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Custom framing often intersects with various types of signed memorabilia. Album covers in particular are a frequent object of admiration, and should be put on display! This mint-condition vinyl from The Velvet Underground and Nico is signed by Lou Reed, so our customers wanted a memorable, sleek design to emphasize it.

Here you can see the album detail front and back:

Instead of pulling inspiration from the bright tones in this piece, we decided to keep the album our main focus with a black mat and frame. A bit specialty, the mat has a leathery texture and sheen that reflects light. 

The frame is a black, lacquer finish shadowbox style with slightly rounded edges. We used black 1/4" spacers to create the set-back look and keep the glass from touching the album's cover.

Now that it is protected from the elements and suuuuuper polished, this framed album will live long past its proverbial fifteen minutes of fame.  

What?! Here is another project in the realm of weird things to frame! This is a 2003 throwback for Green Slime limited edition breakfast cereal from Nickelodeon. Our customer wanted to frame this cardboard box up to be even more cool and colorful than before. 

What started as just a cardboard box became modern and clean with the edition of a black mat with a bright yellow core. The yellow core is bold enough to complement even those Nickelodeon-bright hues!

After the black specialty mat was cut with an opening to cover some of the wear and tear, we finished the piece with a bright orange frame. The frame is metal and has a thin profile so it doesn't overwhelm the piece with color but adds a splash of much needed brilliance. A fun piece needs a fun frame!

Loving this wild, colorful look?! Check out our previous Mad Magazine post for more inspiration.

What an incredible piece this is! At Foursided we can't always acquire the background, history and artist information for the art we frame. This time there is a wealth of resources available. Our astute clients acquired this intricate paper sculpture at a Wright Auction for Irving Harper's sculptures in Chicago in January 2016 where it stood out amongst many stunning works.

Harper was a designer and artist who created some of the most iconic forms of American mid-century design. He is best known for the 1949 Atomic Ball Clock, the Herman Miller logo, and the 1956 Marshmallow Sofa in addition to these now classic paper sculptures. Harper never sold the sculptures himself, but displayed them in his home and made them solely for his own pleasure. This particular piece is made entirely with construction paper, Elmers glue and colorful tape. The sculpture was housed in a worn acrylic case when it came to Foursided for framing.

Relocating the delicate structure to a custom frame helps to increase its longevity especially as acid free materials were not used in its construction. We choose a charcoal gray shadowbox frame and this time made the walls to match the frame itself instead of the paper backing on the piece. This creates a more dramatic, set-back shadowbox environment with a contemporary vibe. You can see the full original auction catalog here or check out more of these incredible paper sculptures in Michael Maharam's book: Irving Harper: Works in Paper.

*First interior image from pufikhomes.com