Design Frames

Great selection of frames and very friendly service! Frame was completed before the timeframe they gave me.

I came in looking for a way to paint temporary wall art on a brick wall. Missy not only knew what I was talking about, but knew the newest and most user-​friendly products to use to accomplish it. I learned so much information on this relatively specialized area of art! Thank you!

Mark is amazing! Our pup is sweet as pie but 100% puppy. We needed help! Mark came and taught us how to work with her in a kind, gentle way. We are all so much happier! If you’re wondering if Mark is the one for you, he is!

Excellent framer. He knows what he’s doing and he’s very passionate about his work. No he’s not the cheapest, but for (in my opinion) very little more than the other mass produced framing stores around he’s SO much better and puts a personal touch in his work. I won’t go to another framer.

I came in to get my Tyler Stout «Drive» movie poster framed. If you’re familiar with his work, all his posters are limited and numbered. I couldn’t just get it framed with a cheap plastic frame from Walmart. This needed special attention. Looking at Unilocal reviews, this place had an expert.
Came in Saturday afternoon and was greeted by Mark, the owner. Mark was very warm-​hearted, welcoming and informative, providing great frame suggestions I never would have thought of. He suggested getting a pink inner frame with a metallic black outer frame, and even brought up a computer generated image with my poster with the proposed frame! He also suggested dry-​mounting to preserve the poster’s value should I wish to ever resell the poster, and to use spacers and an acid free backing. For glass choices he showed us samples around the store.
I ended up getting the just black frame with museum glass. Mark gave cleaning and maintenance suggestions, saying to use a micro fiber cloth with an ammonia free glass cleaner. He even carried it to the car. I will definitely be coming back!

I love this place. They are always willing to listen about the story behind what I’m framing, they are creative and respectful and very patient. I’ve been to many frame shops in the area and they are the best. They are beyond the best!

My wife and I just had a piece of ‘art’ we picked up in New Zealand framed by Mark. Honestly, must have spent the better part of an hour with Mark (shop owner) going over every combination one could think of to get the frame, border and inlay just right. He was patient, helpful, and extremely knowledgeable about what worked and what didn’t. He is a master at his craft.
As another reviewer put it, ‘This place is everything you want from a framing store. Simple, no frills, great personal service.’
Not only would I not hesitate to go back I would encourage others to go.

Upon entering the door, I saw two rooms: a workspace crammed with all sorts of frames in various states and a second room with walls lined with different frames and one smiling man welcoming you in. He introduces himself as Mark and we get to talking about our different options.
This place is everything you want from a framing store. Simple, no frills, great personal service. Highly recommend.

I am a long time customer of Design Frames. I had my first work completed here in 2001 or so. The owner, Mark has incredible energy and great design skills. I’m an artist, myself, so I’m very concerned with design and presentation. I have things framed in a clean gallery style for my work in shows. While over the years, I’ve branched out to really work the frame design to become part of the art. I thank Design Frames for helping me develop my freedom in the frame design, that is the ability to think beyond the white mat.
I love the ideas and possibilities they offer with multiple layered fabric wrapped mats. Recently, Mark completed a design for me of a photograph by Barry Schmetter. The work is a wet plate collodion photograph. This is one of the oldest techniques available by a limited group of photographers today. I wanted something unique, and Mark pulled out all the stops. He floated the wet plate photograph (or tin type) over a leather background with a suede top mat and a great distressed frame to give the work some age, and museum glass for protection and clarity. I couldn’t be happier, and there is no other framer I would consider working with.

We recently used Design Frames to have a large print framed. We were greeted warmly by the owner, Mark, when we first arrived and he spent lots of time helping us choose the right frame and matting for our print. Mark is very knowledgeable, relaxed, and has a knack for bringing out the inner-​framer in all of us. With his guidance we chose the perfect frame and matting for our print. Although we knew the print was going to look good after our meeting with him, we didn’t realize how good. It’s now hanging on the wall and is by far the best looking piece of artwork in the whole house!

We worked with Sheila this afternoon to select a frame and matting for a watercolor painting of a favorite pet. Sheila was fantastic in suggesting colors and textures of mattings, framing style and color at brought out the delicate multiple colors within our dog’s fur coat. Using the computer to show us several variations of the materials we selected, we were able to decide upon the final selections of materials. We can’t wait to see the completed picture when it is finished in a few days.

I have used several framers in the DC and Alexandria area over the past few years in search of the best one and Mark is the winner. He understands the frame is there to support the art and is extremely knowledgeable about what color and style of frame will highlight the picture. His suggestions were always good ones and his evident interest and intelligence made the whole process fun rather than stressful. I felt as if we were in the hands of a true professional who loved his work and that the result would be first rate — and it was. Couldn’t be happier — highly recommended.

I got three of my grandfather’s paintings framed at Design Frames, and was so impressed with the end result and the customer service that I went back to get three more done.
Mark spent a considerable amount of time helping us pick the right frame and finishing for each painting. He was extraordinarily knowledgeable, seemed passionate about his work, and was friendly to boot. Custom framing is not cheap, but Mark was completely upfront about cost, and made sure to suggest options and combinations that were less costly. The framing was completed promptly, and the end result was beautiful. The next time we have framing needs, we will definitely be returning to Design Frames.

This is the best picture framer in NoVa, hands down and I am surprised to find myself to be only the second reviewer.
My search for a picture framer started after my parents sent me a poster print for my birthday picturing the old harbor of my German hometown and including a check to get it custom framed.
After being rather disappointed about three other three Church picture framing stores I visited that day, I stumbled upon this store On my quest to find the best picture framer in Northern Virginia.
I didn’t expect good customer service based on my prior experience in the other framing stores and it was just less than an hour before closing time. I was fortunate to be greeted by Mark, the owner. I soon realized that he was superior in the knowledge of custom framing and in the way he treated his customers compared to the other custom framing stores in Falls Church I have been to that day.
After I told him it was the first picture I ever got custom framed, he smiled and asked if I had a basic idea of what I would like the picture to look like. I told him I don’t and would like him to show me some options. He didn’t say like others picture framers «Well, what do you like on the wall», but instead pulled out four different wooden frame displays and explained why he thought they would compliment the picture. They all looked stunning. It was hard to imagine that he found four frames that looked great considering that the other stores I went to failed to find even one.
Since it is often challenging to imagine the picture being framed after just seeing one short wooden display piece, Mark took a digital photo of my print and used a computer program to create a picture with the display frame around the whole picture. I now had a very good understanding how the picture would look like fully framed.
The colors of the picture mats he suggested were perfectly chosen. He emphasized the golden hue of the clouds in the print by picking a warm ivory tone for the top mat and a grey-​blue tone for the second underlying mat which would just stick out a quarter of an inch underneath the ivory picture mat. It was perfect. The other framing stores I went to were not able to find a matching mat, used either a plain white mat which was too cold of an color for this picture or a very bright blue which was not found in the picture and popped out of context.
After we selected the frame and the picture mats, I looked at my watch and realized that we were past closing time. However, Mark did not rush me at all. He must really enjoy framing art in perfection.
I thought, well this all looks very nice and the customer service was superior, but it must be way out of my budget. Needless to say, I was shocked after I found out that the price was within my budget, pretty much the same price the other three framing stores quoted me for using lower quality materials and worse customer service.
The only downside was that it takes about 2 weeks to get the picture framed, because Mark’s design frame shop is very busy. However, the wait is absolutely worth it. I brought the picture home 2 weeks later and my wife and I were stunned. It looks very classy, even better than expected and we get many compliments from our guests and even months later I am still amazed how well it turned out.
As you can read on the store’s website, Mark, the owner of the store is one of only 70 Master Certified Picture Framers (MCPF) worldwide. Winner of numerous National Framing Design Awards. Past President of the National Professional Picture Framers Association (PPFA) and President Elect of the Photo Marketing Association (PMA).
I will always come back here for my picture framing, even if it was a longer drive and I am so glad I found this store!

Every project I’ve done here has exceeded my expectations. The entire staff is professional, courteous, and prompt. But even better is the final product. Highly recommended — and I won’t go anywhere else.

The staff is very knowledgeable on framing. They do an excellent job with my needlepoint. It is paying for quality. The staff is friendly,. They have a good selection of product