Ever since I released my Painted Colour Card print, many many people have sent me a message asking for framing advice, and I’ve finally gathered some tips and inspo here which I hope are helpful!
The print measures 30cm x 100cm, which is not a standard size, so ideally it needs a custom-made frame. There are of course a lot of options here. Personally, I love an understated frame. In the image you see below I went for a narrow oak frame profile, which is 13mm on top and 20mm on the side. I’ve framed it right up to the edge of the print, as it has a white margin, and I haven’t used a spacer. The oak has been treated with a clear wax. It’s basically the most pared down frame imaginable. I’ve lived with it in my house for quite a long time now and I still think it looks just right! It’s a quiet frame which sits back and lets the paintings do all the talking.
If you want to go a step further, you could have the print framed with a narrow spacer between the glass and the print, which can even be painted your choice of the 132 Farrow and Ball colours! For any South Londoners out there, the superlative frame shop Brown and Co on East Dulwich Road SE22 will do the most amazing job for you. They have the entire set of Farrow and Ball colours in their workshop and they will offer you the friendliest and most professional service you could ever hope for. (Not an ad - I was just really impressed!) Here it is in their lovely window display - this is a solid oak frame with non-reflective glass and the spacer is painted Calke Green. Just gorgeous.
Over the last few months lots of people have sent me photos of the print in their home (I LOVE it when this happens!) and here is a little selection just to show a few other options - check out the fabulous gold frame in the first image!!
There is of course always the option of using a window mount, and this allows you to introduce another colour which can work with your walls. Mount board comes in a dizzying array of colours. This also increases the final size of the print, which can be handy if you want it to hold its own on a big wall. This has been done to great effect in this lovely image from Sarah Truman Interior Design.
If you’re looking for more of a budget conscious option, you could order a custom-made frame online. I know a lot of people did this in lockdown and had a great result. At www.eframe.co.uk there is a 20mm oak frame profile which looks good to me, and that would be about £57 for my print. These frames have acrylic rather than glass. They have a wide range of aluminium frames too, and if I was choosing one here I would probably go for the 10mm Florentine Black Aluminium Matt frame. One thing I would advise against is going for anything too wide or heavy. The paintings are really tiny after all and a big frame will swallow them up.
That’s it for now! Send me pics of your framed prints whenever you like, or tag me @studiospelling - I can’t tell you how much I love to see my print on so many different walls!