Stockist in Profile | Framing to A T
FRAMING TO A T are a GlobeWest Stockist located in three locations across Melbourne, Victoria.
Founded and owned by Husband & Wife duo Cath and Tony Stocks, FRAMING TO A T have been creating beautiful interiors with wall art, furnishings and styling since 1989. Their custom framing and TV mirrors are proudly Australian made and manufactured in-house in Melbourne's South-East.
Supplying quality bespoke picture framing, custom made mirrors and TV mirrors, they also offer a selection of curated occasional furniture, home décor and accessories that are assured to complement the beautiful, framed art.
We caught up with Cath to find out more about their business journey, expert tips on choosing the right artwork for your home and her passion for the interiors industry.
Image above: Kennedy Swivel Occasional Chair, Amara Round Leg Side Table and Harira Loop Object | Photography Martina Gemmola
Pictured: FRAMING TO A T Co-Founders and Owners, Cath Stocks - Creative Director and Tony Stocks - Managing Director | Pictured: Kennedy Swivel Occasional Chair and Amara Round Leg Side Table | Photography Martina Gemmola
Tell us about your business.
FRAMING TO A T FRAMERS & DESIGNERS have been supplying quality bespoke picture framing since 1989. Established by husband and wife team Tony and Cath Stocks, they proudly offer Australian-made custom framing, framed art, TV-Mirrors, occasional furniture and home accessories from our three Melbourne locations.
With Tony’s skills of creating, problem solving and design and Cath’s love of interior decorating, art and styling, Picture Framing seemed the perfect fit 33 years ago and has developed into the business we have grown today.
Our small business has stayed strong throughout the challenges of over 30 years, as our values of producing high quality craftsmanship, integrity in production, sourcing high quality materials and excellent service have always been integral to us and our team.
Craftsmanship is of immense importance in protecting and preserving artworks, photography and artful objects. Our team of picture framers are all qualified, learning our trade and specific techniques to produce a beautifully made framed product. We use quality materials and our Design Consultants in store create frame designs that are thoughtful and considered to ensure our customers’ art is cared for with well-designed framing.
We carry the same considered approach to sourcing quality art, objects and occasional furniture sourced and available to purchase in our boutiques. GlobeWest are one of the brands we have loved sourcing from for almost 20 years. With timeless design and quality manufacturing, we love to offer the GlobeWest product range to our customers.
Can you tell us about your customers? What do you think attracts them to your business?
We feel very grateful that we have a diverse customer-base at FRAMING TO A T.
Our customers get in touch, or visit us in-store for our various services and our clients vary from age, demographic and of course, style!
Whether we may be assisting customers with custom framing for a new art purchase, family photos or travel memories, or sourcing a new framed artwork or occasional furniture piece, one thing our customers all have in common is their appreciation for quality.
Our customers enjoy the design process of choosing custom framing and they value their experience at the counter. Customers new to our stores will often say that “they have never had anything custom framed before - that they had no idea how it worked, or that there are so many frames, mat colours and glass types to select from”. We love seeing that they enjoyed learning more about the process and the advice from our team, leaving confident and informed about how and why their art piece is framed the selected way.
Can you share some tips on how to choose the right artwork for your home?
Choosing art is one of our favourite aspects of interior decorating. An artwork brings personality and style to a space. We believe the artwork should be a piece that really speaks to you; often through colour, subject, feel or even a story behind the art piece or photography.
Artwork is a very personal choice, however on some occasions we find our customers really needing direction and confirmation when exploring and purchasing framed art.
We assist with curating and proposing art by getting to know more about our customers and their interior style. If a customer is drawn to an artwork or photographic print in-store is it because it is set in a location that they love to travel to, or have always dreamt about visiting? Or has a particular piece created an impression, reminding them of a special memory?
Discovering a customer’s favourite colour to introduce to their interiors can help make a start on sourcing artwork with a certain colour palette in mind. We may also look at their interiors and furniture and guide them with an art style or palette that will complement.
Often our assistance with art curation and sourcing art can be a matter of making our customers feel more confident with their choice of artwork. Fresh eyes can point out why a certain colour works well for their interiors, or that a particular scene is complementing in their space.
Choosing art doesn’t have to get serious! Have fun and enjoy the experience.
How do you choose the right size art for your interior space?
Scale and sizing is important in creating interiors that flow when introducing an artwork to the space. There is no one rule in regards to artwork and sizing, as many aspects come into play when choosing the art size to complement your interiors.
For example, how large is the actual space where you are introducing the artwork? Can you stand back to view the artwork? Is there furniture placed under the artwork? Is the space minimal, or filled with furniture and styling in the space?
Measuring your wall and any nearby furniture can help determine what size artwork to introduce. Even the subject of an artwork may dictate how large or small to go to ensure the artwork doesn’t feel too top-heavy, or too small.
Another example is if the artwork is a strong and dramatic colour or topic, this may need more negative space around it - so you may need to consider about 500mm of wall all the way around the framed piece.
If the art piece features softer colours, or has negative space within the artwork, potentially it could fill the wall, leaving 250mm of wall either side of the artwork.
If you have multiple pieces that you love, we recommend placement on the wall in a gallery-style installation, rather than having many art pieces on every wall. The size of the artwork and framing is important for the balance of a space, as well as the installation and placement of the art. This is another aspect we love to assist our customers with to ensure an art-filled space flows beautifully.
A beautifully framed artwork can absolutely transform the tone, mood and style in a space. Some people are nervous at the idea of framing their artwork or photography with the concern that “a frame may take away from the art itself”. This is not the case if the frame size, design, colour and texture is chosen to complement the artwork and not compete with it. We strongly feel the frame design can make or break a piece, from the simplest of art prints, to the most expensive original art investment.
What’s your favourite GlobeWest piece/collection and why?
We have so many! One of our favourite pieces in particular at the moment is the Kennedy Swivel Occasional Chair in Mustard Corduroy. This chair is like a hug!
The colour and texture is warm, vintage-feeling, yet elevated. And who doesn’t love a chair that swivels!
Along with the Amara Collection! We are loving the pieces in this collection with earthy brown vein detailing. The colour and grain of this marble is warming and soft. Marble can appear cold in some interiors, but with curved features, we are loving designs with this softer touch.
Who and/or what inspires you?
We have always loved attending design fairs to explore new product, designs and brands. Luckily, we have local brands like GlobeWest who inspire us! Through new collection releases shared with beautiful stories, styling and imagery we feel excited to share these new designs with our customers.
We of course love sifting through design and fashion magazines and exploring socials like Instagram and Pinterest is always a fun source for visual inspiration.
There is nothing more inspiring than working with our customers. We are presented with interesting and special pieces for framing, we hear amazing stories - some uplifting and some stories very personal. The combination of these customer experiences is what keeps us inspired, engaged and loving what we do.
What’s next for FRAMING TO A T?
We design and manufacture in-house in Melbourne and in the last few years large-scale artworks have been becoming increasingly popular. This mightn’t sound too exciting, but for an efficient and flawless finish when conservation mounting these oversize artworks, we recently invested in introducing a larger mounting press to our Manufacturing HQ.
In the past, these works were mounted by hand, so the new press allows for precision mounting for pieces over 3 metres wide.
We are also seeing greater requests for French-inspired guilded, gold, arched mirrors. We have been working closely with a craftsman to custom make these here in Australia for us. Often a beautiful look for our custom made TV-Mirrors. Interior Designers, architects and home decorators are loving the range of frame mouldings we have to offer when designing a TV-Mirror with us.
Where can people lean more about you?
You can visit FRAMING TO A T at one of our three Melbourne locations or explore our range of framed art, homewares, occasional furniture and TV-Mirrors at framingtoat.com.au
Instagram - @framingtoat
SHOWROOM & MANUFACTURING HQ
Factory 19, 2-10 Hallam South Road, Hallam
VIC, Australia 3803
+ 61 3 9796 3398
BERWICK STORE
16 Gloucester Ave, Berwick
VIC, Australia 3806
+ 61 3 9769 8686
BRIGHTON STORE
143 Church St, Brighton
VIC, Australia 3186
+ 61 3 9553 8885
FRAMING TO A T is a GlobeWest Stockist, click below to find a stockist near you.
