When we think about the framing industry, we think of mouldings, mats, glass and all the equipment it takes to bring those elements together to create a beautiful frame. Whether it is a piece of artwork, a memento, an award or myriad other things that we want to display, the frame design completes the look. Step into a frame shop or gallery, and you’ll find an amazing number of choices. How does the consumer know where to begin?

As design professionals, our job is to help. Fotiou Frames and its new Jane Seymour Moulding Collection bring a beautiful branded line that both designers and consumers can trust.

“Jane Seymour is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-award-winning actress, artist, designer, author and philanthropist, who has proved her talents in virtually all media,” says Barry Diamond, Fotiou’s chief marketing officer. “Her love of art, color and design was the driving force behind this signature collection and the unique finishes created for each series.”

In an interview with DECOR, Diamond provides more details about the vision behind the new collection. He explains how the vision for the branded line began and how the relationship with Seymour evolved into the creation of a whole collection.

DECOR: Tell us about Fotiou Frames: your history, your position in the framing industry and your goals.

Barry Diamond: Fotiou Frames was established in 1972 and currently has three locations: Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada; Rancho Cucamonga, California; and Nashville, Tennessee. Our product selection consists of more than 1,800 designs imported from artisans throughout the world, many of which are original designs exclusive to Fotiou. We are known for our artistry, innovation and workmanship, which have all played their part in distinguishing us from other companies. Our goal is not only to provide the best customer service and quality products to our dealers, but also to offer them as much support as possible to help them grow their business.

DECOR: What is the concept and vision behind the Jane Seymour partnership and the design collaboration for the Jane Seymour Moulding Collection?

BD: The concept of the design collaboration and the partnership is based on a few components.

Our concept was based on understanding that frame shops and galleries continually strive for new ways to bring more customers and awareness to their businesses. We wanted to create a campaign based on the knowledge that consumers and home decorators will follow the creative influence of a notable spokesperson they relate to, trust and admire, much like the effect that Martha Stewart had on the home-decor and craft market. We wanted to create a campaign that will support our dealers and drive more traffic to their stores, which is something that has never been done by a supplier in our industry, at least not to this extent.

With that in mind, we partnered with Jane as an advocate of fine framing and design. We feel that Ms. Seymour is a perfect fit, as she brings a new energy to the framing world and will be a valuable asset to the entire industry by empowering our audience—both framing retailers and consumers—with a better understanding of how to add color and style to their decor through creative and beautiful designs. Jane’s celebrity and universal message resonates with people and gives strength to our goal of offering consumers a clear style direction to assist with the daunting task of selecting a custom frame design among the many hundreds of styles available at a frame shop or a gallery.

Additionally, Fotiou has always been known as a leader of fine-quality moulding styles and innovative designs. With this partnership, we are presenting not only new and exciting styles but also a new mindset, one that will continue to drive new trends in the industry.

We are promoting the partnership with a direct-to-consumer marketing campaign, including advertisements in Architectural Digest and House & Home magazines, plus Facebook, Pinterest and other social-media platforms. We are also providing our Jane Seymour Moulding Collection dealers with a point-of-sale kit that includes the corner samples, posters, counter signs, window clings and postcards to reinforce the branding and marketing efforts, as well as increase awareness at the retail level.

This collaboration has been very exciting, and we believe we have truly captured Jane’s creativity and inspiration in the collection that we intend to expand for some time.

DECOR: Describe the collection for our readers.

BD: For the launch, we began with three series of mouldings: the Wave Series, the Sea Glass Treasure Series and the Malibu Nights Series. The colors, textures and shapes of the ocean and beaches at Jane’s home in Malibu have influenced the frame styles in each series. Whether it is the shimmering patterns from the reflections of the sun onto the ocean waves, the soft palette of sea glass or the pearlescent colorings of the shells, all of these elements, which are so important and influential to Jane, have been integrated into the design style for this collection.

DECOR: When did the collection launch, and what has been the reaction from both your customers and consumers?

BD: The collection launched at the beginning of June 2014, and the reaction has been tremendous! Our dealers are thrilled with the direct-to-consumer marketing campaign and the added exposure they are receiving from our efforts. And they are telling us that their success with the Jane Seymour Moulding Collection began immediately from the moment the corner samples went on display. We are also hearing feedback directly from the consumers that they are enchanted with the oxidized finishes and strong color palettes of the frame styles, in addition to the craftsmanship and quality of the product itself. They’ve told us they love being able to have a brand name that they can trust, like Jane’s, and bring her sense of design, color and style into their homes.

DECOR: How has Jane worked with Fotiou on the collection’s development, and how will she work with you now that it has launched?

BD: We have been very fortunate to collaborate with Jane and Susan Nagy Luks of Coral Canyon Publishing, Jane Seymour’s art director, at every stage of the collection’s development. From the initial consultations for design, style, color, finish and every element needed right up to the launch, Ms. Seymour has been part of every process and approved each of the designs in the collection.

Jane is also very involved in the promotion of the collection and the education behind the campaign. Whether it’s the blog entries on the website, outreach through her social-media pages, appearances at trade shows or media interviews, she is very committed to being a partner in getting our message to the consumer. Our mutual goal is to create more awareness and get more people thinking about and using custom framing. It’s good for Fotiou and the Jane Seymour Moulding Collection, and it is good for the industry!

For more about the Jane Seymour Moulding Collection with Fotiou Frames, visit janeseymour.fotiou.com

With a career that spans 30 years, DECOR Managing Editor Linda Mariano is a leader in marketing, brand management, e-commerce and promotion initiatives. Through her company, LM² Art Marketing & Licensing (LM2ArtMarketing.com), Mariano brings her expertise and years of experience to help art-industry leaders and artists develop their marketing, branding and business strategies. She can be reached at LMariano85@yahoo.com.

The post From Silver Screen to Fine Art Frames: Jane Seymour’s New Line with Fotiou Frames appeared first on Art Business News.

There’s a magical feeling of excitement in the air. It’s noticeable from the first moment you walk through the door. Nothing about this place is typical—from the decorated replica statue of Michelangelo’s David to the speakers pumping loud music, it’s clear that these people think differently. For 30 years, Roma Moulding has done more than buck the trends; they’ve created them.

A tour through Roma Moulding’s headquarters in Toronto clearly shows that this is a company on the move. Although steeped in European tradition, its modern strategies and products keep them ahead of the curve. Founded in 1984 by John Gareri and Nino Talotta, Roma Moulding has grown from a small, local producer of fine art frames into a truly global phenomenon.

The company works with master artisans in Europe, who use centuries-old techniques to create awe-inspiring mouldings. They source designs from Africa, Asia and beyond. Their award-winning products are assembled right here in North America. With such a broad, international scope, Roma Moulding really does have the world in its hands. In order to truly appreciate what Roma Moulding is, it’s important to understand how and why they exist.

Step back 30 years. Reagan is President. Pop songs from Wham!, Tina Turner and Prince blare out of speakers speeding by in Chevy Cavaliers. The big, bad L.A. Raiders are Super Bowl champions. The world is becoming more connected and the appetite for luxurious home furnishings is growing quickly. Meanwhile, back in the suburbs of Toronto, John and his brother in-law, Nino, work part-time jobs framing photographs at night to support their young families. Then John realizes something’s missing. The mouldings lack life and excitement. They appear as an afterthought in the art creation process and aren’t able to truly elevate a piece or assimilate into a home’s interior. John knows he can do better.

“I thought, ‘There’s no future with these frames and it’s creating a massive void in the North American market’,” John says. “It was a huge opportunity and I immediately started thinking that I could search Italy for beautiful frames to bring back to North America.”

Into the Unknown At this point, John took an enormous leap of faith and decided to go out on his own. He knew that better products were being created in Italy and started to nurture his European connections. Before long, John had established himself and opened Roma Moulding in late in 1984. At the time, Roma was a small operation and John had his hands on every aspect of the business.

“I would go out all day and take orders. Then I’d return at night to build the frames. The next day I’d go deliver all the frames and take more orders. It was my way of getting an edge on the competition. Speed, craftsmanship with a personal touch.”

By focusing on quality and style, John created a line of high-end products for an underserved market. From there, a series of expansions—including opening distribution centers throughout the United States—truly put Roma on the map as a key producer of fine interior furnishings. However, due to rapid expansion, the company found themselves negotiating with neighbors to occupy any nearby warehouse space.

“We had grown so much that we started asking our neighbors if we could use part of their facilities; then we asked the people behind us and others nearby,” John’s son and current Roma Moulding CEO, Tony Gareri, recalls. “We were connecting all these spaces with ramps, which during the winter meant trudging through snow. It worked but it wasn’t great. My father had the vision that we had to be under one roof. He knew that in order for us to get to the next level, we had to be together and we had to be united.”

With a vision for the future, John packed the company up and moved to a 30,000-square-foot facility that still stands as Roma’s home. After a series of renovations to tailor the space to their unique needs, team members soon began to wonder, “How are we going to fill this?” While the move proved intimidating for some, John had the foresight to know his company would grow to occupy every inch. “To us, the move meant that we were for real, this is the next chapter in our company,” Tony says.

Tony Arrives on the Scene Around this time, Tony officially joined the Roma team. After years of spending summers at “Corner Sample Camp” or following his father to trade shows, Tony graduated from university. While he may have had plans to backpack around Europe or to “find himself,” John had other plans.

“I got my degree on a Thursday,” Tony says, “On Friday, my father turned to me and said, ‘So we’ll see you first thing Monday morning.’ It may have sounded like a question but was definitely more of a statement.”

The family branched out and continued to produce forward-thinking products that pushed the envelope. Further expansion into the United States and a series of awards propelled Roma to the top of the industry as they released industry-changing designs such as the Tabacchino collection in 2005. Tony admits to being a design junkie. Growing up in a family whose livelihood depended upon having good taste meant that he quickly developed a keen eye.

“Very early on as a child, I was taught about, and very interested in, design. I’ve read Azure and Architectural Digest for as long as I can remember,” Tony says with a laugh.

Under the tutelage of his father, Tony began to carefully study why Roma carried certain lines and what specific partners wanted to see in the company’s next launch. He also began to expand his own design inspirations and noticed the emerging trends within interior design. He saw good and bad design in everything from sofas to buildings, kitchens and of course, custom frames. Never one to chase a fad, Tony likes to identify trends and stay ahead of them.

“I prefer to create the frame as a masterpiece that can be used on art, rather than seeing the art and then making a frame that’ll fit it.”

Often, Tony and John will travel the globe searching for a texture, pattern or even feeling that inspires them to create their next great moulding. With the entire world at his fingertips, Tony chooses one city as his favorite destination.

“Paris is hands down the most inspiring place I’ve ever been,” he says, beaming. “The feeling you get when sitting at the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile is tremendous. This section of Paris was built to celebrate victory, and the attention to detail is enough to get any design enthusiast’s heart pumping. Its romance, its culture and its design all in the same beautiful place.”

With his inspiration coming from the French capital, it’s logical that Tony would look to one of France’s most renowned designers—Philippe Starck—to further his passion for all things avant-garde. From chandeliers to ghost chairs, Tony was drawn to the symmetry found in Starck’s work and used it as motivation to create something beautiful on his own. After playing around with different profiles and finishes, Tony approached an Italian supplier with his concept for the Lavo collection.

On to Italy “I remember it like it was yesterday,” Tony says. “We prototyped it in Italy and I asked the guy to take this traditional profile and spray it with black lacquer. He looked at me like I just grew a second head. The results didn’t amaze as he started spraying it but as the lacquer dried and cured, we knew we had something special in our hands.”

Lavo is of course, one of Roma Moulding’s most successful collections, but it didn’t immediately win everyone over, even if it did turn heads.

“We got back to Toronto and my father wanted me to show the Lavo mouldings to our partner specialists. They thought we were nuts and that it would never sell.”

However, Tony pushed on and released the collection on the belief that the market was yearning for something different. He was right, as half a decade later Roma still releases new editions to the Lavo collection. In Tony’s words, the next Lavo release “is really going to knock people’s socks off.”

Clearly, Tony’s renegade leadership style can be traced back to doing things differently. With the confidence that his ideas could change the industry, he pushed for more authority within the company and big changes continued to take place.

A Sudden Realization After working for Roma Moulding for over a decade, Tony began to burn out. With the world in the grips of an economy-ruining recession, Roma had started to grow into a sterile, numbers-focused company that cared more about its next sale than it did anything else. Tony felt like a dark cloud followed wherever he went. Team members would rather duck behind a corner than talk to him or a senior leader.

“Three years ago I began to check out,” Tony says. “When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t like who I had become. I didn’t think my life would turn out this way. I wanted out.”

Now ready to walk away from the only business he knew, his family’s legacy, Tony called a meeting. With a lump in his throat, Tony approached John with a concept so extreme, so outside the box, many wouldn’t believe the words coming from his mouth: “I want to blur the lines between work and play. I want Roma to be a company that puts a premium on happiness.” Happiness? The man who was being groomed to run one of the biggest players in the custom frame industry wanted to be happy?

As you might imagine, over the next year Tony got a lot of flack. “Happiness is opening a new account with a large partner and big sale,” was a common refrain he’d hear. “If you want to be happy, go make something beautiful and sell it.” However, with his family’s support, the man who pushed Lavo onto the market refused to back down.

“I wanted to create a playground where the most talented people would enthusiastically come and produce the best work they ever have,” says Tony.

He implemented a progressive culture strategy that focuses on people, happiness and inspiration. Once again, his unorthodox idea worked. Today, Roma’s staff retention is very high, the errors produced by team members are at an all-time low and, most importantly, his team members are happy to be there.

“Now it’s about spreading that happiness to all of our partners,” says Tony. “We want to be a highlight of your day.”

While he admits that “there are still tweaks, ways we can get better and ways we can make more people happier,” Tony sees the company’s next frontier as spreading happiness to everyone they connect with.

The Next Chapter Does a company really need to care about how they make a customer feel? Why not focus on building something faster and cheaper than your competitors?

“Cheap is cheap. You can’t go cheaper than the cheapest. Same thing with speed. At some point, fast is as fast as it can be,” Tony says. “Beyond that, for us it’s about creating an emotional connection that makes our partners feel as great as we do every day.”

A conversation with the Gareri men will leave you inspired. Their ability to balance traditional profiles with modern finishes, to boldly go where others are afraid to and to wear their hearts on their sleeves is what really sets them apart.

“We truly believe that by treating people with kindness, we’ll get to where we need to be,” John says smiling proudly.

The post The Pursuit of Happiness: Roma Moulding Celebrates 30 Years appeared first on Art Business News.

As framers, our framing design habits tend to be influenced by various trends that crop up in the world of art and decor. Sometimes you have a favorite frame profile for a long time, but then eventually you eventually drop it from your repertoire. We all have that group of corner samples that’s worn from constant use and relegated to the lower corner of the sample wall. We just stop seeing them as we once did.

Seeing Old Frames in a New Light
Sometimes it’s to pick up samples that you haven’t used in a long time and reacquaint yourself with them, almost like you might with an old friend. With a little attention, you might start to see the design in a new light. And perhaps those frames you lost interest in will be worth rediscovering and falling in love with all over again.

In this regular column, Attention to Detail, we are going to focus on various details of frame design. Each month we will select a design detail for close examination. We’ll start with a quick look at its history and origins. Then take a look at how we’ve used that design over the years, as well as what the market currently has to offer. By examining frame design details that we are already familiar with, we can gain an expanded perspective and refreshed appreciation of them.

Why pay attention to trends that are not currently popular? After all, trends come and go and what looked good ten years ago may seem tired-looking and overused right now. But give it another two years and it could become fresh and new all over again.

What Goes Around Comes Around
Staying in touch with an array of design details, regardless of their popularity, keeps us a strong player in the design game. Consider two such trends—the flat square profile and the ornate frame. At one point not too long ago, the flat profile was considered by some framers as somewhat of a compromise and a selection for the customer that couldn’t make up their mind or the customer that was afraid of picking something that had “too much style.” So they would default to something that was safe and easy which often meant the flat profile.

But is simplicity always a compromise? Fast forward to 2012 and the situation was a bit different. When you opened an interior design magazine you saw almost nothing but flat square profiles, usually in white. Demand for flat frames increased in some markets to be a considerable percentage of sales. Some framers became frustrated at the lack of variety in the trend. But then change cropped up again. Open an interior design magazine this year, in 2014, and you will often see a single, highly ornate, eye-popping frame as the centerpiece of a room.

Ornate Influences
Why so ornate in 2014? Right now, Victorian clip art in the graphic art and printmaking fields is stirring interest in designs from the Industrial Age and the Victorian Era. As well, major museums are getting a fair amount of media coverage around the restoration of important paintings to be displayed in their original large-scale and extremely ornate frames. Simply put: people are being conditioned to like ornate frames once again. The domination of the market by the ornate frame may not be here today, but it could be on its way and soon. Are you ready? How familiar are you familiar with your design details?

As framers we know what we like about a particular frame. However what makes the framing customer pick a certain frame? Every frame has a range of elements and details that collectively make the profile what it is. In the eyes of the consumer there is often just one prominent feature that is foremost in its appeal and influences their choice of that profile. In reality, though, there may a dozen or more elements in the design that contribute to the success of that choice and to the pleasure in viewing the finished work.

Giving Frame Details Their Moment in the Spotlight
Its overall impression is the combined presentation—the shape, finish, width, ornament, proportions, patina, etc. These are all so important, even if they are more subtle or in the background. It’s like when you go to see a musician perform. They are the one in the spotlight and reason that you to bought a ticket, but what about the band? There are the drummer, keyboardist and the bass player. While not always in the spotlight, the band members certainly add to the experience and are a big part of why you enjoyed the entire performance. Fortunately, at some point during the performance, each member gets a chance to do a solo, taking the spotlight for the moment and showing us what they can do. In this column we are going to give each of the design details that make up a frame their deserved attention by giving them a solo, their moment in the spotlight.

Consider each of these articles as the start of a great conversation about design. And by all means, feel free to chime in and offer your own perspective. Share pictures of your work as an example of the design detail being considered. Tell us your favorite moulding in this design category. Is there a discontinued profile that you miss? Tell us what you liked best about it and someone might suggest a replacement option.

We have invited a wide variety of informed perspectives to our conversation in order to add depth to it. This includes the people that put the frames out into the world like the manufacturers, the custom frame shops and the frame makers. We will also get input from those who use frames in their own fields such as artists, interior designers, antique dealers, galleries and museums.
Ultimately, we hope each conversation will become an in-depth consideration of the design detail being featured and become a resource that you can turn to when in need of design inspiration and frame design confidence.

Eric Jarmann has been in the picture framing field since 1997 being the owner of John Haywood Gallery and of Eric Jarmann & Company. With background in retail management, gallery, photography, graphic design and restoration of old homes he brings a broad range of design and business skills to the picture framing industry. He is the in-house framer for Thornwillow Press and its boutiques located in the St. Regis Hotels. He also is founder of Newburgh Portfolio, a regional arts organization. He is active in social media and runs a blog about picture framing called All About the Frame. He can be reached at eric.jarmann@gmail.com.

The post Attention to Detail appeared first on Art Business News.

By Michael Pacitti

Period design is a fascinating field of study, and one that can help you do better business. Behind each frame lies a story that’s well worth knowing—and sharing. Did you know that most frames fall into one of thirteen periods of design? Knowing and understanding all the influences behind a frame can really help to hone your skills as a custom framing designer. And this, in turn, will bring you more satisfied customers.

So without further adieu, let’s dive into this issue’s featured period of design!

Art Deco: 1925 – 1937

No doubt you’re aware that Art Deco is hot right now! Part of the reason was last year’s movie remake of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” with a star-studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey McGuire and Carey Mulligan.

If you saw the film, you’ll recall the rich, opulent ‘20s glamour of the costumes and set. This was a sparkling, smoke-swirled era with glittering sequins, lavish beading, polished hardwoods and elaborate, over-the-top splendor. Box office reviews for the movie may have been mixed, but the fashion trends had already caught on.

Pantone announced an Art Deco emerald green for the color of 2013. Hipsters across the country started sporting suspenders and bowties. Rolls Royce announced a new, Art Deco-styled vehicle. Kitchen fixtures began cropping up in shiny, nickel-plated styles. And of course, Art Deco frames grew in popularity.

Hallmarks of Art Deco

Let’s review the classic hallmarks of Art Deco. Clean lines, geometric shapes and grayed colors are a good place to start. We’re talking dove gray, flat silver, brilliant red, soft lilac and emerald green—this is the basic palette— set against exotic woods such as Makassar ebony, zebrawood, and the refined metals of bronze, brushed steel and nickel.

Art Deco’s visual motifs include geometric shapes, curves, Egyptian zigzags, sunburst,
lightning bolts, airbrushed screened ray bands, motion light, aerodynamic and streamlined forms. Glamorous ornamentation is another hallmarks of the Art Deco period. The more lavish, the better.

Influences and Background

There’s a lot of interesting history behind the Art Deco movement, and it’s well worth knowing. Let’s dive into it.

Art Deco holds some wonderful paradoxes. On the one hand, it is considered a supremely theatrical, ornate style; yet it is also classical and symmetrical. The movement drew its inspiration from art genres including Cubism, Futurism, Neoclassicism, Modernism, Futurism and the Bauhaus era. Art Deco’s true heyday was from 1925 to 1937, though things started up as early as 1920.

Think of the Roaring Twenties—the Jazz Age, with flappers kicking their sequined heels up at raucous, lavish parties. It was a glamorous time, but it was also an era that embraced technology. This is a key distinguishing factor between Art Deco and the Art Nouveau period, with its organic motifs.

Although many other design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions such as Art Nouveau, Art Deco was purely decorative. It was bold and brassy and powerful. It took buildings and designed them to look like cruise ships!

Discoveries, Motifs and Ornamentation

In 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter and his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon, thrilled the
world with their discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Reporters and tourists
thronged at the site for a glimpse at treasures which had lain nearly undisturbed for over 3,000 years. Soon, a fascination for ancient Egypt found expression in clothing, jewelry,
furniture, graphic design and, of course, architecture. In fact, one of the most popular Art Deco motifs is that of the sunburst pattern, taken from Egyptian hieroglyphs and symbols.

Art and Posters

Although the term “Art Deco” is rarely applied to painting or sculpture, the style is visible in the streamlined forms of certain 20th century painters from the inter-war period. One of the most famous artists who employed Art Deco themes was painter Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980). A bold, fiercely independent woman (with a fascinating life story), Lempicka revolutionized the world of female portraits. She embraced the “synthetic cubist” method of painting, using small, geometric planes of strong color to create stunning, empowering portraits of women.

Along with the technological advances of the era, the art world saw dramatic evolution in the world of printmaking and lithography. As a result, Art Deco posters became available to many who might not otherwise be able to afford the original artwork. These images endure today.

Lempicka’s prints were (and are) popular, as were images in the “Cassandre Style,” so named after the pseudonym of the famous artist Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron, who held a one-man show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1936. No doubt you are familiar with Cassandre’s sleek designs of towering ships and speeding trains—the pinnacle of Art Deco graphic design. Pinup posters and advertisements were popular as well.

Fashion

The fashion-forward clan knew exactly what they wanted after the end of World War I, when technological advances kicked into high gear. It was time to move beyond the hardship and into an era of empowerment for women. Flapper fashion was born. Long-waisted dresses, V-necklines and ostrich feathers celebrated women’s femininity, while bobbed haircuts brought a dash of erotic androgyny into the mix.

Picture Frames, Photo Frames & Mouldings

Now that we’ve explored the history and hallmarks of the Art Deco period, let’s bring the discussion back to framing. Here’s where we start to put it all together in terms of your business and clients.

Art Deco mouldings and frames tend to have clean, smooth finishes. They hold a characteristic of not only symmetry, but also a consistency in finish and color. Whether you’re talking about a painted green frame or one made of highly polished metal, it will have clean-cut lines that will beautifully compliment any art deco art image or photograph. Aluminum, stainless steel, plastics, lacquer and inlaid wood are excellent choices.

Have a client who wants to frame a poster of the Chrysler Building or a classic Tamara de Lempicka print? Get a slick, polished frame and set it off beautifully. Loft owners and condo dwellers—especially those with high ceilings—are looking for Art Deco stylings whether they know it or not!

Framing Art Deco posters requires a moulding that is clean, flat and symmetrical in pattern and ornament. Try pairing the image or subject matter that you are designing with frames that have geometric or stylized patterns from representational forms (remember the Egyptian sun we discussed above?). Bear in mind: Art Deco often incorporates a repetitive pattern throughout the image. Choose mouldings that are cool, elegant and sophisticated. You are looking for symmetry, clean lines and geometric patterns.

Furniture and Decor

In the wake of the Gatsby style resurgence we’re seeing, interior decorators and designers are incorporating Art Deco themes into their decor these days as well. The original Art Deco furniture was an amalgam of many different styles and movements of the early 20th century—including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Art Nouveau, and Futurism—and that’s what we’re seeing again today.

Art Deco decor is characterized by the use of materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, leather, lacquer, inlaid wood and exotic materials such as ivory, shark skin and zebra skin. Functional elegance is the key. Other elements include: high-gloss finishes, glass
and metal combinations, geometric shapes and bold patterns (think animal prints). Keep these in mind when working with an Art Deco artwork and/or frame.
Inspiration and Resources

If you want help your clients to create a space in which their apartment, home or loft looks and feels as though they have a roommate named Gatsby, the following websites
are good places to start.

Houzz.com
Houzz.com has literally thousands of pictures of Art Deco interior designs. From poster
art and shower curtains to bed frames and wall-mounted mirrors, Houzz.com gives you
an idea of all the many ways that you can build an Art Deco vibe in your home.

Interiordesignipedia.com
One of my favorite sites for custom framing design ideas related to Art Deco is interiordesignipedia.com

Lighting Advice
Layered lighting schemes are important to consider when exploring Art Deco decor. Sconces and torchères beam light up or down to cast a flattering, sultry glow. Art deco fixtures were futuristic for their era, yet polished. Check out this video on adding LED effects to a room.

Art Deco Color Schemes
Here’s a great site for working with art deco schemes: http://www.decopix.com/Art_Deco_Color_Schemes/

Michael Pacitti, IDEC, CPF, has worked in the interior design, art, photography and custom framing design industry for more than 25 years. He has been associated with the Color Marketing Group since 1990 and the Color Association of the United States (C.A.U.S), through which he has taught seminars on color and design to interior designers throughout North America, Europe, Australia and China for 25 years. He has also written numerous articles on color and design and is a professional certified educator with IDEC Interior Design Educators Council.

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Art Materials Service (AMS)’s product line continues to expand with metal hardware to assemble, hang and secure aluminum and plastic picture frames. Other items in the company’s line include self-locking protective corrugated corners, mounting materials, wire, easel backs and a growing selection of hand- and air-operated machines used for the installation of AMS parts.

Here, we take a closer look at two of the company’s latest releases.

 
Help in Hanging Heavy Frames and Mirrors

AMS has hardware to hang and assemble heavy frames. The company’s extra large reenforcing corner bracket angles hold together large and heavy frames solidly with four screws. The new AMS 
hanging hardware bar system secures heavy frames and mirrors on walls. 

High-Precision Mat  Cutting Supplies

AMS has been developing a program to offer high-precision matboard cutting supplies. This new selection includes affordable pneumatic cutters used to incise cardboard, corrugated, plastic, foamboard, mountboard, PVC foamboard, glass, and more. Various blades for usage in many different matboard cutters are also available from AMS, including blades for computerized matboard cutters. 

MORE INFO/PURCHASE 
AMS PRODUCTS

Call AMS sales for more information at 888-522-5526 or 732-545-8888.  Or, fax 732-545-9166, or visit www.artmaterialsservice.com.

DID YOU KNOW?

AMS was founded in 1976 to provide reliable generic hardware to the aluminum picture framing industry.  By 1985, AMS became one of the world’s largest manufacturers of metal hardware to the industry with a reputation for high quality and fair prices.

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