16 × 20 and 24 × 36—you suddenly have four different ways to display your artwork.
That's a lot of flexibility without adding more frame sizes to your warehouse.
To Mat or Not to Mat?
We use both.
Adding a mat gives artwork a more elevated, finished look. It can also make a smaller print feel more substantial on the wall.
But there are plenty of times when we want the artwork to fill the entire frame. This creates a bolder look and works especially well when we need a larger-scale piece.
Having both options available means the same frame can serve different purposes from one staging to the next.
And that's exactly what we want from staging inventory: flexibility.
Keep Your Frame Colors Simple
You don't need ten different frame finishes.
For staging, we prefer to keep things neutral and versatile.
Black
Works beautifully with contemporary, modern, industrial and black-and-white interiors.
Natural Oak
Perfect for modern organic, coastal, Scandinavian and neutral spaces.
Walnut
A great choice for midcentury, Mediterranean, transitional and warmer interiors.
Choose the finishes that coordinate best with your staging inventory and build from there.
What Should You Look for When Buying Frames?
We don't think there's one perfect frame for every staging company.
Frames are easy to find through retailers like Amazon, IKEA, Target, Michaels and local home or craft stores, so we recommend finding the ones that work best for your particular business.
When shopping for staging frames, we look for:
Standard, easy-to-replace sizes
Simple, versatile profiles
Neutral finishes
Easy-to-remove backs
Lightweight construction
Durability for repeated transportation
Frames that can be reordered when you need more
Remember, staging artwork gets handled very differently than artwork hanging permanently in someone's home.
Your frames are going to be packed, transported, hung, removed, stored and used again.
Function matters just as much as appearance.
Build a Frame Library — Not an Art Collection
This is where the system really starts to make sense.
Instead of looking at every piece of framed artwork as one permanent item, separate the two:
Your frames become permanent inventory.
Your artwork becomes interchangeable.
Now you can choose artwork based on the home you're staging rather than being limited by whatever happens to already be inside your frames.
A coastal property might call for soft landscapes and organic forms.
A modern condo might need bold black-and-white abstracts.
A Spanish-style home may look better with warm Mediterranean-inspired artwork.
An office, kitchen or bathroom may need something entirely different.
Simply change the print.
The house changes. The artwork changes. Your frames don't have to.
Create a Simple Storage System
Once your prints become interchangeable, organization matters.
Keep unused prints protected and clearly labeled by collection and artwork number. Organize mats by size, and group your empty frames by size and finish.
Then pulling artwork for your next staging becomes much simpler:
Choose the style → Choose the collection → Choose the prints → Choose the frames.
Instead of digging through stacks of framed artwork hoping to find something that works, you're intentionally selecting artwork for the home.
It's a small operational change that can make a surprisingly big difference as your staging inventory grows.
A Better Way to Manage Artwork for Staging
Vibe Walls was created by home stagers, for home stagers.
After years of sourcing, storing, moving and trying to keep track of artwork, we kept thinking:
There has to be a better way to manage art for staging.
So we created one.
Our curated canvas print collections are designed to work with standard frame sizes, giving stagers an easier way to change the look and feel of their artwork without continually purchasing entirely new framed pieces.
Build your core frame library.
Choose artwork that fits the home.
Swap it when the next property calls for something different.
And repeat.
Build the frame library once. Change the vibe again and again.
Ready to Start Building Your Art Library?
Explore the Vibe Walls Collections and choose prints designed specifically with home staging in mind.
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