When it comes to design vision, trying to articulate exactly what’s in your head can be a tricky business.

Luckily, our art and framing consultants are skilled at getting to the bottom of what you’re envisioning, and finding words to describe the framing idea that’s in your head. We’ve gone ahead and made this guide to help you navigate some of the common frame profiles and textural elements. Hope you find this guide interesting and helpful!

Squared Profile 

Squared profiles are probably the most common frame profile these days, due to their simplicity and functionality. Squared profiles don’t have to be exclusively squares (equal length on both sides), but rather refers to the 90 degree angle that makes up this profile.

Deep Lips

Featured in this image is a squared profile with a deep lip. Deep lips are the inner wall of the frame that allows the glass to sit in a more recessed position, providing a contemporary depth to framed pieces.

Shadowbox

A shadowbox frame is a frame deep enough to display a dimensional object or art piece. With a shadowbox you can either use a mat shim or frame spacers to hold the glass up, providing ample space in the frame interior to mount your dimensional piece.

Rounded Profile

A rounded profile is exactly what it sounds like. This style has been lower in popularity in recent years but for the right piece, can be a show-stopping design element.

Soft Slope

A soft sloped profile is often used for more traditional framing, when the desired effect is for sophistication and a clean presentation.

Steep Slope 

This is a contemporary play on the more traditional sloped profiles. Featuring a deep drop that will create a truly spectacular and impactful final display.

Shoehorn Profile 

This curved profile offers a delicate dimension and formality without being super traditional.

Exterior slope 

This has become a more common trend in contemporary framing, as it takes the more traditional scooped profile and turns it on its head.

Recessed Lip 

As mentioned earlier, deep lips are in. This is a contemporary play on that design detail, but creates an almost stacked presentation, with the inner lip recessed into the exterior frame. This offers a truly contemporary display- with beautiful depth.

Beveled Profile

A beveled profile features a flat top with an angled inner. This has become a very popular go-to in framing, as it offers the simplicity of a squared frame, but with a little more interest and depth.

Stem Profile 

We love this profile for its dramatic simplicity. An acute triangular profile without a flat top, this profile is just plain cool.

Beaded Profile 

Beading is a beloved decoration for traditional framing. This added decoration offers sophistication and interest to whatever you’re framing. Contemporary or transitional beading exists– generally playing with scale or patterning to push the style out of the “traditional” box.

Ornate Carved 

Traditional frame profiles often veer towards ornate. These profiles celebrate the artisanal history of framemakers. Back in the day these were hand carved, but modern processes have allowed for moulding manufacturers to use casts & putties.

Floater Frame

Floater frames are used for canvases, with the canvas suspended in the frame with a small gap between the edge of the moulding and the canvas. While normal frames can work with canvases (as long as they are deep enough), floater frames are a more common framing choice.

Now that we’ve explored the different types of profiles and the terminology surrounding them, let’s take a look at some common textural vocabulary.

At Apex Art Lab, we love helping people come up with framing that they will love for many years to come. With attention to detail, responsive consultations, and a lot of love for custom framing, we will make sure you love the final results. If you or someone you know is looking for custom framing in Seattle, we invite you to come by for a free consultation to see what we can do for your art or photographs!

We hope this short guide has been a big help in learning a bit more on all the lingo around custom framing! Leave us a comment below if you think of any other textures or frame profiles you’d like added to this list. Thanks for reading!