Framing twenty pieces for a workplace is a different job from framing one for a home. The set has to match, the glazing has to be safe in a corridor, and next year's piece has to fit in.
We frame groups of pieces for offices, clinics, restaurants and lobbies in our workshop at 1242 Davie Street. Framing for a workplace differs from framing for a home in three ways. Many pieces hang close together, so they have to match. The public walks past them, so the glazing has to be safe. And the group keeps growing, so a frame made next year has to match the ones made this year.
One moulding and finish across the set
The moulding is the shaped length of wood or metal a frame is cut from. Using one moulding in one finish across a floor makes prints, photographs and certificates of different sizes look like a single collection. The mat, the border of card around each piece, does the same when its colour and its width stay constant.
A set uses a large amount of one moulding, so we check what is in stock before you settle on it. Ask us to note the moulding, the mat and the glazing used on your set, so a piece added later can be framed to match for as long as that moulding is still made. Our guide to matching frames across a wall explains what has to stay the same and what can vary.
Pieces of one size are the simplest set to match. Solar Stare, an acrylic on canvas of a woman's face in yellow, black and white, is 30 by 40 cm, a size shared by other small paintings in our gallery.
Glazing means the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front of a frame. In corridors, waiting rooms and dining rooms, frames get knocked by bags, chairs and carts. We recommend acrylic there. It is lighter than glass and does not shatter. It scratches more easily, so it is dusted with a soft cloth. See acrylic and glass compared.
Workplaces also have strong ceiling lights and large windows, and a sheet of plain glazing opposite either one shows a reflection of it. Anti-reflective glazing has a coating that reduces that reflection, and our anti-reflective glass guide shows the difference. In a bright lobby we add a UV filter, which removes the part of daylight that fades prints and signatures.
Certificates, licences and awards
A wall of professional licences, staff certificates or company awards looks ordered when every frame uses the same moulding, the same mat colour and the same border width. Each document is placed on acid-free backing, which does not stain paper, and hinged, which means it is held by small paper tabs at the top edge. A hinged document can be lifted out and replaced when a licence is renewed. Our diploma, certificate and award framing page covers single documents.
Hanging hardware
We fit hanging hardware to every frame, matched to its finished weight. On a set, ask for the hardware at the same height on each frame, so a row hung from one level line stays level. Ask us for the weight of the heavier pieces, so the wall fixings can be chosen for them. Our guide to hanging hardware explains the types.
A large canvas is one of the heavier pieces in a set, so ask for its weight before the wall fixings are chosen. The Eternal Ledger is a mixed media on canvas, 101.6 by 101.6 cm, showing a clear box above flowing white lines on blue and red.
The number of pieces, the size of each, the moulding and the glazing. Anti-reflective glazing and UV filters cost more than plain glazing, so they can be used only on the walls that need them. Each piece is quoted separately, which lets you see what a change of moulding or glazing does to the total.
How to start
Send or bring a list of the pieces with their sizes, photographs of the walls, and your opening or move-in date. Then bring one piece to the counter. Choosing the moulding against a real piece from the set is faster and more reliable than choosing from a list, and the same choice is then used for the rest of the set.
Give us the date early. Our rush service is 24 hours when the moulding and glazing are in stock, and a large set often needs more of one moulding than is in stock. If you are still choosing the art, the gallery's page on corporate and commercial office art is the place to begin.
Walk in at 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. Enter your email on this page for a 10% framing code to show at the shop, and see custom framing for the full list of what we frame.
How it works
1
Bring it in, or send photographs
Walk in to 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. If you are not in Vancouver, send the dimensions and a photograph and we will work from that.
2
We look at the actual piece
What it is made of, what condition it is in, and where it is going to hang all change the answer. You get a straight recommendation and a price for your piece, not a rate card.
3
It is made by hand and fitted
Cut to the piece, using conservation materials, and finished with hanging hardware rated for the actual weight.
Common questions
Can you frame a whole set of pictures for an office in one matching style?
Yes, we frame a whole set of pictures for an office in one matching style. We use one moulding in one finish and keep the mat colour and border width constant, so pieces of different sizes look like one collection. A set needs a large amount of one moulding, so we check stock before you settle on a choice.
Is glass or acrylic safer for framed art in a waiting room or corridor?
Acrylic is safer than glass for framed art in a waiting room or corridor. It is lighter and it does not shatter when a frame is knocked by a bag or a chair. It scratches more easily than glass, so staff should dust it with a soft dry cloth. Acrylic can be supplied with a UV filter for bright rooms.
How do you keep a wall of licences and awards looking consistent?
A wall of licences and awards looks consistent when every frame uses the same moulding, the same mat colour and the same border width, even if the documents differ in size. Each document is hinged on acid-free backing, so a renewed licence can replace the old one in the same frame. Bring all the documents together so the border can be set once.
Can a frame added next year match the frames we have now?
A frame added next year can match the frames you have now as long as the same moulding is still being made. Ask us to note the moulding, mat and glazing used on your set, so a later piece can be matched to it. If a manufacturer stops making that moulding, we show you the closest one and you decide before anything is cut.
What information does a framer need to quote for a whole office?
To quote for a whole office, a framer needs a list of the pieces with the size of each, what each one is, photographs of the walls and your date. It also helps to know which walls face windows or public areas, because that decides the glazing. Bring one piece from the set to the counter so the moulding can be chosen against it.
Which glazing stops reflections from office lights and windows?
Anti-reflective glazing reduces reflections from office lights and windows. It has a coating that weakens the reflected image of a window or a ceiling light, so the picture stays visible from across the room. It costs more than plain glazing, so it makes sense to use it only on walls that face a window or are under strong lights.
Can posters, photographs and original paintings be framed to look like one collection?
Yes, posters, photographs and original paintings can be framed to look like one collection. Works on paper share one moulding and one mat colour behind glazing. Paintings on canvas usually have no glazing, so they go in floater frames in the same finish. The shared finish is what makes different kinds of work look like one group.
How early should we start framing before an office opening?
Start framing as early as you can before an office opening, and give us the date on the first visit. The only fixed time we quote is our rush service, which is 24 hours when the moulding and glazing are in stock. A large set often needs more of one moulding than is in stock, and an early start leaves time to order it.
10% off your custom framing when you show this code at our shop
We frame, stretch canvas and reframe by hand, in our own workshop inside the gallery at
1242 Davie Street. Enter your email and your code appears right here. Show it at the
counter and we take 10% off the job. The code does not expire.
Send the measurements, what it is made of, and a photograph. We will tell you what it actually needs, including when the answer is that it needs less than you expected.
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In-shop offer · 1242 Davie Street, Vancouver
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Add your name and email and your code appears on the next screen. Show it at the counter
and we take 10% off any framing, stretching or reframing job you bring us. It does not
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Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
I got my order today and your work is really good. I didn’t expect to get a certificate for this painting, it was a surprise. Thanks for caring about small details.
The support team was really helpful and followed up nicely, wich I really appreciated. The painting is just like the photo – great quality and very detalied. I just wish it arrived a bit sooner, but honestly it was worth the wait.
I received my painting today. The support team was great and very responsive. The artwork is exactly what I was hoping for – even more beautifull in person. Truly a valuable piece. I’ll definetely order again. Thank you!
