Introducing Regency, a slimmer ornate frame now available on every painting in our shop, From $195. It has a 2 3/8 inch carved face with the same kind of scrollwork as our Classic frame, plus a fine beaded border along the inside edge.
Classic, the deep baroque moulding with a 4 inch face, stays in the lineup, and both styles cost the same at every size. The difference is how much frame the room asks for. This guide walks through which rooms suit each one, and why the gloss Black and gloss White Regency finishes are the most unexpected frames we have ever offered. Everything shown here comes from our best sellers.
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Regency is made to hang beside the Classic frames you already own. Put your Classic piece in the middle and add one or two smaller Regency pieces around it, and the wall gets a clear center. Regency comes in Gold, Silver and Charcoal, the finish Classic calls Dark Bronze, so a new piece can match the frames already on your wall.
Rated 4.97 out of 5 across 104 customer reviews
Same Wall Space, Two Different Frames
The pair at the top of this page is the same painting in the same Large size. The Regency piece hangs at the same height as the Classic and 2 1/4 inches narrower.
What changes is the split between frame and painting. The Regency face is 1 5/8 inches narrower on every side, so even though the whole piece is a little smaller, more of the canvas shows inside the frame. On a tall figure like Autumn (1896), all of that extra room goes to the painting.
Classic makes the frame part of the statement, and Regency gives the painting more of the stage. The real question is how much ornament your room can carry.
Where the Classic 4 Inch Frame Belongs
The big baroque frame is at its best in rooms built for it: tall ceilings, crown moulding, paneled walls, heavy wood furniture and rugs with some pattern in them. In a room like that, a slim frame can look underdressed, the way a small rug looks lost in a big room.
Dark, dramatic paintings belong here too. The Night Watch (1642) and Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633) are big, deep, shadowy pictures, and the 4 inch gold face frames all that darkness with light.
The formal living room and the fireplace wall
Above a mantel or a long sofa, the piece is seen from ten or fifteen feet away, and the 4 inch face holds its shape at that distance. Estate size Classic pictures like The Spirit of '76 (1876) and Declaration of Independence (1818) carry a whole wall on their own. Our living room guide covers sizing over the sofa.
The dining room and the study
A formal dining room is the other natural home for Classic. Flower Still Life (1700) and Vase With Flowers (1706) look right with dark wood and candlelight, and the deep carving catches that low light beautifully. The dining room guide goes further.
A library or study wants the same weight. The Bookworm (1850) in Classic gold looks like it has hung between those shelves for a hundred years, which is the whole idea of a dark academia room.
Where the Regency 2 3/8 Inch Frame Fits Better
Regency is for rooms where a heavy frame would crowd the space. Bedrooms, hallways, stair walls, home offices, apartments and houses with standard 8 foot ceilings all tend to feel better with a lighter profile. The carving is still there, so the frame still reads as a classic ornate frame from across the room.
It also suits quiet paintings. Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665) is a close, intimate picture, and the slimmer frame lets her face do the work. The same goes for soft Impressionist color like Impression, Sunrise (1872), where a wide gilt band can outshine the painting.
Transitional and modern rooms
A lot of homes mix a traditional piece or two into clean, modern furniture. That is where Regency earns its place. A slim carved frame in silver or charcoal adds one note of history to a room of linen sofas and plain walls, and the rest of the room stays modern.
The Avenue in the Rain (1917) in Regency charcoal is a good example. The painting is wet gray pavement under a street full of flags, and the charcoal frame sits right inside that palette. Charcoal is the Regency name for the finish Classic calls Dark Bronze.
Regency is also the easier frame for a gallery wall. Several Classic frames grouped together can feel heavy, while a cluster of Regency pieces around one Classic anchor gives the wall a clear center. Try Constantinople in Moonlight (1889) in Regency gold as a companion to a larger Classic piece.
Hang the Classic piece in the middle at eye level, about 57 inches from the floor to its center, and keep 2 to 3 inches between the frames around it. The narrower Regency outlines make those gaps look even.
Gloss Black and Gloss White: The Avant-Garde Pair
Two Regency finishes break from tradition: Black and White, both in a high gloss. A gilded baroque frame is what you expect to see around an old master. The same carving, lacquered in glossy black or white, reads as something else entirely. Design-forward hotels and Paris apartments have used this trick for years: keep the ornament and change the finish until the old shape looks new.
Gloss black is dramatic. It makes bright paintings glow, which is why Almond Blossoms (1890) looks so vivid in it. It suits black and white interiors, dark painted walls, charcoal kitchens, and any room with black metal, marble or lacquered furniture. The gloss picks up light along every curl of the carving, so the ornament shows even in black.
Water Lilies (1915) is the surprise of the group. Monet in gold is familiar. Monet in gloss black looks like it belongs above a low modern sofa in a room with concrete floors, and the deep greens and blues get richer against the black.
Gloss white is the lighter answer. On a white or pale plaster wall, the frame almost merges with the wall and leaves the carved texture and the painting. It is a natural fit for Scandinavian, coastal and minimal rooms, and it gives graphic art a crisp edge.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1829–1833) might be the best example we have. A Japanese woodblock print in a European rococo frame should clash, and in gloss white it works, because the carved scrolls repeat the claw-like foam of the wave. Our Hokusai guide tells the story behind the print.
A good rule for the gloss finishes: pick the painting for its color first, then use black to push that color forward or white to let it breathe.
Choosing a Regency Finish
Here is one painting in Regency silver and charcoal, to compare with the gold at the top of this page.
Gold is the warm, traditional choice and goes with wood, brass and cream walls. Silver suits cool palettes, chrome and gray stone. Charcoal is the quiet option, a soft dark that works in almost any room.
Black and White are the two gloss finishes, and they are the ones to reach for when you want a classic painting to look current. Classic stays in its three finishes: Gold, Silver and Dark Bronze.
Whichever you choose, every piece is printed to order on archival canvas and stretched over an Appalachian Poplar stretcher bar, and the frame style never changes the price.
Rated 4.97 out of 5 across 104 customer reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Classic and Regency frames?
Both are ornate carved frames. Classic has a 4 inch face and a deep baroque profile. Regency has a 2 3/8 inch face with similar carving. At the same size, a Regency piece is a little smaller overall and shows more of the painting inside the frame.
Which frame should I choose for my room?
Choose Classic for tall ceilings, formal living and dining rooms, libraries and large fireplace walls. Choose Regency for bedrooms, hallways, apartments, gallery walls and modern or transitional rooms. For a contemporary look, try Regency in gloss Black or gloss White.
Does the Regency frame cost more?
Both styles are priced the same at every size, From $195.
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