A New Home for Frame London’s Next Chapter
After eleven years in Haggerston, FRAME London has moved to a new home on White Lion Street in Angel.
The move marks an important moment for our independent, family-run workshop. It gives us a space designed around the business FRAME has become: a specialist conservation framing workshop trusted by artists, galleries, museums and collectors to care for and present important works of art.
Fittingly, our new premises have their own history within London’s art world. The space was previously home to Darbyshire, whose longstanding connection with artists, galleries and institutions makes it feel particularly appropriate that the workshop should continue to be a place dedicated to the making, care and presentation of art.
Eleven years of FRAME
FRAME began in 2014 with a simple ambition: to provide beautifully made, conservation-led framing built around specialist knowledge, craftsmanship and respect for the artwork.
Founded by artists and shaped by years of experience in museum-standard framing, we wanted to create a workshop where conservation wasn't a second thought, but an integral part of how we approached every project.
Over the eleven years that followed, FRAME grew steadily. New workbenches appeared, our team expanded, machinery and specialist equipment were added and the range and complexity of the projects passing through the workshop increased.
That growth has been made possible by the people who have chosen to work with us. It hasn't happened overnight, but project by project and relationship by relationship.
We've had the privilege of framing works for emerging artists preparing their first exhibitions, established galleries presenting work internationally, museums and cultural institutions caring for significant collections, and private collectors looking for the right way to protect and present the artworks they live with.
Many of those relationships have continued for years.
That trust has become fundamental to what FRAME is today.
A workshop built around the way we work
Eventually, we outgrew our Haggerston workshop.
Moving wasn't simply about finding more space. It was an opportunity to think carefully about what a contemporary conservation framing workshop should be and to create an environment better suited to the way we work now — and the work we want to undertake in the future.
Our new White Lion Street premises give us the opportunity to refine our production processes, improve the movement and handling of artwork through the workshop and continue developing our specialist conservation, mounting and framing facilities.
It also gives us a more considered space in which to meet clients, look at artworks together and discuss the relationship between conservation, presentation and the artist's intentions.
Behind the scenes, the workshop has been planned around the processes that happen every day: artwork arriving and being assessed, frames being cut, joined and finished, specialist mounts being prepared, works being hinged and fitted, glazing being cut and final quality checks taking place before a finished piece leaves us.
These individual processes are what make up a FRAME project, and our new workshop gives them room to work together more effectively.
Some things haven't changed
While our surroundings have changed, the principles behind our work haven't.
Conservation remains our starting point.
We use museum-grade materials and reversible techniques wherever possible, considering not only how an artwork should look today but how it should be protected for the future.
We believe a frame should serve the artwork rather than compete with it. That means understanding the work, listening to the artist, curator or collector, and finding a solution that balances conservation, craftsmanship and presentation.
It also means recognising the responsibility that comes with having important works in our care.
From the moment an artwork arrives at FRAME to the moment it leaves the workshop, careful handling, controlled movement, clear communication and accountability are fundamental to our process.
Made in London
We're proud to remain an independent, family-run London business.
Our independence has allowed us to develop FRAME gradually, investing in specialist knowledge, materials, machinery and, most importantly, people.
Today, our workshop brings together a team of craftspeople with expertise across conservation framing, specialist mounting, woodworking, finishing, metalwork, acrylic fabrication and the handling and presentation of artworks.
We continue to make bespoke frames in FSC-certified timbers and welded aluminium, alongside acrylic showcases, specialist mounts, canvas and object framing and exhibition display solutions.
But the materials and techniques are only part of the story.
The real purpose of all of this is much simpler: to look after artwork properly.
The next chapter
Walking into White Lion Street now that the workshop is up and running feels like both a significant change and a natural continuation of what we've spent the past eleven years building.
There are new surroundings, new possibilities and considerably more room, but the values at the heart of FRAME remain the same.
We will continue to work collaboratively with artists, galleries, museums, cultural institutions and collectors; continue investing in specialist conservation knowledge and craftsmanship; and continue treating every artwork entrusted to us with the care and respect it deserves.
The move gives us the foundations to do more of that work, and to do it better.
To everyone who has commissioned a frame, trusted us with an artwork, recommended us, collaborated with us, visited our workshop or followed FRAME over the past eleven years: thank you.
You've helped an independent workshop grow into the business it is today.
And to those who haven't visited us yet, we're delighted to finally be able to say:
Welcome to FRAME London, White Lion Street.
We look forward to seeing you here.