At Frame Factory London, every frame is handmade by a team of onsite framers with, as owner Dean Phipps likes to say, “200 years of collective industry experience.”
Beneath the well-designed shop on Haverstock Hill, is a sprawling basement workshop, which Dean affectionately describes as “the submarine.” And it’s been operating for the past 40 years. “On a busy day I’ll have ten people down there,” says Dean, “busy cutting, joining, and finishing the 80-100 frames we produce in any given week.”
These days, Dean, himself with over 35 years of framing experience, prefers to man the counters upstairs so he can chat with customers. Although he’s not in all the time, the shop is open seven days a week and you don’t need an appointment. The sincere and friendly Dean says, “We’ll handle everything from granny’s tapestry to a set of ten Andy Warhol prints worth half a million pounds.”
Before offering options for frames and mounts, the team managing the shop will ask customers if they have any preferences. Dean explains, “If it’s a really expensive print, you’re going to want good materials, and good glazing. But we’ll also do our best to match everyone’s budget, which we can do because we’ve got such a range.”
On the long wall behind the two counters, there are so many different frame samples. “Customers come in, see the wall and say ‘Blimey!’ and that’s why we’re here to help,” Dean smiles largely.
A year ago, I brought in a large painting by my grandfather not really sure what kind of frame I wanted. At Frame Factory, I got a perfect fit – a hand finished oak frame that brings out the warmth of the yellows and reds in the painting.
“The frame’s main job is to enhance the art, not just the space where it will eventually hang,” explains Dean. He points to a big black and orange print of Keith Richards, looking legendary in a pair of sunglasses. Around the edge of the mount, there’s a thin strip of orange, drawing out the colour in the print and truly making the piece pop. “You can hang that wherever you like,” says Dean. “And that’s how bespoke framing works at its best.”
The framed art on the wall opposite the counters is intended to inspire and allow the framers to show customers what their art might look like, rather than just explaining with words. And if you like what you see, as with the large selection of prints, most of the already framed artwork is for sale.
These days customers are loving the bus blinds sourced from the Chalk Farm depot. And as always the range of handmade greeting cards, many of them made by local artists, and exclusively for Frame Factory London.
Frame Factory London is at 159 Haverstock Hill, NW3
www.framefactoryten.com
