Master the Art of Framing & Hanging With Simply Framed

After finalizing all of the odds and ends of a re-design project, the tip of the iceberg is most certainly framing and hanging the art and photography your client has approved. Adding these last pieces are essential for pulling the room together. If you’re going to manage the framing and hanging process, you need to do it right.

Enter Simply Framed, the digital industry destination to handle all of your custom framing needs. Their guided online experience helps you select frame styles based on the content, size and context of the space. They offer floating, shadowboxing, and canvas stretching as well, services not available online until now. Because they have eliminated store-front expenses, the price of their high-quality framing is 50% less than traditional frame shops. Their dedication to customer service, providing designers and consumers with dynamic ways of getting in touch, including video chat, will make you feel taken care of at all times.

Simply Framed shares with us the artists and prints shops they admire, modern day framing processes, and the 3 tips you need to know about hanging frames properly.

How does the Simply Framed framing process work exactly?

With Simply Framed, you have the option to mail in art or upload your own photos or artwork and we will print and frame it. We have a guided shopping experience that narrows down frame styles based on the type of work you’re framing and its size. Once you’ve placed your frame order, if you are mailing in art, we mail you a free tube or flat mailer, along with a prepaid return label, packing materials and instructions for shipping your art back to us. For those whose art is already in mail-safe packaging, we will email you a prepaid return label. We’ll notify you when we receive your art, and notify you again once it has been custom framed and shipped back to you. The turn-around time once we receive your art/upload is about 4 business days.

We really invest in subtle details to offer an elevated, but simplified custom framing experience.

The Veda House

What makes Simply Framed unique compared to the number of other digital framing platforms out there?

Every frame from Simply Framed is custom-made by hand to your exact art-size, no matter its dimensions, using high quality materials and methods. We frame prints, posters, original works on paper, photography, canvases, certificates, scarves and other textiles. In addition to traditional custom matting, we offer floating, shadowboxing, and canvas stretching, services not available online until now. That big, over-the-sofa statement piece? We can frame that too. We’re the only online service that frames and ships works up to 40”x60”. We also offer free custom quotes and gallery wall consultations.

Who are some artists and print shops that you admire?

We have been loving seeing so many of our artists launch new print shops and special editions to take a stand and raise money for organizations like the ACLU, arts organizations or animal conservation efforts. We’re loving Deborah Stein’s Bonbon Oiseau, Jamie Street for Eventide Collective, The Posters, Hapi Art, KT Merry Print Shop, Kate Holstein, Online gallery Uprise Art and Max Wanger who are all partners of Simply Framed.

The Veda House

How does Simply Framed partner with professionals in various industries?

Simply Framed partners with interior designers and online interior design services to offer a quick and easy way for interior designers to frame art for their clients. We have a designer discount available to vetted professionals and we have a high repeat rate with designers because they can easily quote the job on our site, saving them countless hours at the frame shop.

Can you name some Simply Framed projects you love?

We love this gallery wall at Lawson Fenning with photography by Hamish Robertson, this textile framing we did for Michelle Adams, and this amazing pair of oversize artworks we printed and framed for Light Lab.

The Veda House

How has the digital age impacted modern day framing processes?

Utilizing an online, mail-in service means that instead of driving across town to your local frame shop, you can place your custom framing order from home. Because we’ve eliminated brick-and-mortar expenses, we’re able to offer our customers high-quality framing at 50% less than traditional frame shops. As simple as this sounds, the fact that customers can email, call or video-chat with us is also a really big win. If we have a question about a job, we just ask and we can usually get a response instantly.

What are some of your best-selling frames?

Our Gallery frames in natural, white, and black are our best sellers.

The Veda House

Based on your knowledge of the industry, what are some framing techniques and trends that you admire?

We pay close attention to small details at Simply Framed, as we find those small details make a big difference in the outcome of your framed work. We ensure our gallery frames have a true square cap at 90 degrees. In our professional opinion, a true 90 degree angle is important for an elegant look. When finishing a frame in gold or silver, the amount of distress on the metal is important, as there is a fine line between too distressed, resulting in an overly rustic look, and not distressed enough, resulting in an overly shiny look. Depending on the artwork, floating on a foam core lift and using spacers to keep the work from touching the plexiglass can be important. We float on top of a mat board instead of a foam core to give a more finished look. We really invest in subtle details to offer an elevated, but simplified custom framing experience.

In our professional opinion, a true 90 degree angle is important for an elegant look.

The Veda House

What are the top 3 hanging tips everyone should know?

1. Our number one rule is to hang art at eye-level. When you hang at eye level, the piece will look as good from twelve feet away as it does from twelve inches away. While seemingly obvious, this rule is often overlooked. Turns out, there’s just one magic number you need to remember to put this rule into action: 57 inches, the average sight line for any human being. If the center of your art is placed on the wall at 57 inches, you’re in business.

2. We also follow Jay Sacher’s tip on using framed art to compartmentalize a space. Art can help distinguish or connect spaces in your home. Different styles of art might designate separate areas in an open floor plan, while pieces that relate to each other may bridge gaps between rooms.

3. When hanging a gallery wall or a cluster of art, we suggest starting by measuring the space you want to fill on the wall and tape off that space on the floor. Using the floor as your “wall” gives you the ability to lay the pieces out, move them around, and get a layout you love before actually putting anything on the wall!

Our philosophy is to select a frame for the art, not the decor of your home.

The Veda House

How does Simply Framed typically work with interior designers?

Simply Framed can connect with interior designers in a variety of ways depending on their needs. We invite designers to connect with us about their needs and we can discuss the best kind of partnership. Connect with us here: http://simplyframed.com/pages/partner-with-us

Our number one rule is to hang art at eye-level.

Can you offer interior designers some tips on how to select the best frames for their clients?

Our philosophy is to select a frame for the art, not the decor of your home. If you choose something timeless, and it is framed well, you only need to frame it once and you can move it from room to room and style to style. We suggest slightly different frame and mat styles based on what kind of artwork or photography you are framing. Ninety percent of the time, we suggest a black, white, or natural wood gallery frame with a white or off white mat depending on the type of work it is. If your home has gold or silver accents and you want to pull in a metal, a wood frame with an antique gold or antique silver finish or in certain cases a metal frame can also be a timeless choice that goes with many styles. And when in doubt, just email us a photo of the project and we’ll happily provide a recommendation!

Dara Segal, Photographed by Our Love is Loud

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Design a Beautiful Night’s Sleep With Hill House Home Bedding

According to the mindful bedding crafters behind Hill House Home, “a life well lived begins in bed”. Meet Nell Diamond, the fashionably chic entrepreneur and founder of Hill House Home, who’s on a mission to bring luxury and glamour into the home. Inspired by her passion for hotels and the world of the bedroom, Nell identified the untouched territory of personal, high-ending bedding that was attainable by real people. Hill House Home bedding makes people feel more rested, and more beautiful, in bed.

What’s their secret? Complete focus on design, using Supima cotton (a long-staple fiber) which is woven into fabric in Italy, and then sewn and cut into their partner factories in France and Italy. Hill House Home shares the wonders of Supima cotton, creative ways to personalize bedding suited for a client’s personality, and the importance of taking ownership of your sleep.

How does Hill House Home differentiate itself from the number of other mindful luxury bedding companies popping up these days?

We’re laser focused on design. Bedding shouldn’t just be functional – it should also be beautiful, and bring you joy. I think people don’t realize quite how much fun they can have designing their dream bed. It’s my mission to help people revitalize their bedrooms – and in turn, their sleeping habits!

Hill House Home

What is it about Hill House Home bedding that makes you want to stay in bed?

Our raw materials are second to none. We work with manufacturers who have been producing bedding for centuries, and they’re truly the best in the business. That’s an experience you can touch and feel!

Hill House Home

Based on your knowledge of the industry, what are the key materials and processes associated with luxury bedding?

The raw materials are incredibly important – we work with Supima cotton, which is a long-staple fiber (meaning less breakage, better quality) grown in the U.S. Manufacturing and Design are also crucial, and make a huge difference when it comes to longevity. Our manufacturing partners have been making bedding for centuries, so they really know how proper construction in the cut & sew process matters. We field-test all of our designs with “wash-tests” too – it’s important that, while beautiful, our products are still made for living. Designs shouldn’t be so delicate that you have to constantly worry about ruining them!

Hill House Home

Walk us through the Hill House Home process, from cotton picked to delivery?

First comes the Supima cotton – it’s grown in the U.S., then woven into fabric in Italy. Next, our fabric is cut, sewn and finished in one of two of our partner factories in either France or Italy. Finally, it’s shipped to us in New York, where it is either sent directly to the customer from our warehouse, or sent to our NY-based Embroiderer for additional customization. Everything arrives to customers in our beautiful blue HHH packaging, including little Insert Cards that tell you a little bit about the product you bought.

Hill House Home

What makes U.S. Supima cotton so special?

It’s very well regulated, and therefore very consistent. Egyptian Cotton is tricky – experts estimate that up to 90% of bedding claiming to be made from “Fine Egyptian Cotton” is actually made up of synthetic cotton blends, made in India and China. With Supima, you always know what you’re getting, and it’s a great product.

Hill House Home

In your opinion, how does quality bedding affect health and wellness?

It’s incredibly important to take ownership over your sleep, and this starts with your bedroom. An attitude of complacency about your sleep environment can absolutely affect the type of sleep you get. If you think to yourself, “Oh, it doesn’t matter what kind of sheets I have, I’ll just get the cheapest, nearest thing,” – what is that telling your subconscious about how you value your sleep? If you take ownership over the importance of your sleeping hours – by investing in long-lasting, beautiful sheets that feel incredible, you’re prioritizing sleep in one simple step. It doesn’t matter how much green juice you drink or how often you go to the gym – if you aren’t sleeping properly, nothing else matters.

Arianna Huffington is my favorite Sleep Expert to turn to, and she really believes that sleep is the new smoking. I agree with her! I think in a few years, we’ll be shocked that anyone would go around bragging about how little sleep they get. We recently collaborated with Arianna’s new venture, Thrive Global, on a Limited Edition Mini Pillowcase (it says “sleep your way to the top”!) – that was a total career highlight for me!

Hill House Home

Hill House Home offers bedding collections, separates, sets, and accessories. What are some of your best-sellers?

Anything monogrammable! Our Pillowcase Sets are definitely most popular. It’s such an easy and fun way to feel like you’ve upgraded your bedroom – just switch out your pillowcases! They’re the first thing the eye is drawn to when you walk in a bedroom, so it’s an instant bedroom-facelift without having to completely redecorate.

Hill House Home

You’ve been published in Vogue, WSJ, and Town & Country to name a few. What kind of reviews have you been receiving?

We’ve been incredibly lucky to get such great press. People seem to be loving our Box Sets – the Move In Day Box is my favorite – it includes everything you need for your first night in a new home (or just a new, revitalized bedroom)!

Tell us about 40 Winks…

In the lead-up to our launch, I talked incessantly about bedding with anyone who would listen – all in the name of market research! As soon as I mentioned what I was doing, everyone wanted to talk sleep with me, and began sharing their (often incredibly specific) bedtime routines. I decided I HAD to share them with the world, so 40 Winks was born! Now, we still do interviews with our “Hill House Residents,” but also include informative blog posts about everything from the best technique for folding a fitted sheet to the best beds in Art History.

How does Hill House Home typically work with interior designers?

We can help as much or as little as needed, and are always willing to do whatever we can to ensure all parties are getting the best final product!

Hill House Home

Why would an interior designer want to furnish a client’s bedroom with Hill House Home bedding?

We’re embroidery experts, and we love coming up with creative ways to make bedding that is perfectly suited for a client’s personality. We can embroider song lyrics, secret messages, nicknames – even little symbols like stars, hearts, bees, palm trees and playing cards. It’s a fresh take on custom that makes clients feel like they are sleeping on something truly special, made for them! And, of course, we offer incredibly high quality products at a fraction of the price of traditional luxury bedding brands! That doesn’t hurt either ☺

Hill House Home

What’s Hill House Home’s focus for 2017?

In the lead-up to launch, we were all about nailing the perfect price/quality ratio: we worked on our supply chain for almost 2 years. Since then, it’s been all about designing products that are aesthetically different than anything on the market. This year, we’ll see lots of fun new designs and maybe even a few new bedroom accessories!

Cody Lidtke

Are you an interior designer in search of an easy interior design software and project management tool to run your business? Learn more about Ivy here.