What size frame do I need?
I don’t know about you but I have always found frame buying a bit of a nightmare. Visualising measurements is not my strong point. Luckily I get to use rulers in my job so it works. But pre framer days I wouldn’t have been able to find a ruler let alone work out what size my artwork was.
It is also a bit of a chicken and egg issue. Are you searching for a frame for a particular piece of art or print or photograph that you already own? Or are you looking to get a frame to fit a particular section of wall or sideboard in your home and the choosing of what goes in it will come second.
So let’s imagine the first is true. You have a print and now you want a frame.
My first tip is to measure it. I know annoying. Try and find the ruler, it’s probably in the messy drawer. Or if you have children try their desk. A tape measure may be easier to find, or a soft tape measure if you have a sewing kit. If you can’t find any of them most phones have apps you can get to measure things. I haven’t yet look into this but it sounds promising.
Next. Decide if you want a frame that is the same size as your artwork or photograph. You may want to add a mount to create a border around your art or you may want to use a mount to frame a small image in a larger frame. These decisions are really down to personal choice and how you want the artwork or print to look in the frame, where it is going to be hung etc.
I will say that one benefit of a mount, is that the mountboard acts as a barrier between the artwork and the glass. Over time paper can sometimes stick to glass and so if you are likely to want to remove the artwork in future then a mount may be a good call. If heading down the bespoke route you can have what are called ‘spacers’ to create space between the glass and the artwork if you don’t want a border. If you are wanting to purchase one of our ready-to-hang frames then there is a choice of width of border so you could opt for a very thin border to create that space between the art and the glass.
So now let’s imagine you are looking for a frame to fit a particular wall or space on a sideboard in your house.
Measure the space. Or if like me and measurements as a number mean nothing, use some brown paper to stick up on the wall and cut it to the size you need it to fit the space. Whenever I’m designing a gallery wall, brown paper comes out. You’ll then need to measure it and you may find you can round up or round down to suit our Ready-to-Hang collection. If not you can order Custom Frames via our Made-to-Measure service.
You may just want to choose a mount based on your personal taste and then you will have the dimensions to look for some artwork or print to fit the space. Or using our Make-do-and-Mend service you can come back at a later date and buy a mountboard to fit the print you end up purchasing for your frame.