My Mom Was Right About This Old-School Framing Spot — It’s Better Than Ever

Even though there are more options for custom framing than ever — and maybe precisely because of that — it’s still so hard to decide how and where to do your framing. Mom-and-pop shops are great, but lead times can be long and the costs can be potentially high. Framebridge is wonderful, but the brick-and-mortar stores aren’t everywhere yet. So if you’re worried at all about sending an heirloom or prized piece of art through the mail not once but twice, maybe you’re a little hesitant to use them for those truly one-of-a-kind objects. 

That’s why I’ve returned recently to an old standby my mother used to do all her framing with back in the day: Michaels. Not only does the chain have stores virtually everywhere (1,300 and counting in 49 states and Canada!), but the custom framing department is also almost always offering a deal, has consistently over-delivered in terms of lead time in my recent experiences, and truly has a ton of options for mats, frames, flourishes, mounts, and more. 

A little over a month ago, Michaels completely overhauled its framing experience from top to bottom, starting with the way the frames are organized (now by style and color). When I’ve visited my local store, I’ve been able to easily pull the frame samples that have appealed to me off the wall — and search through the matting options — to try different combinations out together. Of course, you can get the help of the in-store framing expert, too, but I do think the appeal here is a little more of the choose-your-own-adventure variety. Every store will be different, though, so you might find a very full-service framing associate with lots of suggestions if you want them. 

My local store has a huge table available for spreading out your framing options (most do), and I honestly couldn’t believe how many frame and mat varieties I actually liked. Sure, you can still find some of the larger, clunkier, slightly more formal frames (and I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum here because all frames can make for beautiful final products). But I found so many modern, more streamlined designs as well. And if you hadn’t heard, Michaels now has an exclusive collaboration with Architectural Digest that includes five moldings you won’t find anywhere else: Accessible Contemporary, Eclectic Maximalist, Vintage Luxury, Space-Age Modernism, and Artisanal Layers. Just ask the framing associate to show you each of these if you’re custom framing something special (you can see part of my local store’s display above). 

I jumped at the chance to try the Architectural Digest Vintage Luxury frame for an original 1960s watercolor nude sketch I had purchased from the Paris flea market back in April. The soft gold patina of the frame is literally inspired by French design and classic antiques — done and done in my book. I also liked that it was a fairly thin frame, so I knew the piece would still feel modern and not overly ornamental. I wanted to pull out the red tones in the piece (I’ve been adding little hits of red to my largely cool-toned rooms), so I looked at a few different options and ultimately decided on this warm rust mat to complement the setup. I did all of this in-store, but as part of the new framing rollout Michaels has a new online frame builder that lets you upload a photo or choose artwork, play around with matting and glazing, and then use AR to virtually project the finished piece on your wall to see what it would look like. You can also start a project online and finish it with an expert in-store if you want some assistance.

Pricing isn’t cheap, but it’s very competitive for custom framing. Michaels is offering more transparency here, too, with guidelines based on size (although materials, frame, matting, and other choices can impact the bottom line). I had a gift card to offset the cost of my piece, but it was a reasonable $170 for its finished size of about 18” by 20” with acrylic as the “glass” (Michaels typically offers up to 70 percent off the sticker price of each piece). The piece came back from the off-site framer looking exactly as I had envisioned it (the framing associate can mock it up for you while pricing everything out on the computer, if you don’t use the digital tools yourself). It even arrived a few days earlier than promised (lead times are typically two weeks, in my experience so far). And don’t forget – every frame job earns you rewards that you can cash in for other merchandise or credits toward more framing.

I had such an easy framing experience that I just went back with another piece: a vintage swan watercolor painting I thrifted. I can’t wait to see the final result, which is going to be in a pretty peach frame tipped in silver with a fancy float mount so you can see the edges of the painting. Again, the subtotal for that one, which will be roughly 17” by 13” framed, was about $150 (which is comparable to Framebridge). 

If custom framing isn’t in the cards right now, you can still bring home something personal and special. As part of the recent major framing overhaul, Michaels now offers 200+ readymade frames for same-day framing and printing on site. Customers can also now create same-day custom canvas prints in 8” x 8” and 8” x 10” formats, starting at just $20.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like a lot of these offerings are going to make for easy gift-giving come the holiday season. I’m not sure why I waited so long to go back to Michaels for frames, but it seems like my mom was right about framing all along, per usual.