What’s Hot Right Now?

We can all agree that the world is a very crazy place at the moment. People are staying home, cancelling overseas and interstate holidays and generally going out less to help stop the spread of this awful coronavirus. Since we are all spending much more time in our homes and having unspent disposable income at our fingertips we are starting to look at what needs updating and how we can improve our living space, whether it be to show more of our personality, update to the latest style trends or even just having time to go through the huge abundance of photos captured on our mobile phone to find the special moments to frame and hang on the wall. Plus we are all cleaning out cupboards and draws at an alarming rate just for something to do! For us, at the start of this pandemic we were bunkering down and preparing for a massive hit to our business but we were pleasantly surprised and to be honest a little shocked of this interesting home renovation period that is showing no signs of slowing down. Which begs the question – what is hot in the picture framing industry right now? What are people framing? What is “trending” at our shop? Well the answer is simple – everything!

Since the home renovating period began we have heard over and over again “I found this in the cupboard and I have finally have the time and money to come in and get it framed!”. The most popular items we have seen in the last few months are posters, prints and artworks purchased on holidays or online but have been rolled up for years and never made it to the picture framers. We have also had a surge in university degrees and certificates, documents, war medals and other historic items that people “have been meaning to do something with but never have the time or money”. With so many of us cleaning out cupboards and draws in our house for something to do during lockdown, these items have once again been found and with little to do and money burning holes in our pockets, these items are finally being framed and displayed.

Other items that have surged in popularity at the moment are picture frames for jigsaw puzzles, tapestries and other crafty items which have been hugely popular for obvious reasons! Jigsaw puzzles in particular look fantastic as a piece of art in your home and the puzzle effect adds an interesting element to it. If you are considering framing a jigsaw puzzle that you have completed during lockdown all you need to do is get it to us in one piece and we will take care of the rest. Some people like to purchase the special glue to stick their puzzle together before transporting it, but it really isn’t necessary if you follow these few tricks. Before you start your puzzle, make sure you put it together on a board or thick piece of card so you can move it around. If you did not think of this and you have started it or completed it on the dining room table, find a sturdy board and place it on the edge of the table. With some help, carefully and slowly slide the puzzle onto the card from the edge of the table. To transport it safely in the car simply place another board or piece of carboard over the top so it can’t slide around or even wrap some gladwrap around it so it can’t move. Once you have it to us, we will take care of the rest!

Another item that we are seeing a rush of is family photos and wedding photos. With people having more time at home to finally go through the thousands of photos that would undoubtedly exist on our mobile photos, and not to mention any professional photos taken in between, we have seen a huge increase in people requiring picture frames for their family photos and wedding photos that have been hidden on a USB stick, myself included! It has been wonderful to see the smile on our customers faces when they receive their framed memories that they can finally display in their homes and make them smile every day.  

We have also seen an increase in sports memorabilia getting framed. With no sport on TV to watch and sports enthusiasts getting very bored, we believe they have turned to framing their memorabilia to keep their team spirit alive! We have seen a lot of footy jumpers that have been won at charity auctions or purchased on eBay getting framed, plus one of a kind pieces including personal achievements and even game torn footy jumpers!  

The other trend we are seeing at present is a huge amount of enquiry for art prints and photos purchased online. With more time on our hands, many people are doing more online shopping and finding the perfect art pieces to finish off their rooms and add some style and personality to an otherwise dull wall.  

So, if you have had a Coronavirus lockdown clean up, have redecorated your house and have purchased new art or have been getting your arts and crafts vibe on during the last few crazy months and you have found or created some items that you may like to frame, contact us via email, phone or come into our showroom and we can discuss all of your framing options and give you a no obligation quote. We have over 500 picture frames to choose from and all materials used are acid free so you can be assured your item will last a lifetime.