Chalky white picture frame, made to measure

A made-to-measure chalky-white picture frame from our workshop — pairing classical profile architecture with a clean, warm off-white in a soft satin sheen. The surface is built up over several stages: timber priming, multiple coats of paint with intermediate sanding. The frame does not compete with the work it holds; it sets it in a quiet, considered field, equally suited to oil painting, watercolour, photography and works on paper.

The 52 × 38 mm moulding has a clear, classical drawing: a quarter-round (ovolo) on the outer sight edge stepping into a deep concave scotia, which closes into a narrow flat frieze and a small inner bead at the rabbet. Along the outer side wall — the edge visible from the side when the work hangs on the wall — runs a gentle half-round cove: a broad, lightly hollowed curve along the full thickness of the moulding, softening the side face.

For which works and which interiors

A chalky-white frame is a neutral but never indifferent setting. It suits oil paintings on stretchers up to 20 mm thick, watercolours, prints and photography — especially where you want a light edge around a darker composition. Chalky white gives the work room to breathe: it does not compete with colour, does not blunt the contrast of black, and does not warm up the way ivory or cream does. In an interior it suits minimalist, Scandinavian, classical and contemporary settings — anywhere the wall should recede and the work should lead.

Specification

• Finish colour: warm chalky off-white
• Surface finish: hand-applied, multi-stage — priming, painting and sanding between coats
• Moulding width: 52 mm
• Moulding depth: 38 mm
• Rabbet (recess for the work): 7 mm wide × 20 mm deep
• Material: solid low-tannin timber, used in museology and art conservation
• Corner construction: mitred at 45°, spline-joined (hardwood spline reinforcing the joint — a conservation-grade technique)
• Artwork retention: spring clips fitted as standard; solid brass plates with screws available on request, at the same price
• Hanging: cord between D-rings, portrait or landscape orientation selected at order
• Floater option: every frame in this profile can be made without a rabbet, as a floating (shadow) frame for stretched works with the stretcher edge intentionally exposed

The dimensions given refer to the moulding profile itself. The rabbet — 7 mm wide and 20 mm deep — accommodates stretcher canvases up to 20 mm thick; we make the frame 2–3 mm larger than the artwork dimensions you supply, to allow comfortable mounting clearance.

Workmanship

The timber used in this family of frames is a low-tannin species also used in museological and conservation work for its dimensional stability and the absence of acid migration into the framed piece. Mouldings are routed to a 52 × 38 mm profile, corners mitred at 45° and reinforced with hardwood splines — small wooden tongues set into the joint from the back of the frame, a conservation technique used for centuries to strengthen the mitre well beyond what glue alone provides. The structural difference shows particularly on larger formats.

In the white version, the surface is built up entirely from layers of paint: the timber is primed, repeatedly coated and sanded between layers, until a smooth, warm white with a subtle satin glow is reached. Unlike the workshop's coloured variants — traditionally sealed with shellac and wax — white frames are left without those sealers: shellac yellows over time under light and heat, which is unacceptable on a white surface. This is how the chalky tone stays clean and undisturbed.

Mounting and hanging

The frame is supplied without glass as standard — a setting for stretched works, or to be completed with the full archival mounting from the options below. Inside the rabbet, the work is held by spring clips fitted to the back of the frame at the workshop: quick swap of the work is done by rotating each clip aside, without unscrewing. Alternatively — at the same price, on request — solid brass plates with screws are available, supplied loose with the screws for customer installation. The brass option is a permanent retention, recommended where the work will not be changed; spring clips are the better choice if you swap works in the same frame.

The frame hangs on a cord strung between two D-ring hangers on the back. Portrait or landscape orientation must be specified at order — the frame is fitted in one chosen position only. A single D-ring hanger in place of a cord is available on request. Every frame in this profile can also be made as a floating frame — without a rabbet, with the stretcher edge of the painting intentionally exposed.

Complete framing — additional options

Every frame can be completed with a full archival mounting prepared in the workshop: glass, archival backing and matting. All components are available as a custom add-on — quote on request.

Glass — four classes available

Opti White, 4 mm — low-iron glass with a neutral, colourless appearance (no green tint typical of standard float glass). Available up to 90 × 90 cm — the only option for larger works.

Ultra Vue UV70 (Tru Vue), 2.0 mm — anti-reflective glass with 70% UV protection, low-iron. Available up to 60 × 80 cm.

Art View — premium-class anti-reflective glass: reflection reduced below 1%, up to 75% UV protection, scratch-resistant coating, low-iron, can be cut and mounted from either side. Meets ISO 18916 (Photographic Activity Test) — safe for archival photography. Premium quality at an accessible price. Available up to 60 × 80 cm.

Optium Museum Acrylic (Tru Vue) — top-tier museum acrylic: over 99% UV protection, museum-grade reflection reduction, anti-static, lightweight, shatter-resistant. The museum standard for conservation work and archival photography. Available up to 60 × 80 cm.

Archival backing

Dibond 3 mm aluminium composite panel — two layers of aluminium with an acid-free polymer core. Rigid, chemically neutral, dimensionally stable. An industry standard in archival photographic framing and art conservation.

Mounting and matting

Acid-free foam board — chemically neutral, will not yellow over time, will not react with paper or photographic emulsions. Archival standard.

Full museum framing

Combining anti-reflective UV-filtering glass, acid-free matting, Dibond backing and conservation hinging tapes provides a museum-grade mounting — protecting the work from light damage, acid migration from typical framing materials, and mechanical distortion. This type of framing is used in museums, galleries and private collections.

To order: all of the above components are available as a frame add-on on request. Please get in touch with the dimensions of your work and your preferred glass class — I will prepare an individual quote.

Personalisation and colour variants

The 52 × 38 mm profile is available across the workshop's full range of finishes — each technique is applied by hand.

• Whites and creams — chalky off-white (shown), pure white, ivory, broken cream tones; whites are finished in paint layers only, without wax or shellac
• Blacks and dark tones — deep black in satin or high gloss, anthracite, dark grey; hand-patinated variants with a soft sheen on the raised edges of the profile
• Gold leaf finishes — full water gilding with real gold leaf: 22-karat moon gold (cooler, subtly silvery), 23-karat yellow gold (the most intense classical sheen), 12-karat white gold, 6-karat white gold (an almost chrome-like reflection)
• Silver and white-gold finishes — palladium, sterling silver leaf, 12-karat and 6-karat white gold; we do not use imitation metallic paints
• Bespoke colours — a richly pigmented in-house paint range of over a hundred shades, with hand-matching available to a specific interior or to the colour key of the work
• Hand-patinated finishes — patina applied by hand, with a soft sheen on the raised edges of the profile (the quarter-round and inner bead) and recession into the concave hollow; a conservation-grade technique that gives the frame the weight of a restored piece

Coloured variants (other than whites) are sealed traditionally with shellac and wax. Please specify your preferred variant by email after ordering, or before — I will prepare colour samples to scale.

Made-to-measure ordering

The online price calculator supports artwork sizes up to 120 × 80 cm. Larger formats are made to individual order — please get in touch with the dimensions of the work. To order:

1. Measure the width and height of your artwork to within 0.1 cm (e.g. 35 × 30.3 cm).
2. Enter the dimensions into the calculator — the frame is made 2–3 mm larger than the stated size, to allow easy mounting in the rabbet.
3. Select portrait or landscape orientation and add the product to the basket.

The base price is per linear metre of moulding. The 45° mitred corners add to the total length used, more so the wider the moulding; the calculator accounts for full consumption including corners and any selected add-ons.

Lead time: 20–30 working days — regardless of the colour variant and finish selected.