ARTmonday: Mail Order Picture Frames by Framebridge

When someone from Framebridge reached out to me I was intrigued. If you read my blog regularly or follow my Instagram, you know we have a lot of artwork. And a lot of it is unframed. I immediately accepted the offer to try it out its service for mail order picture frames.

Susan Tynan (who hails from local brain bank Harvard Business School) founded Framebridge last year. She was spot on in the thinking behind the company, saying “What makes visiting a traditional custom frame shop uncomfortable? Let’s remove it. The up-selling, the unclear pricing, the overwhelming, outdated selection–gone.”  Because seriously, nobody has used those glossy purple frames with the rounded edges since the 1970s.

Framebridge offers 21 styles of mail order picture frames, which are hand-cut and assembled at its production studio in Maryland using top-of-the-line materials including acid-free matting and foam boards and UV protective acrylic.

Here’s how it works: Choose a frame from the 21 options (you can try them virtually by uploading a photo of your piece), provide approximate measurements, choose from a white matte, off white matte, or no matte. If you can’t decide on a frame style, the Framebridge design team will make three suggestions for you.  

Once you know what you want, indicate whether you have your own mailer or want them to send you a flat mailer or tube mailer. That’s it. Soon the mailer will arrive at your doorstep; pop in your art, stick on the pre-paid shipping label, and send it off. You’ll receive an email when they get your piece and another in about two weeks once they’ve shipped it back to you. If the team has questions (maybe they’re not sure about orientation or somesuch issue),  you’ll get a friendly personal email.

If you have a digital file, you can upload it and Framebridge will print and frame it for you using heavyweight, luster photo paper with archival inks. You can even have them frame mini Instagram photos through the iPhone app . Pricing is based on size, not frame style, and ranges from $39 for Instagram minis to $149 for a piece up to 32″ x 40″. Shipping is free both ways.

A few weeks ago I got back my first two mail order picture frames from Framebridge. I love them and I just put through orders for two more. Have a look.

framebridge-stephen-sheffield-swimmer

Stephen Sheffield

Fort Point, Boston-based photographer Stephen Sheffield, who is a friend of ours, posted this photo of his son swimming last summer on Facebook. I had to have it to add to my growing collection of artwork of pools and swimmers. I love the way the moody blue water looks against the pale wood Marin frame from Framebridge. It’s on my bookshelf right over the sofa where I work.

framedbridge-stephen-sheffield-cubot

Stephen Sheffield  •  Cubeot by David Weeks  • child’s watercolor

My husband spotted this Stephen Sheffield photograph (on the left) on Facebook a couple of years ago. I think Steve shot it with one hand while driving the trailer that he and his wife Alison decided to rent for a road trip to Disney World with their kids during winter break. I used Framebridge’s modern white frame called Irvine. (The piece on the right is a watercolor by my son done in the woods during an art in nature class at Castle Hill in Truro years ago. It’s in an ill-fitting off the shelf frame.)

framedbridge-stephen-sheffield-cubot-2

Stephen Sheffield

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F R A M I N G  O P T I O N S  at F R A M E B R I D G E

Modern Classic And Eclectic Framing Mail Order Service

Modern Classic And Eclectic Framing Mail Order Service

There are plenty of options at Framebridge. Let me know how yours turns out.

Get the Look: 60 Modern Chandeliers and Pendants

If you’re contemplating a statement light fixture in your living room, as I am, hopefully yesterday’s Montage: 47 Living Rooms with Chandeliers & Pendants gave you some ideas. Turns out I made a spur-of-the-moment rug purchase on One King’s Lane yesterday (an incredible David Hicks runner for my stairs), so the chandelier will have to wait. In the meantime, no reason to stop looking, and to really start to think about what will work in terms of size, etc.

Boston interior designer Shellie Donovan left a helpful tip on the StyleCarrot Facebook page: “Remember, measure the drop and visualize the height. The scale has to be correct, too large or small will kill the best piece. You can get flush mount for lower ceilings. ”

S H O P P I N G

ELK 15-Light Molecular Polished Chrome Chandelier, $466 at Lumens.
JBS Bronze Twig Chandelier at Jonathan Browning, Dering Hall.
Copper Shade Pendant by Tom Dixon, $610 at Y Lighting.
Arteriors Home ‘Sherman’ Brass Chandelier, $910 at Clayton Gray.
De La Espada 250 ‘Zenovitch’ 12 by Autoban, $6,895 at Addo Novo.
‘Onion’ Pendant in Wood Veneer by Bang Design, $1,117 at 2modern.
Arredoluce “Ragno” Spider Flush-Mount at 1st Dibs.
‘PS Maskros’ Pendant, $89.99 at IKEA.
‘Varmluft’ square shade, $8 at IKEA.
‘Hoyne’ Open Weave Crisscross Pendant, $399 at Crate & Barrel.
Foscarini ‘Le Soleil’ by Vicente Garcia Jimenez, $1,551 at Addo Novo.
Flos ‘2097’ Steel Chandelier by Gino Sarfatti, $1,520 at Hive.
Golden Lighting ‘Echelon’ Chrome Chandelier, $539.90 at Wayfair.
Swarovski Crystal Starburst Sputnik, $11,000 at Venfield, 1st Dibs.
Black ‘Oval Boi’ Chandelier at David Weeks Studio, Dering Hall.
Foscarini ‘Lightweight’ Suspension by Tom Dixon, $6,842 at Hive.
Gold Work Lamp by Design House Stockholm, $110 at Horne.
MIO ‘Bendant’ Powder Coated Steel Lamp, $175 at 2modern.
Primary Color Artisan Glass Chandelier, $1,800 at S. Julian, 1st Dibs.
Stilnovo Painted Metal Chandelier, $2,058 at Paris 1st Dibs.
72-Light Brass Sputnik at Maison Schembri, 1st Dibs.
‘Superordinate’ Antlers by Jason Miller, $5,900—$8,000 at DWR.
Lindsey Adelman ‘Boom Boom Burst,’ $105,000 at Lindsey Adelman.
Polyedres by Hubert le Gall at Twenty First Gallery, 1st Dibs.
Crystorama ‘Solaris’ 6-Light in Olde Silver, $450 at Homeclick.
‘BV Blue’ Rolled Paper by Isabelle Farahnick, TomThomas, 1st Dibs.
De La Espada Blue ‘224 Single Octopus’ by Autoban, $1,255 at Addo Novo.
Pablo ‘Solis’ Suspensions by Carmine Deganello, $300 each at Design Public.
Coral Pendant with Lime Green by David Trubridge, $360—$1,280 at Horne.
‘Tived’ Ceiling Spotlight in Nickel, $69.99 at IKEA.
‘Pax’ with Bird Sculpture by Jose Esteves, $2,990 at Interieurs, Dering Hall.
Foscarini ‘Caboche 20’ by Patricia Urquiola, $1,914 at Lightology.
Robert Abbey  Brushed Nickel ‘Candelaria,’ $723—$1,045 at Lumens.
White Globe Cluster by Kaiser Leuchtan, $3,800 at Center 44, Bond & Bowery.
Bocci 14.14 Fourteen Pendant by Omer Arbel, $6,020 at Y Lighting.
Double Scalloped Chandelier, $3,400 at Pieces.
Gaetano Sciolari 9-Light Twisted Tubular Chandelier, $2,646, 1st Dibs Paris.
Light Blue PH50 Pendant by Poul Henningsen, $876 at Danish Design Store.
‘Bailey’ Chandelier in White Resin, $3,250 at Mecox Gardens.
Arteriors ‘Caviar’ Cluster with Smoked Glass, $3,240 at Shop Candelabra.
Moooi Stainless Steel ‘Raimond’ by Raimond Puts, $2,071 at Hive.
Turquoise, Murano Glass Chandelier, $2,940 at DWR.
Rattan Brush Chandelier, $515 at Clayton Gray.
Lightolier Brutalist Snowflake by Gaetano Sciolari at BG Galleries, 1st Dibs.
Artcraft ‘Nebula’ 19-Light Chrome Pendant, $852 at Homeclick.
8-Light Brass Atomic Sputnik, $1,995 at Judy Frankel Antiques, 1st Dibs.
Areaware ‘Orbit’ by Patrick Townsend, $600 at Areaware.
‘Meri’ Pierced Resin Drum, $3,250 at Mecox Gardens.
Black 3-Arm Chandelier by Workstead, $1,800 at Horne.
Filvem Multicolor Sputnik, $7,500 at BG Galleries, 1st Dibs.
Amber ‘Elizabeth’ Chandelier at Jan Showers, Dering Hall.
Turquoise ‘Venus’ Pendant by Worlds Away, $440 at Clayton Gray.
Entrelace Modern Hanging Chandelier, $265 at Clayton Gray.
California Sunburst Chandelier, $5,975 at Remains Design, Dering Hall.
Floating Mercury Pebbles by Ross Lovegrove, $3,870 at Addo Novo.
Floral Sputnik Snowflake Chandelier ,$4,800/pair at Kerson, 1st Dibs.
SLAMP ‘Fiorella’ Chandelier by Nigel Coates, $798—$1,080 at Lumens.
Flos ‘Taraxacum 88’ by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, $4,760 at DWR.
Glass Rods Murano Sputnik at Stellar Union, 1st Dibs.
Lights Up! ‘Woody’ by Rachel Simon, $622 at 2modern.

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I LOVE the PENDANT LIGHTS at HORNE