Wall Decoratives

Choosing a wall frame that lasts on the Andhra coast

The question we get asked most across the counter is which material to pick, and the honest answer depends less on budget than on which wall the frame is going on. Acrylic is the safest choice for most homes here. It is printed directly onto 5mm cast acrylic with UV-cured inks, so there is no glass to crack in transit, no mount board to yellow, and nothing that absorbs moisture. In coastal humidity that matters more than it does inland, we have replaced enough warped MDF frames from houses near the canal to be confident about it.

MDF frames, the classic, matte, glitter and hearts-effect range, are the value option and the one families buy in sets for a gallery wall. They are perfectly good on an interior wall that stays dry. Keep them off a wall that shares a surface with a bathroom or an outside face, and keep them out of direct afternoon sun. Canvas sits somewhere between: the texture of 380gsm cotton canvas is forgiving on older scanned photographs, which is why we recommend it for grandparents' portraits where the original print has softened.

Size is the other decision people underestimate. An 8×12 inch frame that looks generous on a phone screen disappears on a twelve-foot wall. As a rough guide, a frame should occupy about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it, and a group of small frames reads better than one medium one if the wall is wide. Bring a photo of the wall to the shop and we will tell you what size to order, it costs us nothing and saves you a return.

Whatever you choose, the photograph matters more than the material. Send the original file rather than a copy that has been through WhatsApp, which compresses images to roughly a tenth of their size. Our editor warns you before checkout if the file is too small for the size you picked, and if we spot a problem after you order, we call you before printing rather than after.