Framing, done right.
Since 1983.
Chelsea Frames is a custom picture framing studio in Chelsea, NYC, specializing in museum-grade conservation and archival framing, with all framing done on our premises.
We serve clients across New York City and the Tri-State area, and designers, galleries and collectors across the country and around the world.
Decades of craft, one studio in the heart of Chelsea’s gallery district.
Founders and Experience
Chelsea Frames has framed art in Chelsea since 1983, in the neighborhood that grew into the center of New York’s art scene. Daniel has been in the framing business for 35 years, and Marc has been part of the studio for 22.
We are a neighborhood shop and a global one. Some clients walk in from around the corner, and some are third-generation customers. Others never visit at all: interior designers, galleries and collectors outside New York who work with us remotely. A child’s drawing gets the same care as a museum-quality piece.
Framing is personal, and it should not be complicated. There are enough things in life that are complicated. Framing shouldn’t be one of them.
From museum-standard conservation to corporate installations.
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Conservation and Archival Framing
Our top-priority service. Nothing that touches your artwork can damage it, every step is reversible, and the artwork is never altered. Museum-grade methods and materials, with all framing done on our premises.
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Custom Picture Framing
Custom framing for families, collectors and photographers, designed with you in our Chelsea studio. Our designers work with your artwork, your space and your budget.
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Corporate Framing (C2 Corporate)
Framing for corporate collections, offices and galleries at scale, with design mockups, pickup, delivery, storage and installation.
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Doorstep Design
Prefer to stay where you are? A designer comes to your home or office and works with you in person to find the right framing for your art.
On-premises craftsmanship and a guarantee that lasts as long as you own the piece.
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All work on premises
Every piece is designed and framed in our Chelsea studio, and your artwork stays with us from drop-off to pickup.
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Lifetime Guarantee
We guarantee our workmanship and our materials for life. As long as our label is on the back, we stand behind the piece.
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In-house design team
Our designers and graphic designers work with you directly, and nothing is outsourced. Mockups let you see the finished piece before we build it, and our 14-day Design Guarantee lets you revisit the design with us until it feels right.
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Certified framers
Six Certified Picture Framers (CPF®) on staff, and three more in training for certification.
Conservation work recognized by major institutions, and featured in national press.
Museum work
Working with Larson Juhl and Tru Vue, Chelsea Frames helped set up the reglazing program at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, using Optium Museum Acrylic. More than 8,000 works have been reglazed over ten years, and the work continues. Daniel worked on about 800 of them himself in the first phase. Our studio has also worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and, most recently, the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Press
Our owners’ design work was featured in Elle Decor in 2012. New York Magazine called us “the mother lode for custom framing solutions”, and Art Business News described us as “a leading force in encouraging and supporting the art movement to Chelsea”.
Clients
Tiffany & Co., Gagosian, Marian Goodman Gallery, The Carlyle, Yale, Columbia, NYU and the New York Public Library, along with leading New York interior designers and architects.
On-premises in Manhattan, trusted by clients across the country and internationally.
National and International Reach.
Our studio is at 197 9th Avenue, at 22nd Street, in the Chelsea Art District. We serve clients across all five boroughs, New Jersey, Connecticut, the North Fork and the Hamptons. Street parking is available for local clients, and we can arrange transport of your art to us.
Interior designers, architects, art consultants and galleries bring us projects for clients across the country and in Canada and Europe. We help get the finished piece to its destination.
Straight answers about cost, safety, and process.
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Why is custom framing so expensive?
Each frame is designed and built for one piece of art, using museum-grade materials such as acid-free mats and full UV-protective glazing. Because our work carries a lifetime guarantee, we use only materials made to last. Design choices can reduce cost while keeping full protection for your artwork.
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Is my artwork safe at Chelsea Frames?
Yes. Every piece is tagged the moment it arrives and logged digitally and on paper. All framing is done on our premises. Your artwork never leaves our Chelsea studio, except on rare occasions, such as specialist mounting, and only with your consent. For specialty finishes such as gold leaf or metal, only the frame is made by a partner workshop.
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What is the custom framing process?
You share your artwork, style and budget with our design team, in our studio or at your door with Doorstep Design. We propose designs and mockups, then build the frame. Most projects take two to three weeks, handmade frames four to six weeks, and some specialty finishes six to eight weeks.
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How is Chelsea Frames different from other NYC frame shops?
All framing is done on our premises, every piece carries a lifetime guarantee, and six Certified Picture Framers (CPF®) are on our staff. Our conservation methods are trusted by museums including the Rijksmuseum. If we miss the mark, we do it over.
From consult to hanging on the wall.
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01
CONSULT
In-store or via Doorstep Design.
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02
DESIGN
We recommend materials, mouldings, and mats for your piece.
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03
CRAFT & DELIVER
Handmade on premises. Delivered, installed, or picked up.
Framing NYC since 1983. Family-run, community-rooted.
Three generations of craft, still shaped by the same belief: every piece deserves care, no matter its value.
Rooted in NYC.
Proudly LGBTQ+ owned. We sponsor schools, youth arts programs, and organizations supporting the homeless – recognized by the City of New York for philanthropy.
Ready to frame it right?
Visit our studio at 197 9th Avenue in Chelsea, or tell us about your project. For corporate and gallery projects, send us a corporate inquiry.