As home building trends have evolved over the past few decades, home furnishings and design have kept pace. Custom frame designs should also be adapted to relate to those changes. Here are some of the popular building and design trends, followed by framing solutions that help framed art relate to its environment.

Trend – Hardwood Floors

   
Framing Solution = Because a wood floor is a large surface in a room, rather than choosing a wood frame that matches the floor, consider a contrasting finish. As you can see in the photo above, the gold frame shown helps the art stand out so it becomes a nice focal point in the space.

Trend – Open Floor Plans

   
Framing Soulution = An open floor plan means fewer walls separating spaces. Since walls are the usual spot to display framed pieces, you may need to look for other alternatives such as the upper wall space shown here. Try displaying a painting on a floor easel in the corner, setting smaller frames in bookcases, etc. Open floor plans allow you to see farther from room to room. In order to maximize viewing pleasure, consider selecting somewhat more dramatic art to frame when it can be seen from a longer distance.

Trend – High Ceilings

   
Framing Solution = In rooms with high ceilings there are several ways you can relate framing to your space. You can start with vertical pieces of art. If you have pairs or sets, hang them up the wall versus across it. If the art is something you can mat, your mat borders can be bottom-weighted or elongated to fill more vertical space.

Trend – More Windows

  
Framing Solution = Windows take away wall space where framed art may otherwise have been displayed. Look for other places and ways to display art. Your “wall” may be the side of a built-in bookcase or even a closet door. Also use conservation grade glass to protect your art from the light that comes inside through all that glass.

Trend – Colorful Walls

   
Framing Solution = Although colorful walls have been popular long enough now that some people are over it and going back to neutrals, all sorts of colors are still fashionable. Neutral mat colors are the best choice to provide the flexibility to look good on either background.

Trend – Large Scale Furniture

   
Framing Solution = Over the past few decades, as large homes popped up across the U.S., furniture manufacturers have followed suit, creating pieces to be proportional to the larger rooms. When you are having something custom framed, be aware that the proportions of the frame and mat can help balance it too. A single piece of art can be framed larger or smaller to fit different spaces.

Trend – Eclectic Design

   
Framing Solution = Design today is often less pure than in the past. A traditional home may have contemporary features or a Victorian chair may get an updated new look with modern upholstery. Likewise with custom framing, you can mix and match art and framing styles to get the right look for your home.

Trend – Built-in Bookcases

   
Framing Solution = Built-ins take away wall space where framed art might otherwise hang. Rather than giving up on displaying your favorite treasures, there are several ways to utilize this space. Remove a shelf to create a larger open space where you can hang a framed piece on the wall at the back of the bookcase. Prop smaller pieces on easels. If the shelves are loaded with books, hang a small piece in front of the books, from the shelf itself.

Trend – Leaning Framed Art

   
Framing Solution = Rather than always hanging framed art on the wall, you can set pieces on mantels, shelves or other pieces of furniture. You can combine multiple pieces, with one overlapping in front of another.

Courtesy of Larson-Juhl.  http://www.larsonjuhl.com

Personalizing your home or work space with custom framing is a great way to express your personality and to enjoy your surroundings. While others can go to the store and buy the same sofa, tables and lamps that you have, it is highly unlikely anyone will ever have the exact same custom framing as you.

Regardless of what you choose to have framed for your home, whether it is a favorite piece of art, a mirror, an object inherited from an ancestor or anything else, it will add interest to your space. Take a look at these rooms, with and without framed art to see for yourself what a big impact custom framing makes.

Courtesy of Larson Juhl.  http://www.larsonjuhl.com

Art on Canvas

SINGLE MOULDING

When a single moulding is used, consider that it may need to make up for everything that is not there. For example, mats and fillets would add to the color, scale, and texture of your design if the same art was on paper. The single moulding you choose can offset those missing elements if it has a contrasting lip, wider profile, and perhaps some texture or ornamentation.

LINER & FRAME

Liners are to canvases what a mat is to a print on paper. Both serve as a border that provides a breathing space or area of visual relief so the frame doesn’t crowd the art and the art can be focused on without distraction from other elements in the decor. Most liners today are fabric covered but the first liners were gilded. Simple flat gilded profiles are still used as the liner of choice inside of finished corner frames.

STACKED MOULDING COMBINATION

For hundreds of years, two or more mouldings have often been combined to create one frame. Combinations of mouldings can be used to add width, color, pattern, etc.

FLOAT FRAME

A float frame allows you to present the art without covering the edge as a standard frame will. When used alone, a float provides the most minimal frame design. However, you can add other frames around the float to add scale and personality to your design.

A PLATFORM

“Gallery Wraps” are popular today. This means the art continues down the outside edge of the canvas. A typical framing treatment would hide it. If you don’t frame it, it can look unfinished like a house without landscaping or a car without tires. By placing the canvas on top of a frame, you provide the finishing touch without covering any of the art.

FRAME ON A MAT IN A FRAME

We typically do not recommend using mats with art on canvas, but this is an exception. This mat is linen so it will hold up to exposure. It is a solid piece without a window opening and it is glued to a foamboard backing so it can’t buckle. This is a good technique to increase overall size due to the adjustability of the mat borders and it is a fresh, unique look.

Additional Frame Design Ideas for Canvas

As seen in the 2011 Framing Fashion Show…
One print on canvas was cut in four and framed as a grouping using liners and frames.

Tip:
Art on canvas is rarely covered with glass or acrylic. Exceptions may include canvases that are valuable, fragile or when hanging in high risk areas where they might be touched, bumped, or subject to airborne pollutants such as smoke or grease.

Article written by Larson-Juhl.   http://www.larson-juhl.com

Biltmore & Larson Juhl Biltmore™, America’s Largest Home is located in picturesque Asheville, North Carolina. Built between 1889-1895, it is known for its relaxed elegance and exceptional treasures, including original art from masters such as Pierre-August Renoir and John Singer Sergent. The frames surrounding these great works of art served as the inspiration for Larson-Juhl’s first Biltmore™ frame collection. Reminiscent of Biltmore’s antique frames, with their intricate details, aged patina and rich finishes, the Biltmore Frame Collection™ by Larson-Juhl® brings the grandeur and tradition of this great home to art & custom framing. Larson-Juhl’s second Biltmore inspired moulding collection, Billiard, introduces a classic, masculine aesthetic, designed around the grand Billiard Room of the historic Biltmore house. The Billiard Collection™ by Larson-Juhl® combines traditional styling and patterning with a soft Ebony finish accented with Gold detailing. The latest custom frame moulding collection from Larson-Juhl, inspired by Biltmore, is the Olmsted collection. The Olmsted Collection by Larson-Juhl® is inspired by Fredrick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect behind the grounds of Biltmore Estate as well as New York City’s Central Park. Olmsted features classic Acanthus leaf ornamentation, which has been an important element in architecture for centuries.

*Article written by Larson-Juhl.  www.larson-juhl.com

Great advise from Larson-Juhl:

Hang Smart

Even the most beautiful pieces of framed art can still look awkward if they are not hung logically. Some of the key considerations are:

• Choosing framed art that fits the space where it will hang
• Hang frames in reasonably close proximity to the furniture below it to create unison
• Hang frames at eye level for maximum viewing pleasure, keeping in mind people stand in foyers and halls and sit in many other spaces so that height can vary

Single Pieces

Single pieces offer a lot of flexibility, but there are still general guidelines that will help your presentations. Typically the frame should not be longer than the furniture piece below it, although this is not a firm rule. Avoid heavy frames over dainty furniture or petite framing over massive furniture to create balance. In small spaces avoid overly dramatic art that is best viewed from a distance and in a large space choose a piece that can be seen and enjoyed from across the room.

Pairs

Pairs can be hung side by side or one over the other. Consider the wall space when making your decision. In rooms with long walls and low ceilings, hang them beside each other. In a two story room to fill some of the vertical space, hang one on top of the other. Pairs do not have to be placed immediately adjacent to one another. You can hang one piece on each side of a mirror or tall piece of furniture. Pairs can also be split to become the outermost pieces of a grouping.

Matched Sets

Matched sets of framed art are usually framed identically and hung in an organized fashion on the wall. These types of groupings often end up in a grid with perfect spacing. Stairway walls are wonderful for displaying sets. Simply shift your rows so they progress up the wall at the same angle as the stairs. You can also divide sets. For example, hang half on each side of an armoire.

Random Collections

Unlike matched sets of art, this might be something like a collection of landscape paintings, family photos, etc. In this case, frame them to suit each piece of art and hang them in a less structured way. If you may want to add to your collection, this type of arrangement makes it easier to add pieces in the future. Whether you prefer symmetry or choose an asymmetrical arrangement, it pays to create a pleasing balance of colors, sizes, styles, and textures so one side doesn’t overpower the other.

Leaning

It has become highly fashionable to lean framed art. This can be done for functional or purely aesthetic reasons. If you are downsizing and have more framed art than wall space, you can lean one piece in front of another to consolidate your collection. Overlapping framed art adds dimension and interest, as well as bringing a new look to the art itself.

Tip

When hanging art you can get a good idea of how it will look by cutting out a piece of paper the same size as the outer edge of the frame and taping it to the wall. It is much easier to move the paper around than to change the positioning of the actual frame. On that same paper, you can make marks where you want to place your wall hooks. Then install the hooks over the paper and then tear the paper away.