These Are - Full Stop - The BEST Frames
When I realized that I hadn’t recommended Pottery Barn’s Gallery Frames before, i almost didn’t believe it. These frames are literally ALL OVER my home. I look at them multiple times a day, every day. They make up my gallery wall, and they’re my favorite frames to put finished cross stitches in. These frames are truly a decor essential.
I used to live within walking distance of a Pottery Barn, and when I finished a cross stitch project I’d fold it up, put in in a baggie, and walk on over to PB. Then I’d fold up my finished piece and decide which frame suited it best. I started buying the Espresso color, so I just kept buying it so that all my frames would match.
The nice thing about these frames is that they come in a LOT of sizes, particularly when you factor in the oversized mat and multiple opening versions. If you look at the gallery wall above, the frame on the bottom left and top right are actually the two opening frames. (All the frames are sold based on the mat size, i.e. 5x7, 8x10, but if you scroll down to “Dimensions and Care” you can see the overall measurements.) And just so you know ALL the details, the large frames in this gallery wall, apart from the two already mentioned, are 8x10, the center top and bottom are 5x7, and the square ones are 5x5. All but the 5x7 frames have no mats, or custom mats. The squares are pages from this book!
Recently, I bought out my local Pottery Barn’s selection of espresso gallery frames when I realized they were selling them for 40% off. I bought out the entire storeroom, AND their floor models. You should never buy these frames full price, because if you wait a week they will be 20% off. But that’s the most I’ve ever seen. 40% off is unheard of. And the staff didn’t know why! They assumed the store was going to stop carrying them? But they’re still online, and still at other stores. Anyway, I bought like 10 frames and it was a GREAT decision. I was able to put together this gallery wall, and I still have some leftover for other, entirely undecorated, rooms in my house.
Here are some cross stitches in my hallway in gallery frames. When you frame cross stitches, you don’t use the glass, which is fine unless you plan on using these frames for something else in the future. They are forever cross stitch frames now.
The espresso color was too dark for my bathroom, so I have two frames in there that are rustic wood. These frames are clearly different when you see them in real life, and despite having THREE light sources in my tiny bathroom no amount of editing could show you the true to life colors of these frames. Trust me, they are different, but no matter the color, these frames are the BEST.
They’re super sturdy, which might not seem like a huge deal, but a nice heavy, solid frame makes everything look fancier. Virtually all of the art in my house is made by me, from a flea market/thrift store, or a print from Etsy. But in these frames? All my cheap art gets a classy upgrade. The frames have D-rings to hang them, and the larger frames have two D-rings. Maybe you’re some kind of wizard who finds it easy to hang a photo on TWO D-rings, but I find it’s easier to just put some picture hanging wire through them and hang it on that. OR, you could go even easier and use Command Strips. Once I knew I was moving out of my apartment I only hung art with Command Strips for like, two years. It’s fine.
