before & after / Design of the Week

Can I do that?  Can it really be both?  I am really thrilled with the end result of this one!  So yes, I hereby declare it Design of the Week, too.

Here is the art as it entered the shop.  It had been previously framed (I'm guessing 1960s) in Brussels.  It was done excellently for its day.  The mat is a real fabric-wrapped mat and has a deep spacing mat beneath.  However, the materials were beginning to show their age.  They were not acid-free (as acid-free mats had not been invented yet) and the sizing was beginning to give under the fabric on the top mat.  

The clients selected beautiful new framing materials and brought this vintage artist's print back to life.  Here are some details:

fillet with a veneer to suggest the lines and rich color of the rooftops

burl frame in similar color (but purposely not the exact match) with contrasting textures

wide gauge linen mat to suggest other textures in the art

the completed project

before & after

The side-by-side speaks a thousand words.  You can see there is no trickery of photography in the colors of the print.  The colors are so much better served in their new surroundings.  Also, the art is now in a safe acid-free environment and also has uv protectant glass so these colors will be crisp for a lifetime +.