Custom picture framing in San Francisco with a vintage contemporary approach is something we do often at Underglass. This project is a good example of what that looks like when every element of the design is pulling in the same direction.
The piece is a coastal landscape by David Waterson, the Scottish painter known for his moody, atmospheric depictions of the wilderness, river settings and coastal areas. Soft, quiet, with a green rolling foreground that dissolves into grey over the sea. The kind of painting that rewards a slow look.
Reading the Art Before Choosing the Frame
At Underglass, the frame design starts with the art. Before we reach for a sample, we look at what the piece is doing – its mood, its palette, its era and we design around that.
This painting has a traditional quality to it. The subject, the handling, the atmosphere all point toward a classic period piece. A frame that leaned entirely into that would have worked. But we saw an opportunity to do something more interesting: honor the painting’s character while giving it a contemporary edge that makes it feel at home on a modern wall in San Francisco.
The Design: Dark Wood Frame and 8-Ply Bevel Mat
For the outer frame we chose a dark brown wood moulding with a rustic, traditional feel. The grain and the finish read as period, appropriate and the kind of frame you would expect to find around a landscape of this type.
The mat is where the contemporary turn happens. We used an 8-ply off-white mat with a thick bevel. Standard mats are 4-ply. At 8-ply, the mat has real physical depth, and the bevel, the angled cut that reveals that depth between the frame and the art, becomes a design feature in its own right. That clean, deep reveal creates a visual pause between the rustic frame and the painting. It gives the whole composition a precision and lightness that brings the piece firmly into the present.
This is the push and pull at the heart of the vintage contemporary approach: a traditional frame, a modern mat, and the tension between them doing the design work.
Museum Glass for a Soft Painting
The glazing choice matters especially for a painting like this. The softness in Waterson’s work, the way the foreground dissolves into the distance, the muted palette, the atmospheric handling is exactly what standard glass destroys with glare and reflection.
We finished the piece with museum glass: 99% UV filtering and almost no reflection. Nothing interrupts the surface of the painting. The colors read exactly as they should, and the piece will stay that way for decades. UV light is the primary cause of fading and color shift in works on display. Museum glass blocks 99% of it, which is why it is the standard in leading galleries and permanent collections.
At Underglass, conservation with uv filter glass is not an upgrade. It is part of how we frame.
Custom Picture Framing in San Francisco at Underglass
This is what custom picture framing in San Francisco with a vintage contemporary sensibility looks like at our Castro shop. A rustic dark wood frame, a thick contemporary bevel mat, museum glass – three elements that work together to honor the painting and make it a statement piece on any wall.
If you have a painting, a print, a photograph or a work on paper that has been waiting for the right frame, bring it in and we will work with you to find the framing it deserves.
📍 Visit our Castro frame shop
📞 Call us
📧 Email us your artwork
💻 Request a quote
Underglass Custom Picture Framing · Castro District · San Francisco
Custom design · Conservation framing · Open 7 days