Sometimes the best design I can show you isn't a visual design at all. But it is a critical part of the process of helping you display your artwork and cherished items in your home. It's a design we have worked hard to build into our business, and something we think you find more from independent, locally owned "mom and pops." It's the way we've designed our customer service to provide you with a beautiful buying experience.

By customer service, I mean a lot more than how you are treated at the cash register. I don't have to tell you how important that is- you know how you feel when you are at a big box, there's a line of people waiting and only one register open while two or three other staffers stand nearby, hammering out the details of their schedules, or whatever the manager (who is inevitably one of them) feels is more important than serving the customer first. I had this happen to me twice in the last week (no, even I can't buy everything in the kind of shops I would like to.) And it started me thinking on this topic.

We try to make sure that each of our customers knows how much we value them. We design their shopping experience such that they have our full attention, without disruption unless absolutely necessary. We listen to our customers to get an idea of what they are expecting from the finished frame design. When their ideas go against our aesthetics, we remind ourselves that it is going to hang on their wall, not ours. We educate our customers about the design process and the materials that go into their frame, so they know what they are getting and why.

I can hear some people's answer to this now:

But why is it so expensive? The little guys are so much more money! I can get it cheaper! I can get it online and have it shipped to me! So much easier and cheaper!

Don't fall for it!

The same week as my own awful shopping experiences, the following also occurred. It's a true story, of course, and is a perfect example of poor experience design.

Mr. George, whom I had not yet met, called me and stated that he had just seen my store. He had just ordered a frame and mat from an online company, and it came with a piece of cut plexiglass and backing board. But now that he had it, he realized that he didn't know how to put it all together the right way.

I told him how much I would charge him for "fitting" (that's what we call "putting it all together".) He thought it was a reasonable price and said he would be in the next day. He came in with a beautiful, commissioned piece of art. He shared with me that he had spent so much on the artwork, he wanted to save money on the framing, so he ordered it online. He had ordered a 2 inch wide black wood frame with a grey mat cut to size. There was a piece of plexiglass cut to size and a piece of foamboard also cut to size.

We started to unwrap the frame from its wrapping, and right away saw the first problem. One corner was all chewed up! It looked like a mouse had been at it, or it had been dropped right on the corner. I asked him if the box had been damaged; it hadn't. In fact, the wrapping looked fine. Which means that the company sent it looking like this. We also noticed that there were gaps in the corners where the mitred pieces of moulding meet, and they weren't flat and even. A very poor fitting job. I flipped the frame over to look at the joining method used, and we each saw something that bothered us.

I saw that the frame was joined without glue. Now, you may not know this, but wood glue is what keeps frames together at the corners. You see nails or pins in frames to keep them together while the glue is drying! No glue means the frame will be more likely to loosen up and fall apart.

Mr. George saw that the frame was not a solid piece of wood, like he thought he had ordered. It was pressed wood, or fiberboard, wrapped with a laminated paper. He was disappointed that the company hadn't been truthful about what they were selling him.

I turned my attention to the matboard. The company had given no description of that. But I was able to tell that it was what we refer to as a "paper board", as opposed to a "rag board". The difference? Paper boards are cheaper, for sure. But they are also full of acid that will damage artwork over time, yellowing the paper while turning yellow themselves. The foamboard that was sold to him was also not an acid-free material. To the company's credit, the plexiglass was fine.

Mr. George ended up returning the shipment to the company, and they refunded his money. He bought a similar frame from me, with a rag mat in the same color, an acid-free backing and plexiglass. He said he didn't mind that the frame was pressed board; he just wished they'd been more forthcoming about what they sold him.

He paid me, including the fitting, about 25% more than he'd paid them (without any fitting). However, he got a much better finished product, done correctly, with pride and befitting his commissioned artwork. He was informed exactly why these products were better for his investment in the long run. And he didn't have the hassle of being disappointed or returning anything. I think it was worth the extra money. More importantly, so did Mr. George.

That OTHER thing we do!

Not everyone realizes that we do a lot more than custom framing here at Gould. Yes, we do digital printing, too! Now, what does that mean? For many of our customers, it means that we can reproduce their photographs on paper or canvas, and offer digital restoration when their pictures aren't in such great shape.

But most of our digital printing work is for artists who are reproducing their artwork for sale. This week, we had a very exciting opportunity to work on a special project with one of our favorite clients, photographer Julia Blaukopf.
In case you don't know, Stephen Starr is one of the premier restauranteurs in Philadelphia. The Continental, Buddakan, Morimoto, El Rey.... they just keep coming. This summer, Starr is bringing a different kind of restaurant to Philadelphia. His series of Pop-UP restaurants, which open for three days only, team up the Starr name with chefs from other great spots in the city.
This week was Kanella, with chef Konstantinos Pitsillides. Friend-of-the-store Julia, who is a world traveler and has been to Pitsillides home-country of Greece, was chosen to be featured for the artwork to fill the space! Julia approached us with some ideas for the images she wanted, and we worked closely with her to see them come to life.



This image hung on the back wall of the restaurant. It measured over five feet wide, making it a true backdrop for the food being served. Here's another view of it:




Julia also wanted to showcase some pieces that represent her love of using different materials. Luckily, there were some windows that could use a little covering, and they afforded us a perfect opportunity. She chose three more images, and we printed them on vellum. This gave a dreamy quality to the prints, allowing some of the outside light to come in.


You don't have to be a professional artist to have us work with you! We can help you design looks similar to this for your home, showcasing a favorite travel picture, family portrait or, well, almost anything you can dream up!

To find out more about Julia, visit her site at www.juliablaukopf.com.

Modern Antiquity?

Several months ago, I was approached by a customer with a dilemma. Now, this may be hard to believe in the current economy, but I assure you, it is not an urban legend! Susanne and her husband had just finished with a complete renovation of their house, to really make it their dream house. And it was- I got a chance to see it, and let me tell you, it was beautiful! Sleek and modern, with lots of light from expansive windows, lots of stone and granite surfaces (including floors), a floating staircase, a focus on making neutral colors and textures work together to be warm and inviting.

I've taken the liberty of pulling some photos from the Good Housekeeping decorator inspiration portfolio to show some examples that remind me of her house:




So, you are asking yourself, what is the dilemma? Well, her husband's family is one of those Main Line old money families, with a lot of traditions and heirlooms that have been passed down, generation to generation. His parents had recently bestowed one of those heirlooms upon them, and they had to find a way to display it proudly within the confines of the new style of their home. It was an antique map.

Such maps are usually found in homes with a more traditional decor, and are framed to match the period they come from in colonial style wood frames. That was not going to work in this case. Nor would going with a very sleek modern frame; that would not suit the map at all. Instead, we decided to look at some textured mouldings. We not only found a great frame, but it has become one of my favorite designs ever since- I have sold it multiple times, and have a showroom piece done in it as well.We framed this page from an antique Appleton's Journal in the same manner as Susanne's map. Here's a close-up of the moulding from UFP Arquati Mouldings. We used the silver finish- there is also a gold and a copper.


Why do I think this moulding works so well on these historic pieces? The colors in the moulding really coordinate well with the aging that has occurred naturally to papers over time. The mottled finish and dark spotting are also reminiscent of those aging effects. The worn sections of the wood showing through make the frame look like it could be an older frame, not a new addition. Finally, it is definitely an unexpected look that will showcase a historic piece and make it stand out from its surroundings. Susanne's family loved their final product, and it was able to hang prominently, as it should, in their home!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

To celebrate the beginning of a new baseball season, and the success of our hometown team so far this year, I thought I'd share this recent project featuring Citizens Bank Park. The print is a giclee by local artist Timothy Duffield and features a stepped panoramic of the interior of the stadium. The image measures about 30 inches from end to end. Our customer is a Phillies fan, as well as a relative of the artist, so this piece is very special to her.

I loved the ragged edge of the step pattern used in stitching the parts of the image together; it really is as much of the artwork as the image itself. To showcase it, we left a wider margin of the paper around it to let it breathe visually.

How could we not use Phillies Red for this frame? We chose a wood frame instead of metal to help it feel like the original art that it is. There are definitely exceptions, but I often feel like the use of metal frames gives a sense of framing a poster, not a more valuable print. However, I did want to make sure the red of the frame was really vibrant like a metal frame would be. The use of this particular red frame, which has a high gloss finish, gave us the pop we were looking for.

So far, we had, as one of my favorite TV personalities says, "a whole lotta look." To make sure we didn't take it too far, we chose a white mat that would give us some visual space between the image and the frame to relax the eye. Because the white matches the paper, and although we want that space, it is usually a good idea to provide a small dash of color through a second mat to help the project look natural- a wide expanse of white can be just as visually distracting as too many elements jammed together.

But what color to use for a second mat? We tried red. Too matchy matchy with the frame; it made it look like a cheap mall-bought, mass made frame job. I wanted to try grass green, to echo the color of the field. No matter the shades, red and green are tricky, and usually bring to mind Christmas. Not good for a piece that should evoke spring and summer. Finally, we tried a light blue that helped to extend the sky in the image, and helped the viewer remember warm sunny days spent at the ballpark. That was exactly what we were looking for. Now all we need is the peanuts and crackerjacks, and we'll be all set.

What A Doll!, Continued

Last week I showed you a framing project featuring a handmade doll from one of our favorite customers. I like to think of that doll as a 1930's flapper, and these little guys as some ragamuffins that follow her around. Or maybe "ragamuffin" keeps coming to mind because of the little scraps of rags that were stitched by little hands to make these happy friends.

I wanted this frame to complement the other without matching it exactly. The diagonal lines and dots in this moulding echo the grain of the fabric, but add a touch of whimsy that hopefully remind the viewer that these were once toys. The moulding is black, but only those lines and dots are polished, and the matte background adds a sense of age to the finished piece.

To tie this design in with the other, I wanted another fabric background. It needed to be darker so that the details of these lighter dolls would stand out. I chose a dark grey to blend into the background of the moulding. I love that this choice enables us to see the frayed threads hanging off the edges of the dolls. I chose to place them in an offset position to add a feeling of informality and play.

Like its companion, this shadowbox design uses conservation materials to protect the delicate fabric and stuffing from further damage. I mentioned last week that my customer had delayed having these pieces framed, looking for inspiration. When she saw the finished products, she told me how happy she was that she'd finally had them done. As a custom framer, sometimes it is part of my job to help find that elusive "inspiration" that will bring some joy to a person's life. I'm very glad for this customer that our collaboration has done just that.

What a doll!

One of our favorite customers brought this in, explaining that she had been meaning to frame it for years but wasn't sure what to do with it. She had been storing it all that time, carefully, because of what it meant to her. Her mother made this as a little girl, by hand, as one of her only toys. (There are two smaller dolls that accompany it, which you'll see next time!) Little scraps of fabric, put together lovingly, can turn into such a special memory!

I loved the black and red fabric of the blouse. I wanted to highlight that and the detailed drawn-on face. I immediately thought of this moulding, with its lines and dots that would echo the lines on the doll, and it's red shading that would bring out the colors of the shirt.

With a moulding on the busy side, and such detail of the doll itself, the matting needed to be more simple. But it needed to be a fabric mat to tie everything together. We chose an acid-free white linen and provided enough space around the doll to give it room to breathe, at least visually.

Everything we do to special items has to be reversible, meaning it can be undone without any damage to the momento or artwork. We sewed the doll to the matboard, and made the moulding into a shadowbox. Now our customer can show off her mother's work and keep it protected at the same time!

Gould is your go-to place for Great Gifts this Holiday!

If you know Gould, you know we focus on gifts, accessories and home decor that are handmade, local and very special! So many people think that such an assortment has to come with a hefty price tag, but it just aint so!

We have so many things to choose from: handmade ceramics and glassware, beautiful picture frames, jewelry by local artists, prints old and new.... whew. There's a lot here!


If you are looking for unique Christmas ornaments, search no further! These sweet little handmade glass orbs are just one style of handcrafted decorations we carry. We have these adorable glass kitty faces, so cute! And our colorful glass penguins will add a touch of whimsy to any tree. We have other holiday items, too, like our tin angels with crystal accents.... wait til you see the warm lights of Christmas reflect off them... beauty awaits!



We fell in love with these little prints, and we think you will too. There's a great variety of flower photographs, some traditional, some a little more artistic. A few more interesting images round out the collection. But what really made us appreciate them is the price! It's not easy to find beautiful framed prints at just $19.95, but these fit the bill! You can hang the 5x7 format frames, or use the included easel back to stand them on a table or shelf. A great gift to brighten someone's days throughout the year!




Now, if you are looking for something really unique, that you won't find anywhere else, check out our fabric mirrors! We have a great assortment of mirrors with fabric covered frames, all at just 24.95! For that person who loves to decorate, who already has everything, who looks for something a little different when accessorizing their home. A pop of pattern, a sense of fun, a touch of romance... it's all here at Gould!