Wall Space

Wall Space: wooden picture frames made in Gloucestershire

Wall Space is a British picture framing business that designs and makes its own wooden frames, which it sells online and through two physical outlets. The company presents itself as one of the UK's largest frame manufacturers and states that every frame in its range is produced in-house in the United Kingdom. Its base is Unit J2, Draycott Business Park in Cam, Gloucestershire, and the business also runs a showroom in Cam and a shop in Cirencester.

The company describes itself as established for over 30 years and says it has served more than 300,000 customers. Its commercial proposition combines a broad ready-made catalogue with a made-to-measure service, and it also operates a separate trade division for bulk and contract work.

Ready-made frames by size, colour and format

The core of the retail offer is a large stock of ready-made photo frames organised so that buyers can search either by the size they need or by the finish they want. The size catalogue is unusually granular and covers both imperial and metric conventions, alongside standard paper formats.

• Imperial sizes ranging from 6" x 4" and 7" x 5" up to 24" x 10", 20" x 16" and 16" x 16".
• Metric equivalents from 15 x 10 cm and 18 x 12 cm through to 50 x 40 cm and 61 x 25 cm.
• A-series formats: A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 picture frames.
• Poster frames in 36" x 24", 30" x 20", 24" x 20", 600 x 800 mm, 500 x 700 mm and 400 x 600 mm.

Finishes are grouped by colour, with black, white, oak, silver, gold, green, grey, dark wood and other coloured frames listed as separate ranges. Beyond standard rectangles, the catalogue includes square frames, multiple aperture frames for several photographs in one frame, poster frames, frames supplied with mounts, shabby chic designs, scratchmap frames and a section for unusual sizes.

Mounts cut to fit specific photo sizes

Wall Space sells picture mounts as a product line in their own right, which distinguishes it from retailers that only offer frames. Mounts are divided into single and double formats and are described by the frame size they fill and the photograph size they accept. Examples include a 20" x 16" single mount cut for a 16" x 12" or A3 image, a 16" x 16" mount for a 12" x 12" photo, an A4 mount for a 9" x 6" print and smaller combinations such as an 8" x 6" mount for a 5" x 3.5" photo. Double mounts follow the same logic, with variants including an off-white option and a double Hayseed finish.

Custom framing and the frame designer

For images that do not match a stock size, the company offers a custom framing service carried out by its framers. It has also launched an online custom frame designer that lets customers select from the standard mouldings and order a frame made to any size. The company presented this tool as a way of handling unusual dimensions while keeping to its existing range of profiles.

Trade services: fulfilment, contract framing and wholesale

A dedicated trade section sets out services aimed at business customers rather than individual buyers. These cover volume discounts, order fulfilment, contract framing, printing and framing combined, wholesale photo frames and mounts supplied to the trade. The trade area is presented as a separate channel with its own conditions, distinct from the consumer catalogue.

Shops, delivery and background

Customers can visit a showroom in Cam and a shop in Cirencester, in addition to ordering online. The website states that standard delivery costs £3.95 and that delivery takes one to two days, with free delivery on orders over £45. The company also publishes a blog with framing guides, including articles on gallery walls and on the custom frame designer.

The business trades as WS Frames Ltd, company number 04587018, from Unit J2, Draycott Business Park, Cam, GL11 5DQ. The site carries a testimonial from interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen describing Wall Space as his long-standing framer for client, television and personal work.