Buyers seek high-class frames: the growing clientele for upper-end custom framing wants warmer tones and lighter finishes to bring understated elegance to their homes. They're doing just that with high-end framing

Art Business News, May, 2004 by Tricia Bisoux

Ask people to imagine the interior of a high-priced home and most will envision dark-colored furnishings, ornate designs, brightly polished silver tea sets and somber colors.

Their vision, however, would be largely outdated. The idea of "old money" is slowly being replaced with that of a modern nouveau riche, many of whom wouldn't be considered wealthy by conventional standards. Often members of the middle and upper-middle class, these customers are willing to spend their dollars on the luxuries they love.

Ursula Hobson of Ursula Hobson Fine Art Framing in Philadelphia has seen her average ticket increase as customers spend more money on custom framing art and objects they value most. "I think many people have become more aware of the value of fine framing," said Hobson. "They can tell the difference that it makes and are looking for looks that are unique."

Subtle decorative details are more important to today's buyers, who view such touches as the unmistakable mark of quality and luxury. Fillets, French mats and finished-corner frames, for instance, are also gaining in popularity in the high-end custom framing market. These extra details offer polished, handcrafted looks that appeal to high-end customers, said Mary Norton of Norton's Fine Art and Custom Framing in St. Louis. "The shape of the frame and all the little details really appeal to these buyers," she said. "I sell a significant number of finished-corner frames. It offers a different look that people love."

Mat Couture

High-end framing trends don't stop with moulding and fillets. Buyers also are looking at special treatments in matting to highlight the overall presentation.

"The generation that is buying homes and raising families has rediscovered a love of antiquities, nostalgia and their pasts. Customers who have the ability to spend more are willing to do so if the product is special and cannot be had elsewhere," noted Maria Nucci of Maria Nucci Designs near Boston. "Any beautiful detail in the framing package is an added value to most customers."

Nucci provides French matting treatment to individual customers and frame shops. She sells her work with price points ranging from $4 per foot for a simple mat with a few ruled lines to $10 per foot for a complex French mat with complex washes, a gilded bevel or marbled paper.

French matting treatments, by nature, offer a traditional touch to framing, but Nucci has noticed current preferences for classic gold-leaf bevels and subtle color palettes. Contemporary touches, however, are emerging, including unusual textures and rich, saturated colors.

"French matting is not just for antique prints anymore," Nucci noted. Many customers' mat choices, she added, have followed trends in furniture design, which incorporate classic lines, elegant colors and unusual textures.

New Era for Elegance

The perception of elegance is also being redefined among high-end buyers. Stuffy, showy, "don't tread on me" interiors, with formal dining rooms where no one dines or sitting rooms where no one sits, are disappearing from high-end homes. They are being replaced by warm, informal rooms designed for day-to-day life.

"People are looking for stylish looks that are less formal than in the past," said Hobson. "People want something that's fancy, but not too fancy."

As a result of this new informality, interest among high-end buyers for traditionally high-end looks, such as ornate golds and dark colors, has faded considerably, noted Dave Petruno, director of sales and marketing for Roma Moulding of Woodbridge, Ontario. "Bright golds and silvers are no longer as popular. In addition, many of the colored mouldings aren't as popular as they once were."

Light, livable elegance is the new look in the high end, agreed Hobson. Lighter woods with washed finishes are growing in popularity, she said, adding that she has also noticed her customers purchasing more frames in light gold or silver, rather than in traditional golds or dark woods.

A corresponding trend is the increasing demand for pewters and related metal finishes in the high-end home-decor market. "People are buying such items as silver doorknobs--they're incorporating a lot of pewter and silver,' explained Hobson. The subtlety of these colors adds an elegance that doesn't overwhelm, she added.

Norton, however, has seen a somewhat opposite trend in color preferences among her Midwest customers. "The light, white colors in the ornate or French styles, which were so popular a while back, are no longer selling," she remarked. She agreed, however, that preferences among her high-end customers have also moved away from overly formal styles. At Norton's, customers are leaning toward the "new neutrals" in blues and reds, especially, because they offer looks that are more informal and "fun," Norton added.

European Aspirations

Many U.S. buyers are falling in love with the aged and elegant atmospheres of European countries, as evidenced by the growing prominence of all things French, Spanish and Italian in home furnishings departments. Prints of the Eiffel Tower and vintage European posters are displayed prominently in the framed art sections of even the toniest home-decor stores. Furniture lines, too, that have been influenced by Spanish or Italian motifs have recently been appearing in the marketplace.