Bellbottoms in the 1960s. Skinny jeans in 2010. Every style has its season. “In some ways the framing industry is similar,” says Cindy Geyer, supervisor of the framing department at the Color Wheel in McLean. “Styles change, so does framing.” So when adding art to your home, you want to ensure the piece is displayed in a unique way that maximizes its effect while preserving the art for years to come. “The frame is the transition of the stillness of an image to the reality of a space,” says Jeff Akseizer, principal at Akseizer Design Group in McLean.
According to Akseizer, every designer has his own favorite framing method.
“I enjoy creating a space of time between the artwork and where it hangs, such as floating the frame,” he explains. “This is done by adding an eighth to a quarter inch between the canvas and the frame, giving the piece time to stop its movement off the canvas and creating space between the artwork and the wall.”
“Floating an image on linen or silk gives the piece more depth,” says Jamie Brown, senior designer at Akseizer Design Group. “Depth allows the quality of the art to show.” Brown says adding spacers between the mat and glass also adds depth by preventing the art from touching the glass. “Simple frames and space between the art and glass allow the image to really be the focal point on a wall and in a room,” says Brown, who often uses shadowboxes for oil paintings to incorporate space between art and glass.
Akseizer likes to sandwich art between two pieces of glass as well and place it within a box-type frame, so that it seems to be floating on the surface of the matting, creating visual depth.
Brown also says a frame shouldn’t overtake a piece. “Gilded frames and dark wood frames get confusing and take attention away from the art,” he says. “A busy oil painting looks best framed in white lacquer. A thin white lacquer frame is a good choice if you really want the artwork to shine and enhance the overall design of a room.”
Many methods of framing art have developed through the years, but it seems most framers, like Rosemarie Howe, president of Rosemarie R. Howe Interiors, Inc. in Washington, still say simplicity is the way to go. “If you have something that’s very interesting, that means something to you emotionally, you really want the piece to sing,” she says. “A frame is there to enhance the work, and when you have too many tricks, it takes away from the work.” Howe often incorporates natural-colored matting that complements the framed artwork.
“I totally believe in simplicity,” agrees Sue Burgess, owner and interior designer at Sue Burgess Associates in Chevy Chase. Burgess also recommends going frameless by securing the matting and artwork between glass and backing with framing clips. “This method can be used in a contemporary or traditional design,” she adds.
Brown expects framing techniques to continue to evolve. “We’re getting away from traditional framing and using more transitional floating frames and more modern techniques,” he says.
