BESPOKE FRAMING SPECIALISTS SINCE 1993
As bespoke framing specialists we believe every customer has the right to friendly expert advice and help from us. This ensures that the framing you choose to have is exactly right for you and your picture. No matter what your budget, or what you are choosing to have framed: we provide our best service and ensure a superb quality of finish. We try to make the design process as relaxed as possible. Our role is to advise, suggest options and make recommendations based on our experience and knowledge. But we never forget that our customer remains at the heart of the work we undertake. So we encourage you to get involved in the design process. Making sure that the finished piece truly reflects your choices, as well as the vision of how you want the work to be displayed.
Who we are
We are husband and wife team, Alec and Jo Palmer. Alec began working as a framer within his family’s bespoke framing business in London, gaining his first qualification in 1993. After moving to Devon with Jo and their young family, he joined a larger framing company in Exeter. He quickly rose to become Production Manager. But the desire to return to truly bespoke framing with a focus on quality and customer service was never far from the surface. To achieve that, Alec and Jo set up The Framing Lot in Dawlish, opening the doors on 26th June 2006 focusing on becoming bespoke framing specialists. Alec provided hands-on training for Jo in all elements of bespoke framing. Just as his parent’s business was in London, The Framing Lot remains at heart a family business.
Between us we work on all aspects of the framing processes, because overall we believe this enables us to offer the best advice to our customers. We do have our specializations though and so if you prefer to talk hand finished frames with Alec or textile framing and art with Jo, then we are happy to get each other involved in the design process to assist you.
Our workshop
It was a conscious decision to base the business away from a traditional High Street location. We have room to work with larger pieces of artwork in addition to handling framing complete artist exhibitions, even when those jobs coincide. Our workshop gives us the space to safely store and protect your artwork. While our location has the added advantage of free parking right outside the door! You can find us using What3Words ///otters.skewed.doses or SatNav EX7 0NH.
The framing workshop is fully visible and of course we’re always happy to discuss how we prepare items for framing and create the finished piece. We make all our bespoke frames on-site consequently undertaking all work here in our Dawlish workshop. We have a large, spacious design table and many hundreds of frame moulding chevrons to choose from. Our wide range of mountboard chevrons gives a great choice to browse through when we discuss design options. Alongside our pre-finished moulding ranges, Alec creates in-house bespoke hand finished frames. This gives us a much wider range of options to allow us to find just the right moulding for your frame. With a focus on frame construction, unusual, oversize or imaginative framing solutions, we pride ourselves on our ability to create something uniquely special to meet and hopefully exceed your expectations.
The standards we work to
Alongside the years of framing experience, we believe we best serve our customers by staying informed and educated. The UK art and framing trade body is the Fine Art Trade Guild. For framers who choose an education pathway, they set the standards and qualifications for the industry here in the UK. In 2014 we passed our Guild Commended Framer exams. We upgraded to the new Guild Certified Framer (Accredited Professional Framer) qualifications in 2016. With this, we committed to monitored on-going Continuing Professional Development and maintaining Guild membership. Self-led learning alongside trade education in the UK and USA, helped us achieve and retain these qualifications.
In Spring 2018 Alec passed his Advanced Accreditation in Conservation Framing. At the same time Jo also passed her Advanced Accreditations in Textile Framing and also Conservation Framing. Jo passed her final Advanced Accreditation in Mount Design & Function during October 2022 . Alec then also completed his final two in Textile Framing and Mount Design & Function in the same month.
The Framing Lot is now the first framers in the world to have two fully qualified framers working together. We are one of only a handful of framing businesses worldwide to have all three Advanced Accreditations covered. And on a personal note, the first married couple to achieve this status.
Our volunteer work within the industry
As well as being a Moderator on an online framing forum, Jo became a Director on the Board of the Fine Art Trade Guild in 2014. She stepped down from this voluntary role in October 2022 after serving several terms of office. During that time she also served as an Executive Director for six years. This included three years leading the organisation as Chair & Master of the Guild. She became the first female framer in the Guild’s history to be elected to lead the organisation.
Jo and Alec have both been active members of the Guild’s Framing Standards & Qualifications Committee. In this role they helped set standards for the industry. Their in-depth industry knowledge was further recognized when they became Guild Certified Examiners. They now conduct exams for other framers seeking to gain their base level GCF or Advanced level qualifications. In addition, both Alec and Jo have held roles as advisers to other framers on the Guild’s Technical Helpline and FrameTalk online forum. Having been industry educators for many years, in early 2022 they were awarded Guild Accredited Trainer status.
To book a design appointment with us just visit our booking page http://www.theframinglot.co.uk/booking or call us during working hours on 01626 888669.