Art Works Framers has been part of Wellington's creative life since 1982, and its Karori studio in Marsden Village remains a working craft shop where every frame is made with care. The team — skilled craftspeople and artists — considers every aspect of the framing process in detail, from consultation and design through cutting and joining, staining and finishing.
Over more than four decades the studio has built lasting relationships with thousands of loyal repeat customers, and has framed for leading public and private galleries, cultural institutions and prominent artists. The welcome is just as warm for a single print or a treasured keepsake: a bespoke framing experience the studio describes as approachable, creative and fun, tailored entirely to your needs no matter the size or type of project.
Services range from conservation float, plinth and window mounting, canvas stretching and tray frames to custom timber frames and stains, spray finishing, colour matching, mirrors and specialist UV-protected and anti-reflective glazing. The team also stretches and mounts needlework and textile works, and frames medals, sports jerseys, memorabilia and other three-dimensional objects. The Karori studio is open Wednesday to Friday, 9am–5pm, and Saturday, 10am–3pm.
Step into Art Works Framers on Karori Road and you are stepping into a working craft studio — one that has been part of Wellington's creative life since 1982. More than four decades on, the way they work hasn't changed in spirit: every job begins with consultation and design, then moves through cutting and joining, staining and finishing, with each stage of the framing process considered in detail.
The Karori studio, in Marsden Village, is one of two Art Works Framers spaces in the city — the other is at Lyall Bay Junction in Rongotai. Between them, the team has built lasting relationships with thousands of loyal repeat customers, and has framed for leading public and private galleries, cultural institutions and prominent artists. Just as importantly, the same door is open to anyone with a single print, a favourite textile or a piece of family memorabilia. No matter the size or type of project, the studio promises an approachable, creative and fun bespoke framing experience, tailored entirely to your needs.
The Art Works team is made up of skilled craftspeople and artists, and that shows in what happens inside the studio. Frames are cut and joined in-house; timber can be stained and finished to order; and the studio offers spray finishing and colour matching for projects that need a specific result. From traditional framing materials to inventive contemporary approaches, the goal is frames that are beautiful, unique and will preserve your artwork for years to come.
The service list is broad. Conservation float, plinth and window mounting give different kinds of works the right kind of support. Canvas stretching is available for painters and for bought canvases alike. Tray frames present works with depth, while custom timber frames can be made and stained to suit a piece or a room. Mirrors are framed here too. And where protection matters, the studio offers specialist UV-protected and anti-reflective glazing — useful for works that hang in bright rooms or that need long-term care.
Some of the studio's most memorable work never sits flat behind glass. Art Works Framers stretches and mounts needlework and textile pieces, and frames medals, sports jerseys, memorabilia and other three-dimensional objects. These tend to be among the most personal projects through the door — a jersey from a career season, a set of service medals, a finished piece of embroidery — and the team approaches them with the same design care as any painting or print.
Conservation sits at the serious end of the practice. Dedicated conservation framing means materials and methods chosen to preserve the work — the kind of thinking that has earned the studio the trust of galleries and cultural institutions, and that is available to any customer who wants a piece protected for the long term.
A visit begins with a conversation. Design comes first — mount styles, frame profiles, stains and finishes, glazing choices — and then the work moves to the bench, where it is cut, joined, stained and finished in the studio. Scale is no barrier: the team handles everything from one-off frames through to large-volume orders, so a single photograph and a full set of exhibition works receive the same attention to detail.
If you are planning a visit, the Karori studio is at 148 Karori Road in Marsden Village, and is open Wednesday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday from 10am to 3pm. You can call the studio on 04 476 6680. If those days don't suit, the Lyall Bay studio at Lyall Bay Junction, 70 Kingsford Smith Street in Rongotai, is open Thursday to Sunday from 11am to 4pm.
More than forty years in, Art Works Framers remains what it set out to be: a place where craft is done properly and where the relationship between you and the framers matters as much as the frame itself. Whether it's a treasured textile, a jersey, a mirror for the hallway or an artwork destined for a gallery wall, the Karori studio offers the same promise it always has — thoughtful design, honest craft and a frame built to last.