Choose The Perfect Wall Mirror

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Important considerations go into choosing the right mirror, including shape, style, and frame. However, you can make impeccable choices in all categories but the mirror will still be wrong. The size of the mirror must fit the size of the space.

Understand the mirror’s purpose
Before you choose a mirror, decide what its primary purpose will be:

Fill an empty spot on a wall.
Make a small room seem larger
Make a dramatic statement
Do what a mirror does best, which is to reflect
Know the appropriate size

Once you decide the mirror’s main purpose, you can select an appropriate size. If you plan to hang a mirror on a large wall such as in a dining room, it can make a dramatic splash. Therefore, a mirror on a large wall should have a height of two to two-and-a-half feet. If you plan to hang the mirror above a credenza, for example, the length of the mirror should be slightly less than the length of the furniture.

Smaller mirrors can also work in a large room, but it matters where you place them. For example, accent mirrors of less than one foot in height can bring sophistication near the entrance to the room.

If you plan to hang a mirror in a bathroom, the same rules for size apply. A mirror placed above a vanity should be slightly shorter in length than the vanity.

Selecting the right frame for your mirror is also important. A frame—sleek, ornate, rustic, modern, or contemporary—should complement the room where you’ll hang the mirror.

Did you know many of the Frame Warehouse locations offer a great selection of mirrors?  Find the location near you, view locations.

6 Professional Tips for Incorporating Metallic Picture Frames

Metallic Frames | Frame Warehouse

Whether you’re displaying pastorals, skyscrapers or abstract, finding the right frame is essential. It must complement the work. But it shouldn’t take center stage.

The perfect frame simply feels like a supporting actor making the lead look great. Metallic picture frames do just that when paired with the right images in your gallery. Do you know these expert design tips for using metallic frames?

1. Create a Fresh & Modern Design
Metal, glass, and steel are the primary mediums for the Modern design style. Incorporating metallic picture frames into an art gallery gives a room a distinctly modern look and feel.

Complement modern images with a modern frame.

2. Go for an Industrial Look
With the right image, metallic picture frames scream industrial. Whether matte finished or polished to reflection quality, metal is your best option in a gallery displaying industrially-themed art.

3. Consider Going Narrow
When using metallic frames in a gallery, you may not want too much reflection and shimmer. Opting for a narrower metal frame gives your guest just a taste of modern metallic shine without overwhelming the piece.

A narrow frame fades into the background, allowing the work to take center stage.

4. Don’t Be Afraid of Chunky Frames
While narrow has its benefits, a thicker metal frame can also serve a purpose. When you use a larger frame, be prepared to explore your options to choose the perfect one because the frame even more so becomes an extension of the art.

5. Accentuate Clean Lines
The cold, straight lines of metal accentuate a work of art that focuses on clear, straight lines. The frame becomes a seamless extension of the piece.

6. Make B&W Pop
Whether you’re showcasing old photos or modern B&W art, nothing makes black and white images stand out like metallic picture frames. A silver frame brings out the greys, offering the viewer the kind of sensory experience that will keep them coming back to your gallery.

Display Graduation Keepsakes the Professional Way

Graduation Keepsake | Frame Warehouse

Graduation—from high school, college, or any program—results from a lot of determination and hard work.

With such an achievement comes tangible evidence of the accomplishment. The event itself generates many keepsakes, such as professional photographs, tassels, bulletins, and awards. Don’t let those important items end up stashed away in a box or drawer. Because of what they represent, the most cherished and symbolic of those items should receive special attention. Consider professionally mounting and framing graduation memories. That way, they will always be present as a reminder of one of the most significant rites of passage in a person’s life.

A Perfect Display
Such keepsakes look great when framed and mounted by professionals. It may be tempting to visit your nearest big box retailer and buy the first frame or shadow box that looks big enough. But it is often obvious when a frame isn’t custom-made for the exact dimensions and layout of the memory items. Plus, it’s nearly impossible to find a ready-made frame and mat to display multiple photographs or other items in a way that looks just right.

Imagine how nice a tassel or honors sash would look when tastefully mounted and arranged in a shadow box designed specifically for them. Think how special a diploma would look framed in a way that honors the graduate’s efforts.

You don’t even have to leave home to begin searching for just the right frame for the photos or other items it will display. Start browsing our photo frames online. Or visit one of our 12 convenient locations for in-person recommendations. Graduation keepsakes can offer a lifetime of pleasant memories. Therefore, trust them in the hands of framing shop professionals.

Closet Purge & Things To Frame

Closet Purge and What To Frame | Frame Warehouse | Charlotte NC

With spring cleaning comes the question as old as the tradition itself: What should you treasure and what should you toss? In some cases, discarding an old keepsake stuffed in the back of a closet feels akin to betrayal. It’s hard let go. Subsequently, a good cleaning is not as thorough as you had hoped. However, framing provides a way to hold onto some of those dusty treasures while simultaneously giving them a fresh purpose.

Some of your junk may be hidden art. If you have saved magazines for nostalgic reasons, for instance, take a fresh look at the covers. You may discover one that would look great in a frame. Another example: Every car compartment used to be stuffed with road maps. And National Geographic printed beautiful wall maps from across the globe. If you still have a few that evoke happy travel memories, imagine how they would look in your den.

A few more ideas to get your mind thinking creatively about framing possibilities:

  • Artistic book jackets
  • Songbook covers or song sheets
  • Vinyl records and album covers
  • Photocopied and enlarged stamps
  • Old handwritten letters
  • A child’s first grade progress report

Frame worthy pieces are not limited to flat objects. Consider any items stuck in the back of a drawer that, if framed, would add a nice touch to a den or bedroom.

  • Scout and hiking patches
  • Sea shells
  • Race t-shirts and medals
  • Buttons of every size and color
  • Vintage tableware like silver knives and forks

As you encounter items during your cleaning effort, look at them in a different light. Are they serving any purpose packed in a storage bin? See them as what they are: potential items brought back to life in an ideal frame.

Frame Warehouse has 12 locations in North and South Carolina with endless options for your framing needs.  You can shop us in-store or online.

 

Source:

https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/8-things-you-never-thought-to-frame-but-should-48463#shell-decor

Frames, The History Behind Them

History Behind Frames | Frame Warehouse | Charlotte NC

Art frames are a relatively recent introduction into civilization. Among the earliest evidence of framed artwork was discovered in Egypt. A mummy’s tomb dating to the second century included a framed portrait of the dearly departed. It’s believed the portrait hung in the person’s house and was transported to the tomb when its owner died.

Scant other evidence of art frames exists until the late Middle Ages. Until then, most artwork was reserved for the very rich or for institutions like churches. Art was applied directly to a wooden panel covered with linen and a liquid binding agent. Pieces were massive, heavy, and hung in a prominent location. Therefore, they were rarely moved from their original spot.

Then, in fifteenth century Florence, Italy, a rich banker commissioned a painting in which the art was separate from the frame. Other Florentine painters followed suit, and the practice of using art frames grew. Frame makers never became as famous as painters like Rembrandt, but they were considered artists as well. They commanded the respect of painters, who saw them as an integral part of the creative process. Two styles of frames—tabernacle and cassetta, were most common. Tabernacle frames looked like the outlines of buildings with very ornate “roofs.” Cassetta frames were also ornate, but they were rectangular and thus more like frames we see today.

Frame styles have evolved along with other art trends. They are no longer as ornate or cumbersome as they were 500 years ago. Yet, frames come in a wide variety of styles and materials to complement any artwork. Most significant of all, framed art is not just for the very wealthy. It is accessible to everyone, providing a cost-effective way to appreciate any art or treasure. You can frame almost anything, for next to nothing with the Frame Warehouse.

Source:

https://lauramorelli.com/history-of-picture-frames/

https://theframeblog.com/about/

Home Decorating Trends Using Picture Frames

Picture-Frame-Trends

When you’re looking for ways to spruce up your home, there are several fun ways to do so with the use of picture frames. Whether you want to display photos in these frames or leave them empty, keep the following decorating ideas in mind for your home.

Wall Collage

Dress up a plain wall with a collage made of picture frames. Use frames of all different sizes to make an eye-catching arrangement on your wall. If you’re leaving them empty, you can put smaller frames inside larger ones for an even more visually interesting effect.

Oversized Frames

Oversized picture frames that are left empty can be a great way to draw attention to large vases or other oversized decor items in your home. Lean the frame against the wall around the item as a way to highlight it. You can also accentuate a smaller frame, painting or other work of art on walls by placing an oversized empty photo frame around it.

Color-Themed Frames

Choose frames in a specific color theme, such as frames that are different shades of a certain color or frames in warm or cool color tones. You can also do a black and white theme or a gold and silver one. Whether you leave the frames empty or put photos in them, you’ll add instant visual appeal to this part of your home.

Art Gallery 

Turn a plain hallway in your home into an art gallery with some carefully placed photo frames. Fill these frames with art pieces rather than photos, and hang them in a row along the walls of your hallway.

Need help finding the perfect picture frame?  The Frame Warehouse has years of experience and frame experts to help you with your framing needs.  Shop our high quality frames online or visit one of our 12 locations in North and South Carolina.

What You Should Know About Hanging Picture Frames

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You’ve got a big, blank expanse of plastered wall and a picture frame that would look perfect there. But everyone knows what a hassle it is to hang art, so that poor wall might stay empty.

Fortunately, hanging picture frames is easier than it looks. Start by answering these basic questions.

What’s your creative strategy? Are you simply trying to find a place for a solo picture frame? Or do you have several decorative or thematic pieces you’d like to work into a grouping?

If hanging a single picture frame, its center should be positioned about 57 inches off the ground, on eye level with many. But if you’ve got a grouping in mind, get creative with formation. Use butcher paper or newspaper pages cut to the dimensions of your art and lay them on the floor or tape them to the wall until you like what you see.

How heavy is your artwork? Generally, you can get by with a nail or picture hanger if your art only weighs a few pounds. If it weights over 20 lbs, you’ll need a threaded anchor for extra wall grip.

What fasteners are you using. Most picture frames will come with a wire hanger attached horizontally to the back. Use picture hangers or a lone nail with this approach. Other frames might have saw tooth hangers for use with nails.

How are your math skills? Have a tape measure handy for finding the horizontal center point on your artwork to catch the nail or picture hanger in the right place. Or cheat with a tube of gel toothpaste. Dab a little on the back of your artwork where the wire will be extended or where you saw tooth hangers are affixed. Then press your picture frame against the wall and the smudges will indicate nail positions.

Keep in mind, it can be a perfectly legit design solution to prop your art against a wall or on a shelf and leave your wall unmarked.

Find the frame that will accent your blank wall perfectly here at Frame Warehouse.

Try Your Luck At DIY Framing

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Are you ready to explore the creative art of DIY framing? Planning picture frames for a space is not only fun; it’s also rewarding. Showcase your sketches, paintings, photos or portraits with the perfect frame. As St. Patty’s Day approaches, let’s explore some fun tips for DIY framing.

1. Work Backwards
Start with the end in mind. Think about where you’ll display the frame first. Get measurements to make sure reality matches what you see in your mind’s eye.
 
2. Be a Big Picture Thinker
Are you using several different-size or abnormal frames to create your grouping? Will the primary color in each frame somehow complement the others?

Consider the whole picture. Then plan your picture frames.
3. Find a Frame that Complements the Image
Just because you love the ornate curves of a Victorian-era frame doesn’t mean it will go with your photos of shamrocks or in your home. Consider how the frame complements the subject matter, colors and general feel of the image as well as the space in which you will hang it. 

4. Value Empty Space
An image going to the edge of the frame can make picture frames seem crowded and unprofessionally-framed. There’s just something about wide, open spaces that make everything better. Just ask the millions of tourists who visit the rolling hills of green in Northern Ireland each year. A mat helps you create that open space in a microcosm to place proper focus on your framed image.

5. Avoid the Sun
It may be cloudy today. But what about tomorrow? Several hours of direct sun will bleach even the most vibrant colors. Consider this before choosing a location for a treasured picture.

Perfect Picture Frames
Do you need to find those perfect frames, or are you looking for a professional who can help you create what you envision for your space? Shop our frames online or visit a Frame Warehouse near you.

What Is Canvas Stretching?

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At a glance, stretching a canvas may seem unnecessary to some. Can’t you simply lay canvas across some boards, staple it and put in a frame? But the art of stretching is precise and the benefits well worth undergoing this time-consuming task. Let’s explore the answer to this question and find out what canvas stretching is all about.

The Benefits of Canvas Stretching

The benefits of canvas stretching are many. Stretching helps you perfectly complement a space in your home by:
1. Stretching an image to precise dimensions (within reason)
2. Stretching it to a certain shape
3. Protecting the image from undue wear and aging
4. Giving the image a firm foundation on a quality wooden frame
5. Showcasing an image that can now last for generations
6. Achieving perfect and permanent image alignment (no slipping or wrinkling as the years go by)

What Is Canvas Stretching?

A canvas stretcher uses stretching tools to stretch an image over stretcher bars, which are the wooden pieces that make up the frame that supports the canvas from behind.

These tools include but aren’t limited to:
• Mallet
• Stretching pliers
• Industrial strength scissors
• Hammer
• Staple gun
• Staple remover
• Measuring tape

With these tools, a canvas stretching professional very gently yet firmly and uniformly pulls the canvas and perfectly aligns it with the stretcher bars. An improperly stretched canvas will appear misshapen and may have waves that will become more pronounced and unsightly with time. A properly stretched canvas is taut with perfectly folded and affixed corners. Stretching a canvas takes time and patience but the finished product is amazing.

Getting Your Canvas Stretched

Do you have a canvas image that you want to last for generations? Do you have precise specifications for the image so that you can showcase it in a space? Frame Warehouse can help you perfectly complement your space with a professionally stretched canvas. Contact us today or visit any of our 12 locations in North and South Carolina.