The StudioStig Guide to Framing Art Prints

A good frame should make a piece of art feel at home.

It doesn't necessarily need to match the furniture, coordinate with every other frame in the room or follow a particular set of rules. The best framing often feels as though it simply belongs - quietly complementing the artwork while allowing the piece itself to do the talking.

One of the reasons StudioStig prints are available in standard A-series and traditional inch sizes is to make framing them as straightforward as possible. You can choose a ready-made frame, add a mount for a little more breathing room, or find something old and characterful and have a mount cut to fit.

Here are a few things to consider.

To mount or not to mount?

Both can be beautiful. They simply create a different effect.

Framing a print without a mount allows the artwork to fill the frame. It tends to feel more immediate and works particularly well when you want a piece to have presence without increasing its overall size.

Adding a mount creates space between the artwork and the frame. It can make even a relatively small print feel more considered and substantial on the wall, while drawing the eye towards the image.

For StudioStig pieces, we're particularly fond of a generous mount. Painterly artwork often benefits from a little breathing room around it - especially when paired with a simple timber frame.

If you do use a mount, we'd generally favour a soft white, ivory or warm neutral rather than a brilliant, blue-toned white. The gentler tone tends to sit more naturally alongside the muted colours and warmth found throughout the StudioStig collection.

There are no hard rules, though. Let the artwork - and the room it will live in - guide you.

Choosing a frame

A frame can subtly change the character of an artwork.

Natural oak and pale timber keep things relaxed and understated. They're particularly good when you want the artwork to remain the focus and work beautifully in both traditional and more contemporary rooms.

Darker woods - walnut, aged oak and other deeper timber tones - can lend a piece more weight and make a new print feel particularly at home amongst antiques and older furniture.

Painted frames can be wonderful too. Soft off-white, black and muted colours can either disappear quietly into a room or create deliberate contrast around the artwork.

And then there are antique and vintage frames, which deserve a section of their own.

Rather than trying to match every frame in a room, think about how each one relates to the artwork inside it. A collection can be much more interesting when the frames have different ages, finishes and personalities.

Framing with vintage and antique frames

We have a particular soft spot for this approach.

Vintage frames can introduce some of the age and character that makes an original painting so appealing in the first place. Look in antique shops, flea markets, salvage yards and online marketplaces and you'll often find beautifully made old frames for surprisingly little.

Don't be put off if the opening isn't exactly the same size as your print.

A local framer can cut a mount with an aperture sized for the artwork and an outer edge sized for the frame, allowing you to pair the two without trimming the print itself.

You can also look beyond frames that are currently empty. An inexpensive old print or reproduction may be worth buying for its frame alone.

Small imperfections are often part of the appeal: worn gilding, faded paint and knocks accumulated over time can give a frame far more character than something perfectly new.

What size frame do I need?

The simplest option is to choose a frame in the same size as your StudioStig print.

If you'd prefer to use a mount, choose a frame larger than your print and a mount with an aperture cut slightly smaller than the artwork.

How much larger is entirely up to you. A narrow mount can feel subtle and understated, while a generous border can give a smaller piece considerably more presence.

Always check the internal dimensions of a frame before buying, particularly when shopping for vintage frames or ordering something made to measure.

Don't forget the glass

For most art prints, standard picture-frame glass or clear acrylic will work perfectly well.

If the artwork will hang somewhere particularly bright, you may want to consider UV-filtering or anti-reflective glazing. And if you're investing in bespoke framing, it's worth asking your framer about conservation-grade mountboard and glazing.

Whatever you choose, we'd avoid hanging artwork in prolonged direct sunlight where possible.

Do all your frames need to match?

Absolutely not.

In fact, we'd argue that they often look better when they don't.

A room containing art collected over time naturally tends to acquire a mixture of frames: old and new, dark and light, ornate and simple.

If you're hanging several pieces together, look for a quieter connection rather than exact uniformity. Perhaps two frames share a similar timber tone, or a slim black frame appears more than once. That small amount of repetition can give a group cohesion without making it feel overly planned.

The same applies to a gallery wall. Starting with a perfectly matched set of frames can look beautiful, but allowing a wall to grow gradually - adding pieces as you find them - creates an entirely different kind of character.

Where to buy picture frames

There are countless places to buy a frame, from simple ready-made options to something completely bespoke. These are a few we particularly like.

For simple solid oak frames - Wall Space

For an understated frame that works beautifully with painterly artwork, Wall Space makes solid oak frames in Gloucestershire in a wide range of standard sizes. Their simple natural finish lets the grain of the timber show and works particularly well when you want the frame to complement rather than compete with the artwork.

For plenty of choice - Frame Company

Frame Company is a useful place to look if you'd like a little more choice in finish, style or size. Alongside its standard frames, it offers made-to-measure options - particularly handy if you have something less straightforward in mind.

StudioStig favourites

For something more individual, there are two framers we can recommend from personal experience.

The Yorkshire Framer

The Yorkshire Framer is our founder's go-to for personal framing, creating beautifully considered bespoke frames with a particular eye for colour, finish and detail. If you want to invest a little more in the framing of a favourite piece, this is a wonderful place to start.

Harry Eagle

For something really special, Harry Eagle's marquetry frames are works of craftsmanship in their own right. Made using natural and dyed wood veneers, the patterns and colours can bring an entirely new dimension to a piece of art. We've used Harry's marquetry ourselves, so this is a recommendation we can make wholeheartedly.

And, of course, you don't need to buy new. Antique shops, flea markets and online marketplaces can be brilliant sources for old frames. A local framer can cut a mount to bring together an artwork and frame that weren't originally made for one another - often with far more character as a result.

Let the artwork lead

Ultimately, framing should make you enjoy the artwork more.

Try not to worry too much about whether a frame is the correct choice. Hold different finishes against the print. Look at the colours already present in the room. Think about whether you want the frame to disappear or become part of the composition.

Sometimes a simple oak frame is exactly right. Sometimes an elaborate old gilt frame makes the whole thing sing.

And sometimes the slightly unexpected choice is the best one.

The aim isn't to create a perfectly coordinated wall.

It's to make a piece feel as though it belongs there.

Find a piece to frame

Explore the StudioStig collection of painterly fine art prints, created with the warmth, texture and character of paintings collected over time.

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