I really like them, and I don't care for golds normally. White - no way - it would pull attention to the frames and away from the pic. I like that in both boys portraits, the frames tie in with the whole picture and blend well with their hair coloring. I think they are a wonderful fit and free to boot! I don't like the portraits without frames.

I would typically opt for a wood, stained frames, but I think these are quite attractive and fit the portraits very nicely.

I too think the scale is ok, but the frames themselves detract from the wonderful portraits. I envision them in substantial, but much more subdued, dark-stained wood frames.

I like them w/out. I think they look fresher that way and more personal, rather than "done" so to speak. Are they the same size? Could you prop them on something like you have the first picture and use them as a pair? Love the portraits--very nice.

Beautiful home. I don't see any dust! Love the color in your living room.

I too think they look fresher and more modern without the frames.

I don't think they're too big, but I also don't think they add anything to the portraits, and they don't seem to mix well with your other furnishings. I'd either leave them frameless, or find more simple, stained frames.

You have a great house! I like the mix of casual and formal and new and vintage, and that green wall color in the DR is fabulous!

I think the frames are fine - your portraits are trad.

What I don't think is working is you wall colors w/the gold--neither compliments the other.

Jim

Can you take a photo of your sons picture above the sideboard with the frame?

I think the frame size is good. I actually think I kind of like them a little better without and I do think it would look better with a thick dark stained, plain frame. You could try a little Rub n Buff on the gold but I wouldn't paint them.

If you're not feeling the frames I'm sure you could easily sell them. Or put them away and change your mind later since they were free. :)

i would leave them in the frames.

i like the 2nd son's picture better(the looks of the frame that is!) better than the 1st...don't know which picture is more accurate...i like the deeper look- in the 1st picture, the frame looks too gold. so, if the 1st pic is more accurate irl, i would probably darken the inner ~ 3/4" piece so that it sets off the picture abit...if the gold is less shiny/bright irl, i would leave it as is.

I think that, in terms of working with the paintings, the size of the frames is correct. The gold color isn't bad.

In terms of how the portraits work in the rooms, I like the gold with the brown room but don't care for it against the green of the dining room.

In terms of the rooms' styles, I think the portraits work better with traditional furniture (your living room) than with the more casual, beachy-look in the first brown room (a sun room?).

I don't care for the idea of splitting up the portraits, with one in one room and one somewhere else, nor would I place either in the dining room anyway. Your dining room is traditional but there is something very contemporary about the style of the portrait. (That does NOT mean I'm favoring changing the style of the frame!) Maybe I would think differently if I could see other shots of your DR.

Whatever you do, please don't paint those frames white. Given their style, I think they should be gold to look like gold leaf. Also, I notice you have a lot of gold and warm-colored accents in your house - hardware, lamps, pillow fringe, other frames and art, furniture, even the whiskey in that decanter. The gold frames work well with those things.

Are the frames wood or some kind of composite material? Are they new or old -- vintage or antique?

I think the frames call attention to themselves and detract from the portraits, which would look fine hung frameless or in a simple frame in your lovely rooms. I'd put them together on a wall.

Would you mind telling me the name of the paint on your green wall? It's such a nice sagey green on my screen at least.

Such beautiful portraits! I do like that style of frame but think they're quite overbearing with those paintings. Their style is both too much and clashes with the style of the artwork. I really don't see that they complement the paintings in any way (which is why they're so distracting). The painting looks fine and appropriate without so you could just wait on framing with something to your own liking if that's what you'd like to do down the road.

With the frames, the message is "look at this gorgeous frame". Without the message is "look at this exceptional painting" I think a dark tone box frame would look the best. That's when the painting is set in the front of a box so that the box frame projects out from the wall rather than surround the painting. The painting needs no embellishments actually. So for me, nix on the frames you have now. Sell them and get the frames that are germane to your home.

I'm glad you showed them with and without frames because I definitely like them better without frames. With the heavy, traditional frames, I think, "Oh, this must be the homeowner's father." Without, I think, "Oh, what a great portrait of their son." They look so much fresher without. Just MHO.
Dee

I vote for frameless.

Wow what beautiful portraits of your cute boys.
As for the frames I think they work well with the portraits and your home, but in my opinion it's all a mater of personal taste. If you like them then use them as they are. If they are a bit too gold than you could use Rub N Buff to tone them down, but I think the scale is perfect.

Love both your house and artwork -- looks great! I lean toward no frame or simple frame, but perhaps you could tone it down like below:

Those frames would be fine in a house that had a lot of formality to it. Where you'd fine lots of high end antiques and miles of fabric on the walls and over the windows.
Your home is much simplier than that you need simple frames. I think frameless looks nice BUT if you do go with a frame you want one about the same width as what you have just not with all the embellishments and certainly not in gold.

Thank you so much for all the replies, opinions and compliments! To answer some questions:

druidclark - The paintings are the same size, but I don't have a piece of furniture large enough to accomodate both of them.

sheesharee - I'll have to wait until DH is avaible to take a picture.

busybee3 - I think that the 2nd picture (YDS in the green DR) is probably more accurate. The frames aren't as shiny as the appear in the 1st photo.

lynxe - All the pictures of the brown room are the same room - just different views. The frames are new, and they're wood.

susanka - The green in the DR is 10 years old. I think it's Valspar, and I think we got it at Lowes. The name of the color is Jewel of the Nile. It's number 313-3.

I would do frame-less side by side where the first one is hanging. A single vertical picture looks wrong and way off center on the horizontal wall by itself. Hang together and they are a matched set.

I find even the width of the frame looks too heavy and overpowering for the image of the boy. It still looks unbalanced in the photoshop, having the emphasis more on the frame. Could be the light color but it still seems too strong and bulky for the little boy.

The size of the frame is perfect...IMO I like the photoshopped lighter frame! WOW! Any more dark wood would be too much. The lighter frame compliments the room...the colors in the room. I really like it!

gwbr54 - Thanks for showing what they'd look like with the gold toned down. It helps to visualize.

The complexity of the frames detracts from the simplicity of your sons portraits.

I'd opt to sell the frames and use the money to buy new ones that compliment your home and your precious sons.

A vote for frameless.

another vote for frameless

I like them both ways to be honest. The portraits are so beautiful and your home is lovely!

too ornate for your lovely british colonal (?) look..

did find this less ornate one see link

btw a very handsome young man!

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.ecrater.com/p/7954336/antique-walnut-shadow-box-picture?keywords=english%20colonial%20picture%20frames

Porkandham, the frames are very appropriate for their subjects and the size is just right. Are these oil paintings? If so, both the subject matter (children's portraits) and the rendering medium are both very traditional. There's no reason formal portraits can't go in an eclectic house . . . .it's precisely this kind of touch that makes it eclectic. IMO, leaving the canvases unframed looks like you are still looking for something suitable, e.g. unfinished.

kswl - Yes, they are oil paintings.

They are lovely, and the frames are, too. Can't you put them both on the wall behind that settee ( same wall the one portrait is shown on near the skirted table)? Move the one that is hung about 4 or 5 inches to the right and hang the second portrait 6 to 8 inches to the right of that, same height on the wall ( side by side).

You received lots of varying opinions! I wonder if it helped or just confused you. :) One more opinion:

I do not like the frames at all. While the size is fine, I think the gold is really distracting. I would paint the frames a dark brown, oil rubbed bronze or similar. I can't tell what colors are in the painting that would match to suggest something specific, but I'm thinking a dark color would not stand out so much and/or wouldn't show all the detail in the frame.

With that said, I do like the look of the frameless painting on the table. It doesn't look unfinished to me. The problem might be having both of them frameless in different areas...

Seeing both options, the first (framed) didn't look wrong to me, but then seeing it displayed unframed that really looked best to me. The portraits are really lovely and I would also vote for frameless, Those frames on the other hand are HIDEOUS, I think you should get them out of your beautiful house at once, pack them well in individual boxes and mail them posthaste to ME :)

Oh what I could do with those :)

Lovely rooms and beautiful children!

I would hang both of them framed over your sofa in a heartbeat.

Now rjinga, why didn't I think of that???

I think they work, because the portraits have a traditional feel to them. Could they hang as a pair over the camelback couch in the LR? I think they would be a perfect fit with that furniture.

Without frames, for sure. I think the gold is bulky and heavy for the painting content. I think you have a nice look going. I think the gold frame is an element which could take the room from clean and comfortable (in a vibe-kind-of-way) to a little stuffy.

Love your 2nd picture. The painting make the dining and living connect and interact with each other from that angle.
Gayle

I definitely would not leave them unframed; it cheapens the fact that these are professionally done beautiful oil portraits. I would have them framed in a simple dark brown square boxy frame; framing a canvas or original painting also stabilizes and protects it, it's not just a question of aesthetics.

I would use the ornate frames in the meantime, until you can have them reframed to your liking.

I like art to be framed; it always looks a little naked to me otherwise. A frame sets off the art, the way a beautiful necklace sets off a face.

Your portraits are wonderful. What a treasure for you! I think the frames look very nice too, but like jewelry, tastes are personal. If they are too formal for you, then you should try a more informal frame.

I was thinking the same thing; I would be more than happy to take those frames off your hands. Only I don't have a pair of beautiful portraits to put in them. :(

Those paintings were meant to be framed. The sides were left unfinished because the artist expected them to be hidden by frames. Compare them with the treatment of the landscape over your living room sofa.

You said the color as shown in the DR is more accurate, and I think that makes the frames an even better fit for the portraits.

The reason why I asked whether the frames were antique was because painting them would probably have affected their value. Since they're wood but new, you could try to change the color if you really dislike them. If I were you, however, I'd live with them until I could get new frames. Unless you are an artist or someone who works with wood, there's a good chance you won't like how they turn out if you try to fix them yourself.

A couple of other solutions:

Frames should be an integral part of a piece of art. You could take the portraits to a frame shop and ask for professional help in choosing frames you like better. Keep in mind the style and then wait until you have the money to get the portraits reframed. Or, see whether the frame shop owner would be willing to take those frames in trade. (Potential problem is you don't know the value of the frames and will have to rely on the owner's assessment.)

Another idea - once you see some frames you like, I wonder whether the broker would be willing to exchange the frames? That type of exchange is something galleries will often be willing to do for a prospective buyer, and at no additional cost. Maybe the broker would do the same for you.

If you do try to change the existing ones, I would stay away from brown or other dark looks. If you think the pieces look too heavy now, you won't like the new versions. We have two pieces in dark wood frames as ornate as yours, with an antique Spanish look, but in both cases, the paintings' subject matter and the frames work with each other. Also, one of the pieces is very large, so dark and ornate doesn't overwhelm.

One last thing -- I agree that art, including frames, should work with your decor. There are pieces we have not bought precisely because we knew they wouldn't work in our house. But -- a big but....!

when having art framed, we have ALWAYS focused on whether the frame (and mat, with works on paper) complements the art, and whether the end result will be an integrated piece of art. We own over 80 original pieces of art, many of which we have had to have framed, and we have NEVER framed based on how the pieces would work in a room.

I love the pictures and the frames! I would put the picture currently over the sofa in the DR. The colors look like they would work in there. I would try one oil painting with the gold frame over the sofa. Then try both, but I'm not sure if both will be too big for that space. I do not care for the first pic of the picture floating alone on the wall. It seems to accentuate its size. I also prefer the color of the walls in that room over the green in the DR. Rest them on the back of the sofa and see what you think.

I vote frameless too. What an amazing treasure for you to have such beautiful portraits of your children!

Stirring the discussion pot. Harsh, but that's it. Those frames cheapen the portraits. Why? Firstly because "new" mass-produced antiques tend to look cheap. You might be able to age them nicely but I'm really surprised how many people feel that ornate, gold gilt old world style frames meld with the character of those particular paintings. The portraits feel fresh, new, modern, very today. Youthful like your children. That doesn't mean they need a modern versus traditionally styled frame, just that an old world one isn't a good fit. Old and new can mix beautifully but these clash (in a not so good way). Secondly, by overwhelming the subject, they don't look like well selected or suited frames. Those things stick out when viewing, rather than the portrait itself. Integration is a good word for it. The two parts feel very separate when looking at the piece. Frame. Painting.

That's a good point about the sides not being painted in this case. They also don't look very deep. But I wanted to point out that in my experience, a lot of artists seem to detest frames (particularly today's mass-produced ones, I think). Instead they prefer unframed or minimal slats of wood along the sides for support which they feel doesn't detract from the work itself. Different strokes and way of looking at it and all. But I do think it's one of a particular look or style, coming down to a matter of personal taste.

Wow! So many different opinions!

I know that the portraits need to be framed, and I'm aware that the sides are unfinished. I have always intended to get them framed. When ODS's portrait was finished, I propped it on the dresser while I waited for YDS to be old enough to have his painted. I wanted to wait until I had them both so they coud be framed alike. It would be my luck that ODS's frame would no longer be available when I went to frame YDS's.

The portrait broker offered me these frames for free (long story). It never occured to me that they'd be this big or ornate. I was a bit shocked when I picked them up from the framer. The frames came from a to the trade wholesaler. She described them as "the quintessential portrait frame." I have art, both framed and gallery wrapped throughout my home. I just don't love these particular frames.

Free is the key word here! We are in the final stages of adding a master suite, new HVAC, new hot water heaters, new roof, and having the entire exterior of the house painted. Plus, we had to pay for YDS's poartrait at the same time we were doing all of the stuff to the house because he hit the age that I wanted him to be for his portrait. I'd love to get them framed in something simpler and more tailored. They could even be gold - just not so much of it! Financially, it's just not in the cards right now.

Popping them out of their frames would be a temporary solution. I guess the real question is which is the lessor of two evils for right now? Unframed, with unfinished sides or frames that are too large and ornate?

Again, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to respond to my question. I really have considered every opinion and suggestion that has been offered.

You could always paint the sides of the canvases yourself to give them more of a gallery wrap/finished look. I also envision them in very simple floater frames, something along these lines ...

Your furnishings in LR/DR are not modern, more like Victorian..those frames are perfect in those rooms, I would hang both there, the other one unframed in the area with the rattan furniture..

Wow! It's obvious that some of you have never been to an art museum nor visited a home where people have original art.
The frames are the quintessential portrait frames and the portraits are very very traditional portraits of your children. They are forever not just for the next 20 years They are the real deal!!
If you hang them frameless even for a short time, they will look like something you picked up at a starving artist's show. You will cheapen the look of the paintings.

One time I was browsing in an artist's exhibit at a gallery, and loving one painting as it reminded me of a garden I knew from years ago. I was hemming and hawing....and the artist came over and started a conversation and I mentioned how much I liked that picture but was unsure....
She said...let me guess....because it doesn't match the sofa!
Never worry about if the art "goes" in your house....a if thea rt AND the frame work together as one piece. These frames work with the portraits.
Hang them....they are free....finish your remodel and live with the pictures as they are framed for a while....at least a year.
Meanwhile do a little browsing and museum wandering....and after a year if you still don't think those frames are right for the pictures, then change them.
But don't leave them frameless!!
Linda C

Wow! It's obvious that some of you have never been to an art museum nor visited a home where people have original art.

Gosh ... that's a bit harsh, don't you think? I have several unframed original canvases in my own home, and they hardly look like something from "a starving artist's show."

Picture frames, hm. Probably not worth responding to, but. Really, lindac. A rose is a rose is a rose? You're overgeneralizing. All oil portraits look good in ornate gold antique style frames. All unframed art looks like starving artist Chinese knockoffs. I'll be harsh too since I don't think I've ever seen you post with etiquette. You're full of soup. They look ridiculous. Like a man in a tutu. They don't jive.

I bet your art collection looks fabulous, auntjen. Artwork does not require commercial framing to shine. It's a style introduced to me by serious professional artists. Not for everyone, but one I've really come to appreciate.

auntjen, that's exactly the type of frame i was talking about

Porkandham, you have a lovely home (& beautiful children). Another vote for hanging them as a pair over the sofa (the pics not the kids). Live with them for awhile (pics and kids?) and then decide if you want to lighten the frames, change the frames, etc.