Custom frame design
A good frame changes how you see the artwork.
Frame design is more than matching a color. Proportion, profile, finish, depth and the space around the piece all change the way the artwork reads. We compare them together, with the artwork on the table.
Start with proportion
Start with proportion.
Width is only one part of proportion. Depth, the size of the sight edge, the amount of space around the art and the scale of the room all change how large or small a frame feels.
Mat width, liner width, float gap and frame face all add up. We look at the finished outside proportion as one composition instead of choosing each width separately.
Profile changes the line around the art
The profile controls light, shadow and the line next to the artwork.
A flat face, scoop, step, bead or deep narrow profile can make the same finish feel completely different. The inside edge is often the most important line because it sits right next to the work.
Flat and simple profiles
Good when the frame needs to read as a clean edge with very little ornament.
Rounded and scooped profiles
A concave profile can visually pull the eye toward the picture and create subtle light-to-dark movement.
Stepped profiles
Multiple planes can echo architectural detailing and separate inner and outer finish colors.
Narrow, deep profiles
Often useful around canvas, panels and contemporary work when depth matters more than a wide face.
Carved and ornamented profiles
Carving or composition ornament can reinforce period, rhythm and scale when the artwork can support it.
Float and open-edge designs
A float frame leaves a visible gap around canvas or panel, making the edge of the art part of the design.
Simple frames still need proportion
A simple frame can depend on millimeters of step, reveal, wood tone or edge detail. Minimal framing works when those proportions and surfaces are chosen carefully.
Finish is color, surface and light
Finish is about more than matching a color.
Temperature, sheen, grain and the way a finish catches light usually matter more than finding an exact color match somewhere in the artwork.
Natural wood
Walnut, maple, oak and other hardwoods can be clear-finished, stained, waxed or toned to change warmth and contrast.
Painted and lacquered finishes
Opaque finishes can connect to architecture, furniture or the artwork without imitating wood.
Metal
Welded steel or aluminum can give a very thin, rigid or industrial line and can be powder-coated or otherwise finished.
Gold and metal leaf
Leaf can be burnished, matte, toned or distressed. The bole and preparation under the leaf change its color and reflectivity.
Fabric and leather
Specialty wrapped or leather frames introduce texture without relying on carved ornament.
Patina and antiquing
Patination can soften new work, relate to an older object or reduce the brightness of leaf without pretending the frame is antique.
The space between art and frame
The space around the artwork is part of the design.
Mats, liners, slips, float margins and shadowbox depth control the pause between the art and the outer frame. Sometimes that space does more work than the frame itself.
Window mats+
A window mat creates a measured field around works on paper and separates the sheet from glazing. Width, color, bevel and ply depth all affect the composition.
Float mounts+
Revealing the sheet edge makes the paper itself part of the object. The float margin and glazing spacer then become part of the design.
Fabric liners+
Hand-wrapped linen or silk liners can soften the transition around a painting or work on paper. When the fabric is near sensitive material, we isolate it with suitable barrier materials.
French lines and specialty matting+
Ruled lines, shaped openings and layered mats can add period detail or a small graphic accent without taking over.
Canvas float gaps+
The reveal around a canvas can be a narrow shadow or a wider design field. Its width should relate to canvas size, frame face and edge condition.
The Frame Library
The Frame Library gives us more ways to solve the same design problem.
The point of a deep library is not to make you look at more samples. It lets us find a better answer when the obvious choices are not quite right.
Everyday moulding lines
Contemporary, traditional, transitional and specialty mouldings give us a broad daily working range.
Finished-corner and hand-made frames
We work with several carved, gilded and hand-finished frame makers, so we can choose the maker whose work fits the design we are after.
Hardwoods, metal and specialty surfaces
Hardwood profiles bring grain, species and furniture-like finishing into the framing conversation.
Leather, acrylic and unusual materials
Leather, welded metal, acrylic and custom fabricated components expand what a “frame” can be.
Frame-design references behind this guide +
Getty — What’s in a Frame? — Open reference ↗
Getty — Looking at European Frames: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques — Open reference ↗
National Gallery of Art — Preventive Conservation and Frame Conservation — Open reference ↗
Bring the artwork. You do not need to bring a frame idea.
If you already have a direction, great. If you do not, that is normal. We will start with the piece and show you a few ways the framing could go.