3 Chic Ways to Display Family Heirlooms

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One of the fastest ways to bring warmth to your home is to fill it with history. Family heirlooms are a wonderful way to celebrate your roots while decorating with items that create personality in your living space. From antique cameras to vintage photos, your family’s treasures can create an intimate, interesting home décor style.

Out in the Open

Displaying family heirlooms on bookshelves and other easily accessible areas of your home may make you a bit nervous—especially if they are fragile—but can create an interesting juxtaposition between the old and the new in your home. If you’re worried about little ones knocking items off of shelves, try this decorating style with items that aren’t breakable and/or easily moved, such as old keepsake boxes, coat racks, etc.

Behind Closed Doors

With the right curio or bookshelf with glass doors, you can keep your family heirlooms front and center while protecting them from kids, pets, and anything else that may cause them to take a tumble. Putting your family keepsakes behind glass protects them from dust and creates a chic, elegant display that will draw the attention of visitors, ensuring that your family heirlooms (and your taste in furniture) are admired and appreciated by all of your guests.

Open Shelving

Open shelving is extremely trendy right now, and for good reason. You can use metallic shelving to display antique heirlooms in a way that creates textural interest. Additionally, a wood shelf with a distinct grain can highlight the warmth that your family heirlooms bring into the room. No matter what material you choose, an open shelving display will bring a flair of modern design to your home that can be very interesting next to the keepsakes these shelves hold.

Have old family photos that you want to frame before you put them on display? Frame Warehouse can help! Call us or like us on Facebook for more information.

Your Home Office Needs These 3 Things

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Working from home offers so many perks—a more flexible schedule, a nonexistent commute, tax write-offs, and so much more. But in order to be successful working from home you have to equip yourself with a comfortable, functional home office. While every home office is different, make sure yours has these three things to create the inspiring, productive space you need.

  1. A visual reminder of your goals. When you sit down at your desk each morning, it’s important that you remember exactly why you’re working so hard. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or telecommute for a global corporation, your time matters. Why are you spending it doing the job that you have? What is driving you to excel? A great way to keep your goals front and center is to frame them and place them right next to your computer monitor. If creating a great life for your family is what motivates you, frame a family photo. If you’re looking to move up in your career, write down the next position you want to hold or the next big deal you want to land and frame it. Make sure to update your frame with a new goal when you reach this one!
  2. Privacy.  Regardless of where you’re working, work is work and requires your full attention. If you’re catching glimpses of dishes that need to be washed or laundry that needs to be folded, you’ll never get through your to do list. Create a space that gives you enough privacy to block your home office off from the rest of the house without completely isolating you from the perks that working from home has to offer.
  3. Furniture that you love. Many people who work from home don’t invest in good furniture because they see it as an unnecessary expense, but it’s important! Choose a desk and chair that are comfortable and functional. You’ll be using them every day—you deserve to love them.

Need some help picking out the perfect frames for your goals? Frame Warehouse can help! Visit our online shop or give us a call.

Creating a Comfortable Guest Room

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Creating a guest bedroom is a wonderful way to use spare space in your house, and paying attention to detail when decorating this room is key. A comfortable guest room means a place where your friends and family will have everything that they need at their fingertips, and these three tips will help you create a space they may never want to leave.

  1. Invest in good bedding. Every traveler daydreams of snuggling into a soft bed at the end of a flight or road trip. Soft sheets and a fluffy comforter will welcome your guests with open arms, and you can choose a fabric that makes a statement with florals, geometric prints, or even solids. Because people won’t be sleeping in this bedding every night, it will last.
  2. Use frames. Hanging framed photos or art can create a lot of warmth in the space, and your guests will appreciate the cozy atmosphere. You can also frame the Wi-Fi password and place it on a desk or nightstand (your guests will love this!).
  3. Create a place for suitcases. For short-term stays, closets and dressers aren’t really necessary; however, all guests, even if they’re only staying one night, will need somewhere to put a suitcase. A vintage luggage holder is always a fun addition to a guest room. You can also put a trunk at the foot of the bed or under the window. This will offer both storage and a flat place for guests to rummage through their luggage.

Want more home décor tips? Check out the Frame Warehouse Facebook page.

3 Ways to Frame Your Favorite Instagram Snaps

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Instagram has quickly become one of the most popular social media networks—and for good reason. The app is brimming with gorgeous images of anything you could ever imagine, from trees and flowers to fashion’s latest trends to architecture to portraits of daily life. If you’re an avid Instagram photographer, why not mine your profile for images you can frame? These photos can bring personal flair and a bit of sentimental value to your home’s décor.

Create a Gallery Wall

A gallery wall is a classic way to showcase your photos. Try white frames with white mats in odd numbered rows for a clean, crisp look. This timeless look is wonderful for showcasing color and black and white photos alike.

Get Creative with Your Framing

If you want something a bit more eclectic than the clean lines of an orderly gallery wall set in rows, get creative by mixing frame styles and sizes and hanging them at different angles from one another. The best way to create a cluster of frames is to arrange them on the floor first, to get the design right, and then hang them.

Take Your Photos off the Wall

If you’re really feeling adventurous and want to add some dimension to your space, try making a mobile. Use small frames with glass on both sides so that you can frame two photos back to back, ensuring that your mobile is gorgeous from any angle. Hang the frames from twine or another textured yet strong material. Hanging the frames at the same length in a straight line along a wall is an interesting way to create depth, while hanging them at different lengths and in a cluster can add some drama to your room.

Want more inspiration? Like Frame Warehouse on Facebook for more framing tips and tricks!

How Can Frames Add a Pop of Color to Your Home?

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Color in the context of home décor is fascinating because it can say so much about who you are. Your style is reflected in the color palette you choose for your home, and there’s no better way to put this color palette on proud display than through frames. While frames are available in a long list of colors, you can use frames in unexpected ways that clearly showcase your personal style. The following are some fun ways to transform your frames and create unique pieces of décor.

  • Give your frames a makeover with a fresh coat of paint. Nothing pops like a brightly colored frame on a white wall. If you’re starting from scratch in the color department, it’s a great idea to visit your local paint store and use paint chips to create the perfect color palette for your home. If you already have a color palette in place, choose hues that fit with your current scheme. Painting all of the frames on a gallery wall one color, whether it’s a bright, bold hue or a more subdued one, is a chic way to use color in your space. Want a little more personality? Pair complementary colored frames hung in a pattern.
  • Remember: metallics are colors, too! Metallics are on trend right now, and there’s no better way to keep your frames fresh and your home décor up to date than with a can of spray paint—or with a trip to Frame Warehouse. Rose gold, gold, copper, and silver are all wonderful metallic options. Choose the one that fits best with your home’s current color scheme.
  • Play with color within your frames. Colorful mats are a playful way to bring a pop of personality into a room. Want a crisper look? Try all white frames with white mats and graphic, bold art pieces. While your frames will slide into the background, they’ll let the colors in your favorite art pieces really shine.

We’d love to see your finished work! Send photos of your colorful frames to Frame Warehouse on Facebook.

Kitchen Décor: How to Create an Inviting, Functional Space

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The kitchen is, as the saying goes, the heart of the home. Three meals a day, family gatherings, homework time after school—so many things happen in the kitchen. Why not create an inviting, functional space that you’ll enjoy while spending so many hours cooking, socializing, and bonding with your friends and family?

Add a personal touch with family heirlooms

That teapot your great-grandmother passed down to you? Don’t leave it in the cabinet! Showcase it on a shelf over your breakfast nook or in open or glass-faced cabinets. You can also display your favorite mugs and teacups by hanging them on hooks that are placed under your top cabinets. Since teapots and mugs are staples in most households, your personal décor touches will contribute to a functional living space.

Frame your favorite recipes

If you have handwritten recipes that have been passed down for generations, take them out of the recipe tin and proudly put them on display! These are wonderful pieces of family history that you can frame and hang in your kitchen. Since recipe cards are typically quite small, make a statement by using larger frames with mats.

Upgrade your flooring

Most of the time you spend in the kitchen is spent standing, so it’s important that, as part of a functional space, your kitchen’s floors are supportive enough to keep you comfortable as you cook. If you’re planning on remodeling, look for flooring that’s both beautiful and has a bit of give, which will be better on your knees and lower back. If you’re just giving your kitchen a quick update, choose a cushioned mat that’s easily cleaned and matches your kitchen’s color scheme.

We’d love to see photos of your updated kitchen! Like Frame Warehouse on Facebook and let us know how you’ve used our frames to create a comfortable yet functional living space.

How to Update Your Home’s Look with Family Photos

Family photos can bring warmth to your living space in a way that few other pieces of décor can. Each photo of your loved ones is full of memories—and these memories help make your house a home. But when the same photos have graced your hallways for several years, it may be time for an update.

Display Different Photos
The easiest way to breathe new life into your home’s look is to switch out the photos on display. Dig through old and new pictures to choose images associated with your happiest memories. Make sure you get at least one photo of each loved one and distribute them throughout your home evenly—otherwise the living room may be renamed “Grandpa’s room.”

Create a New Look with New Frames
Love the photos currently on your walls, but want to revamp your décor? Replace your current frames. With this simple update, you can either give your room a subtle change or create a whole new style. Taking your frames off the walls and displaying them on tables and bookshelves can help create a new look.

Get Creative with Your Framing
Try creating a cluster of photos in frames of varying styles for an interesting, eclectic living room feature or mixing family photos and other important keepsakes, such as letters from grandparents or birth announcements, in frames that reflect your style. Want to really change things up? Take spray paint to frames that have a great shape to create a modern, fresh pop of color.

Need some inspiration? Check out our Facebook page for framing ideas! We also have a great collection of gorgeous frames on our website that will get your creativity flowing.

How to Find the Perfect Frames for Art Prints

Whether a replica of your favorite Van Gogh or a screen print from the artist who lives around the block is your art print of choice, finding the right frame for your print is essential. Art prints are wonderful additions to your home because they bring a certain degree of character and personality to the space—and the right frame can help you tell your print’s story.

To Mat or Not to Mat?
First and foremost, you’ll want to choose the size of your frame. The size will largely depend on whether or not you’ll be matting the print. A mat is a thin piece of heavy paper that sits over the print and under the glass, creating a buffer between the print and the edge of the frame. If you are adding a mat, you’ll need a larger frame so that the mat doesn’t cover too much of the print.

Select Your Style
One of the most exciting aspects of choosing a new frame is deciding whether to go super modern, super traditional, or somewhere in between. Mixing modern and traditional elements can make a powerful artistic statement, but there’s definitely a lot to be said for keeping modern art prints in sleeker frames and prints of older art in more traditional, decorative frames. Try a few different options next to your print to see what speaks to you—and what best reflects your personal style.

Choose Your Color
The final step in the process is to choose the color of your frame (depending on the color availability of the frame style you’ve picked, this may be a pretty simple choice). Like the style of the frame, the frame’s color can share a strong message about your personal style. Want the print to shine? Choose a color within its palette. Want a bold look? Try a pop of color from the opposite side of the color wheel.

Framing your art prints can be an art in and of itself, and we’re happy to guide you through the many options that will come your way. Let us know how we can help!

Choosing Art for Your Home—Where Should You Start?

For those of us who are uninitiated in the art world, choosing new art for our homes can be daunting. But don’t let that stop you! The right art can create a home that truly reflects your personal style, your interests, and even your beliefs. Finding the perfect piece can be tricky, but starting with the basics is the best way to dip your toes into this unfamiliar territory.

Ask Your Friends
If your friends have bought art for their homes, they can be a wealth of information. Start by asking where they bought their favorite pieces and if they have anyone they can connect you with, such as a curator, a gallery owner, a painter, an illustrator, etc. Once you get the basics down—and even after you buy your first piece—find out how they went about choosing their frames.

Scope Out a Local Gallery
Some galleries host events that are open to the public, and these are a great way to discover new artists and build relationships with curators, gallery owners, and other people who are in the know. Once you’ve found a gallery with pieces you may be interested in, set up an appointment. This will give you time to talk through each piece and decide if it’s the perfect addition to your home.

Look Online
Whether you’re looking for a piece by an up and coming artist on Etsy or are ready to invest in something by an established artist, the internet is a wonderful resource. Even though the internet is brimming with information, it’s always fun to talk to the artist by phone or in person to get the story behind the piece you’ve chosen.

Once you’ve picked the perfect piece for your home, drop by and we’ll help you out with personal framing services. Have questions about how to best frame your work of art? Ask our team! We’re happy to help.

3 Ways to Use Empty Frames

Frames are, in and of themselves, beautiful objects that can bring warmth and style to any space. While displaying pictures in frames is the most natural way to use them, why not get a little more creative?

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
Housing mirrors in your empty frames is a wonderful way to create visual interest in a room. A cluster of small framed mirrors of different shapes and sizes can reflect the colors in your room and create a fantastic focal point. For something more dramatic, fill an oversized gold frame with a mirror and lean it against the wall. In addition to creating a chic feature in your home, it’ll make the room appear larger.

The Writing on the Wall
Add a chalk board to a medium sized empty frame and you can instantly create a fun feature for any room in your home. In the kitchen, your chalk board is the perfect place to write out the week’s menu, make a grocery list, and leave reminders for kids to grab their lunches before running out the door to catch the bus in the morning. In the living room, it’s a great place to play a family game of tic tac toe.

Put a Cork in It
Small frames can be difficult to fill—especially if you’re looking for a creative decorating solution that doesn’t involve filling them with photos. Instead of letting them go unused, spray paint them with pops of color that match your living room and use them to frame sheets of cork. These new coasters will delight houseguests and protect your furniture. Have bigger frames to fill? You can take the same concept and apply it on a larger scale to create fun pin boards for your kids’ rooms. Help them choose photos, mementos, and other items to display.

Getting creative with empty frames can be a fun way to bring unexpected style to your home—not to mention function! Check out our Facebook page and selection of frames for inspiration.