White picture frame made to measure

A hand-built white picture frame from the workshop — model 17L, with a wide, flat 100 mm moulding, one of the broadest profiles in our collection. The finish is natural gesso applied in multiple coats and hand-polished with wax, giving a uniform, warmly off-white surface close in tone to natural chalk. The profile is intentionally unornamented — this is a frame for paintings that lead the eye on their own, where the moulding is there to give the work air.

The cross-section is rectangular and entirely flat — no cyma, no torus, no ovolo, no chamfer. The front face is a wide, smooth plane, sharply terminated on both edges. The side of the moulding is 50 mm deep, painted in the same finish as the face, casting a defined shadow against the wall and giving the frame presence in a room. The rabbet sits hidden behind the inner edge of the face and reveals itself only in three-quarter view.

Suitable artwork and interiors

A moulding of this width carries works whose colour and composition already stand on their own — the broad white field around the piece reads like gallery margin. The frame takes large oils and acrylics on stretcher, large-format photography, artists' prints, collector posters and family heirlooms. In interiors, it performs best in minimalist, Scandinavian, japandi and loft schemes where white serves as a neutral resonance for the background. In classical settings it sits comfortably too, provided the walls are kept in white or warm grey.

Specification

• Style: contemporary minimalist, flat broad profile
• Finish: multiple hand-applied gesso coats, hand-polished wax (satin)
• Moulding width: 100 mm (3.94")
• Moulding depth: 50 mm (1.97")
• Rabbet dimensions: 7 mm width × 45 mm depth
• Frame material: solid low-tannin timber used in museum conservation and fine-art framing
• Artwork retention: choice of spring clips or screw-fitted brass plates
• Hanging: standard hanging cord, portrait or landscape (specified at order)
• Construction: fully handmade in the studio
• Lead time: 20–30 working days

Dimensions in the calculator refer to the inner sight size of the frame — that is, the size of your artwork. The finished frame with moulding will be larger by the moulding width on each side.

Workmanship

Each frame begins as raw seasoned timber. The profile is mitred at 45° and joined at the corners with reinforcement. We then apply multiple hand-brushed coats of natural gesso (rabbit-skin glue and chalk), each layer hand-sanded between coats until the surface reaches a silky finish without any visible grain. The final wax polish gives the frame its warm, soft sheen and seals the surface against soiling.

The full process — from cutting to polishing — runs from twenty to thirty working days. This is craft work in which each stage needs time to dry and stabilise: gesso cannot be force-dried without risking cracks in the surface.

How it differs from mass-produced framing

Off-the-shelf frames on the high street are typically veneered or spray-painted MDF — thick, mechanically applied coatings that yellow or chip after a few years. This moulding is solid timber, gessoed and waxed in the same technology used for conservation and museum framing. The surface has a depth that cannot be replicated with spray paint — under raking light you can see the subtle texture of hand-applied gesso and the soft diffused sheen of the wax.

The second difference is in the edges. A factory frame shows micro-steps at the corners and traces of glue or paint at the joins. Here the edges are precisely flush, the corners dry-fitted, with no visible seams.

Personalisation — colour, format, moulding size

Profile 17L is available in a wide range of colours from our in-house palette — a curated, richly pigmented paint range of over one hundred shades with a craft character. The most frequently chosen white variants:

• Classic chalk off-white (as shown) — natural, silky, slightly warm
• Pure snow white — cooler, more geometric
• Full colour palette on request — from deep navy through pastel pink, bottle green to terracotta

Finish — choice of satin (wax-polished, as shown) or high gloss (sealed with lacquer). Satin reads as warm and craft-led; high gloss reads more geometric, with bright reflections across the face.

Moulding dimensions — the 17L profile shown here in 100 × 50 mm is also available in other proportions: narrower versions 60–80 mm for smaller works, broader versions up to 130 mm for very large formats. Moulding depth is adjusted to the thickness of your stretcher — order a 30 mm version for thin stretchers, 50 mm for standard work, 70 mm for deep gallery wraps. The 45 mm rabbet depth specified accommodates practically any contemporary oil or acrylic stretcher; a related but more expressive version, where the side panel of the moulding is even more prominent, is available in the 5×5 cm deep white picture frame.

The full category of white picture frames in different proportions and finishes is available in the shop. For those weighing different formats of white frame for canvas work, our guide on choosing the right frame for a canvas painting is a useful starting point.

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, 4mm — 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), 2.0mm — 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 3mm 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.

Artwork retention and hanging

The frame is supplied without glass — it is a moulding for a painting on stretcher, where the moulding itself performs the protective role. The artwork is held in the rabbet in one of two ways. Spring clips are factory-fitted to the inside rear edge of the moulding and work by rotation: once the work is in, the clip is simply turned aside to press against the canvas. The alternative is screw-fitted brass plates — supplied loose with the screws included, fitted by the customer at chosen points around the rear edge. You select the retention type from the configuration menu.

Standard hanging is by picture cord, pre-fitted at the back ready to hook over two wall fixings. On request, a single D-ring mounted centrally at the top can be supplied instead. Orientation — portrait or landscape — is selected from the configuration menu; the frame is built only in the chosen orientation.

Made-to-measure order

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 your work. The base price is the price per linear metre of moulding. Mitred 45° corners absorb additional length, more so for wider mouldings; the calculator already accounts for full material consumption including corners and any selected add-ons.

The 20–30 working day lead time applies to every version of model 17L — regardless of size or colour. It covers cutting the moulding to size, joining the corners, gesso application, sanding, painting and the final wax polish. Each frame is designed and made by hand, so every order is treated as an individual commission.