It’s true: I’m an art addict. While I’ve not reached (or, let’s get real here, become anywhere near to) the dizzying heights of the high-end art world, I love to collect prints by small independent artists from my travels. Also, I love to frame my own pictures; those special snapshots that capture a memory and moment from my travels. This is something I’ve enjoyed doing in the past, but I’ve been deterred on countless occasions due to the probative cost and time involved in custom framing. It’s for that very reason that I think the service offered by Framebridge so awesome. You choose to either mail your art to their studio (they send you prepaid packaging) or upload your image for them to print and frame. When your art arrives in their studio their design and production teams precisely measure, cut, and build a custom frame to fit the art. It’s then sent back to you ready to hang, for free! The best part? It’s super affordable! I partnered with them to share my tips on choosing the right frames and ways to display your art and photographs depending on which rooms they are for. Click through after the jump to see all my newly framed travel prints in #BBbrownstone! (P.S. You can get 15% off your first Framebridge order with the code: BRIGHTBAZAAR15.) Yay!
One of my top tips for evoking a relaxed and casual look with art is to prop, don’t hang. Not only does propping art give you the flexibility to switch up your displays and vignettes as the season or your mood changes, but it also gives that cool ‘design magazine look’ to your home. Treat shelves like mini stages and style them up with accessorizes and personal mementoes that compliment the color palette of your framed art for an effortlessly stylish look. This approached works well on the open shelving of my modern white desk and shelving unit.
The Bolton design is my favorite frame on Framebridge’s site. The oiled steel frame with grommet detail has a masculine and industrial-inspired look, which thanks to the thin profile doesn’t feel heavy for overbearing. This frame works really well for graphic and bright pieces of art. The black finish gives a classic and strong surround that doesn’t get overpowered by the vibrant hues of the photograph, but it still has a fresh and modern overall look thanks to the form and details of the frame design.
I shared my thoughts on the moment I took this image of a Mexican fruit seller on my first visit to Mexico a few months ago. The image has stayed with me ever since and I was keen to bring the memory into my everyday, so printing and framing the photograph for my desk seemed like the perfect solution. His kind expression and the color block wall behind him is just the jolt of energy I need when I have a long work day in my office – I love it!
The industrial look of the Bolton frame pairs beautifully with the exposed brick walls of my NYC apartment. I used the frame design and colors seen in my photograph from Mexico as the reference point for styling up the rest of my office. Aqua, green and stone hued vases speak to the colors of the print, while a black vintage camera nods to the frame.
You can also frame prints to coordinate with an existing piece of furniture. For example, a simple Irvine Slim frame is perfect for calling out the milky whites of this entryway bench. By coordinating the frame with the bench it helps to create a cohesive look, bringing the small space together as an edited and stylish nook, vs. one that’s jumbled and visually messy.
Now, let’s head upstairs to see how I refreshed my tiny NYC bedroom with newly framed prints from my travels…
I put together this fun gif to show the process I go through when hanging a gallery wall with a variety of different prints in Framebridge frames.
As I had a navy feature wall and a plain white wall in my bedroom space I approached framing my travel prints differently from the brick wall downstairs. For my hero print above the bed, I opted to call out the silvery shimmer of the light hitting the waves via the Newport frame. The beautiful antiqued silver helps to elevate the image, while also pairing well with the sophisticated feel of the navy color on the wall behind.
For the gallery wall, my aim was to frame the art in a way that continued the sun soaked, so-cal vibe of the travel prints I was hanging. The natural wood of the Marin frame really makes the saturated blues of the two palm prints pop, and speaks to the natural elements of their locales. This frame style pairs well with a the fresh and modern look of the Irvine Slim frame. When curating a gallery wall, it’s important to switch up the shapes and styles of both your art and your frames. If you were to, for example, frame all your art in white frames and hang them from a white wall, there would be no definition between each pieced therefore a lack of impact from the display. Here, you can see how I chose to pair two styles together and then threw in one left of field frame – the Bolton – to make sure the gallery wall didn’t feel too matchy-matchy or forced. Which of my new frames and prints is your favorite? Do you have any gallery walls in your home?
// Photography by Will Taylor | Posted in partnership with Framebridge; all views my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that help keep Bright.Bazaar going!
24 Comments
Beautiful Will!
@Lucy – Thank you!
Knockout. That plan tree shot is top.
@Ben – I love that one as well, I took it in Santa Barbara last year!
Will,
I always love seeing these peeks inside your home and that you share helpful advice for us decorating novices along the way. 😉 Great to see that you have framed the picture from Mexico that you loved so much.
Sarah x
@Sarah – Thanks for following along. Pleased you found it useful! 🙂
This is so interesting! We have exposed bricks in our bedroom and I’ve always avoided hanging art there because I didn’t know what to choose. Forwarding to my hubs!!
@Catherine – So pleased it was helpful! Happy decorating!
Bookmarking Framebridge! Thanks, Will
@Bella – Smart move! 🙂
Love this post! The guy you framed for your desk is my favorite. I frame my own prints as well, very satisfying
@Jay – Thank you. Awesome to hear you are framing prints too!
Perfect timing, I’m planning a gallery wall at the moment for my new apartment. You are such an inspiration to me and my roommates and we can’t wait for your book! 🙂
@Harri – Thanks so much, that really made me smile! Happy decorating!
Hi Will – thanks for this intro. Very interesting as I totally need more ‘art’. I really struggle to find what I like sometimes so I love the idea of uploading a photo or image of my own and getting it to look ‘professional’. I’ve just been on their website and they say shipping to US is free but doesn’t mention re UK (unless I’m not looking properly) and just wondered if you had any idea re delivery to the UK? many thanks Fi
@Fiona – Yes, it really is fantastic! Right now, I believe the company is US shipping only but stay tuned for news on UK shipping! 🙂
I tend to use the eyeball method for hanging art, but I love how you’ve articulated your helpful tips, so I’m off to share them with my customers! Thanks, looking forward to your future posts!
@Elizabeth – So pleased you found it useful! 🙂
Love your desk area! I was looking at a similar desk, BUT my ceiling heights in my home office area aren’t as accommodating as yours.
@Josh – It’s true, I lucked out with these high ceilings! Hope your desk hunt proved fruitful in the end!
I love your tip of propping up art rather than simply hanging it, and Framebridge sounds like a very useful service so UK shipping would be great. By the way I’ll be mentioning your upcoming book on my website, I’m being sent a review copy!
@Suze – Thank you, I am excited to see! 🙂
It’s perfect on that wall!
It can be so hard to pull the trigger, can’t it? I always have to remind myself that if I don’t like it, I AM allowed to reframe.
Thanks for mentioning that you should prop art instead of hanging it if you want a more relaxed feel. That is a really cool idea. My wife and I want to incorporate more art into our decor, but we don’t want to make it seem forced. Propping some frames of art on our shelves could give us the kind of cool and relaxed vibe we want. I will make sure we give it a try!