4 min readWhen it comes to decorating my home, I can’t stand a blank wall. Nearly every surface needs to be covered in a framed poster, painting, postcard, or personal photo for me to feel at home. I’ve always loved the idea of gallery walls, but they’re so easy to mess up. Plus, custom framing gets time-consuming. So when I had the opportunity to test out Frameology and make the process seamless, I jumped at it.
Classic Stack II</strong>" title="<strong>Classic Stack II</strong>" data-fp-product-image="true" dataFpTag="data-fp-product-image" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/product-images/4cf363b5-3f24-4664-b02c-3aca096e6448/fb0bd707-0048-4505-aae5-44a6481bc7d0.jpg?resize=980:*" width="1500" height="1950" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>I didn’t have any photos of my family on my walls before I tried out Frameology’s service. Now, I have photos of my parents and sister on display to show off to visiting friends, and I didn’t have to break out power tools to do it. Save yourself the headache, and read my thoughts on framing with Frameology below.
Quick Verdict
Rating: 4/5
Best for: Anyone who needs help figuring out the layout of a gallery wall. If you want to save yourself the trouble of printing your photos separately, this makes it easy to upload and frame all in one go.
Not ideal for: People who want to change the look of their gallery wall often, or who want to frame something other than a photo from their phone. The classic frames can be swapped out, but the brand’s luxe frames can only have the original photo you uploaded inside.
Price at review: Starting at $59 per classic wall frame with uploaded photo.
Bottom line: This service makes it easy to position the perfect gallery wall. It can get pretty pricey once you have more than two photos to frame, but it saves the time and headache of getting your photos professionally printed and installed.
Shop Frameology Picture Frames
How Does Frameology Work?
The most innovative part of Frameology is the ability to upload photos directly from your phone’s camera roll to the site. As you browse frame options, you can upload the photos you want to include so you can visually stage your perfect setup. No need to hope that your frame will go with your photo or wonder how big the matting in the frame should be. It’s like a virtual try-on for your gallery wall. You can choose from one of their pre-designed layouts (including ones from celebrity designer Bobby Berk), or buy the frames standalone and place them around your home as you wish.
Frameology Setup
My Classic Stack arrived with a true-to-size paper template, outlining exactly how to position your pictures. I hung this up with a few pieces of painter's tape. You’re meant to use a set of nails to mark the points where the paper hangs through the paper, then simply tear the paper off the wall to reveal your hanging spots. Super easy, but I’m a renter, and I’m scared to nail things to the wall by myself. So instead, I marked the points by sticking a pen through the paper, and with a few well-placed heavy-duty command strips, I had my perfect diptych. As someone who usually eyeballs her frames (and regrets the results), the outline is very helpful. You don’t have to guess if it’s crooked with the help of the hanging template.
The Look: Frameology Classic vs. Luxe Frames
Luxe Wall Frame</strong>" title="<strong>Luxe Wall Frame</strong>" data-fp-product-image="true" dataFpTag="data-fp-product-image" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/product-images/0e56112a-4735-4369-9619-22665b81f15c/005842c7-43da-4de0-8f25-53844285c1ef.jpg?crop=0.593392630241xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*" width="1574" height="934" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>In addition to Frameology’s Classic frames, they offer Luxe frames, starting at $79 apiece. These come at a higher price point, but they’re also made with higher-quality materials. My Luxe frames resembled a rustic, live wood material, while the Classic frames were a lighter wood in a smooth Walnut finish. I personally prefer the look of the Classic frames, as it matched the warm woods throughout my home. It is a more fragile material, though; it did splinter when I accidentally dropped it.
The biggest difference between the Classic and Luxe frames is that with the Classic, you can change out the photo. I love collecting art prints on my travels, and I was a bit frustrated that I couldn’t put them in the Luxe frames. On the Classic frame duo, the back side has brackets you can push out of the way to remove the photo, matting, and even the front glass.
Pros and Cons of Frameology
Frameology takes the guesswork out of figuring out your perfect gallery wall. It can become a pricey service if you buy a lot of frames, but it makes the installation process seamless. Your most precious family photos can go from your phone to your living room wall in no time.
Classic Wall Frame</strong>" title="<strong>Classic Wall Frame</strong>" data-fp-product-image="true" dataFpTag="data-fp-product-image" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/product-images/07bf9c86-b7d4-4e3b-82ff-901f0fab6866/b0da0af4-cf8e-4f26-a183-1ca98f6304e0.jpg?resize=980:*" width="800" height="800" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/>Pros
- Seamless upload experience for your favorite phone pictures
- Celebrity-designed layouts
- Several different color, sizing, and matting options
- Included template and hardware for easy wall hanging
- Some frames can have the photo swapped out
Cons
- Classic frames can splinter easily if dropped
- 5+ frame gallery walls are pretty expensive
The Verdict: Is Frameology Worth It?
I would absolutely recommend Frameology to anyone who knows they want a gallery wall, but doesn’t know how to make it happen. The brand makes it easy to commit to a color scheme, build one that’s full of sentimental photos, and place it in all the right places on your wall. The images themselves are so high-quality that I find myself stopping and staring when I walk through my home. I’d even use the brand's standalone frames just to rest against my dresser. If you’re ready for something sprawling, you also need to be ready to invest. But it’s more than worth it when they save the headache of figuring out how to actually hang up your pieces.
