Ever thought of adding some "life" to your home or office, but not sure where to begin?

Well, before you let your creativity run wild and start painting on your wall, you can try simple solutions such as pasting wallpapers, hang wall arts, mirrors or your family photo-montage. Similarly, we didn't want our office to look empty or monotonous too, so we decided to beautify it with this piece of acrylic painting: "Colorscape Noon" - the colors of the day sitting on the mountaintop.
<p align="center"><a href="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-artwork.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8595" src="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-artwork.jpg" alt="blog-Merlin-artwork" width="688" height="279" /></a></p>
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<h3>Getting the Right Frame</h3>
Fine feathers make fine birds—a good way to showcase an art-piece is to frame it. Being a first time purchaser, we needed more advice on the selection of design &amp; material; hence we decided to leave this to the professionals. Guiding us through the process of choosing a right frame is a well established local Framing Company - <strong>Merlin Frame Maker &amp; Art Gallery Pte Lt</strong>d.

Merlin Frame Maker &amp; Art Gallery uses almost 98% of wood for its frames, and a small percentage of frames are made of aluminium. They do not use Synthetic frame (made of plastic). Synthetic frame also tarnishes and weaken easily, especially in the local humid environment in Singapore.

From this tour in their showroom, we've learned that frames are more than just pretty squares and rectangles around your beautiful art. Here are the tips when choosing a frame for your art piece:
<h5>Colour</h5>
- Choosing a colour that <strong>blends with the furniture</strong> with its interior will enhance the colour harmony in the space and brings out the contrast in the subject within the frame. If you are unsure of which colour to choose of your frame, you may want to try Gold colour as it is one of the more versatile colour and it basically goes well with most of the art pieces and home decor.
<h5>Subject (Design)</h5>
- Choose <strong>a "quiet" frame when you have a "loud painting"</strong> and vice versa,
- The frame thickness/depth must be <strong>thicker than the depth of the stretcher</strong>,
<h5>Framing Style</h5>
- Besides the standard type of framing with just one layer frame, you may want to try some unique ways of framing such as stack-framing (nested or vertical stacked), gap-framing, "frameless", and many more...
<h5>Material</h5>
- The materials used in framing must be <strong>Acid-free &amp; UV Protection</strong> to prevent colour fading.
<p align="center"><a href="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-choices.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8609" src="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-choices-800x310.jpg" alt="blog-Merlin-choices" width="800" height="310" /></a></p>
Pampered by all the frame choices, we took almost 2 hours to make up our mind. In the end, we chose a black thin glossy frame, which blends in well with our office settings. To make it slightly more interesting, we requested for <strong>gap-framing works</strong>, where there will be a transparent spacing (2 inches) between the art piece and the framing, which we thought will visually enhanced its aesthetic value.

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<h3>How is the framing done?</h3>
On the day of the framing, we were invited to Merlin's workshop to take a closer look at the procedures. :)
<h5>Workshop Step 1: Cutting the frames</h5>
Simple framing like ours only requires cutting 2 long and 2 short pieces. Of course, it's not as simple as said. Precision in measurement is the key or else your frame will be lopsided.
<p align="center"><a href="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-cutting-frames.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8610" src="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-cutting-frames-800x534.jpg" alt="blog-Merlin-cutting-frames" width="800" height="534" /></a></p>

<h5>Workshop Step 2: Connecting</h5>
Right after cutting, they were moved to the frame joining section where the machine sealed and attached all the 4 corners. After this framing process is completed, it's then transported to another department for assembly.
<p align="center"><a href="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-joining-frames.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8612" src="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-joining-frames-800x534.jpg" alt="blog-Merlin-joining-frames" width="800" height="534" /></a></p>

<h5>Workshop Step 3: Assembly</h5>
After measuring the art piece, the frame maker will prepare a clear-view acrylic base, drilled holes at the placement and attached the art-piece in the middle. The art piece is placed into the frame and carefully secured. Phew~ If there is any mistake in this step, the fragile acrylic base may crack, and the frame maker will have to redo this process.
<p align="center"><a href="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-assembly-01.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8613" src="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-assembly-01-800x433.jpg" alt="blog-Merlin-assembly-01" width="800" height="433" /></a>
<a href="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-assembly-02.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8614" src="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-assembly-02-800x360.jpg" alt="blog-Merlin-assembly-02" width="800" height="360" /></a></p>

<h5>Workshop Step 4: Packing for delivery</h5>
Finally, it's at last stage of the whole process. After checking the quality of the work, the Quality Check Team will give the green light to proceed for packing.
<p align="center"><a href="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-qcteam.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8615" src="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-qcteam-800x480.jpg" alt="blog-Merlin-qcteam" width="800" height="480" /></a></p>
Normally hanging component will be installed along the frame but in our case, our frame is too thin, so our frame maker suggested installing them on the wooden stretcher that came with the painting itself, and yes problem solved. Cardboard and bubble wrapping are used to protect the entire frame and its corners. Now this "baby" is ready for delivery.
<p align="center"><a href="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-packing.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8616" src="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-packing-800x667.jpg" alt="blog-Merlin-packing" width="800" height="667" /></a></p>
Double thumbs up~ Framing is indeed a form of art for art!

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<h3>Delivery Day</h3>
Our baby arrived a week after the workshop tour. Now we have a more attractive environment to work in, and it is definitely a booster to our mood and productivity. :)
<p align="center"><a href="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-finish-up.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8617" src="https://d213h1b7vxzzl3.cloudfront.net/editor/blog-Merlin-finish-up-800x384.jpg" alt="blog-Merlin-finish-up" width="800" height="384" /></a></p>
Lastly, here's some alternative ways to use frames - <a href="https://www.renonation.sg/blog/236/8-Ways-to-Prettify-Your-Home-Using-Frames.html" target="_blank">8 Ways to Prettify Your Home Using Frames</a>.

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<h3>Bonus: Caring is saving</h3>
Oh wait, we gonna learn one cleaning tip or two in order to play our part in maintaining the artwork as well as the frame. Merlin also shares that "Acrylic painting is water-resistance after dried, does not require to have glazing (thus revealing the true colour, texture and painting-stroke). It is advisable to do regular dusting using <strong>static duster</strong> (not feather duster) that helps to pick up lightweight dust without touching the paint surface. As for the frame, it can be cleaned by using a soft cloth to wipe gently."

If you're keen to have their service, email to (<a href="mailto:support@merlin.com.sg">support@merlin.com.sg</a>) and do remember to keep us in the loop (<a href="mailto:support@renonation.sg">support@renonation.sg</a>) so we can try and get discounts for you!

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