Learning Center
  • Featured
  • Latest

Creating a Custom Frame For a Tabletop Display Using An EaselMate™

At Frame It Easy we often talk about not only the ease of designing your custom frame but also how simple it is to hang it once it arrives on your doorstep. That’s because if you upload a photo to our Frame Designer, we will print it,  mount it, and send it to you with everything you need to display on your wall….okay, you’ll need to supply the hammer! 

While our frames look great hanging on your wall, they also look great displayed on your table, nightstand, bookshelf, or countertop. Creating a tabletop display is easy with the help of our EaselMate has never been easier!

Whether you want to add one or two framed photos to a table or desk or create a varied display of pictures and artwork to an entryway console or family room hutch, we’re sharing with you some ideas for creating displays on horizontal surfaces — plus our favorite frames to go with them. 

What Is An EaselMate™?

Frame It Easy EaselMate for tabletop picture frame

First, let’s introduce you to our EaselMate™. This acts as an easel for any of our Wood or Metal frame styles up to 13″ x 19″. It is easy to install taking only seconds and adjusts to any angle that you want it to, making it perfect for any tabletop display! Our EaselMate™ makes it easy to stand up frames and create beautiful displays on your table, counter, or shelves.

Choose Your Photos/Artwork

Small wood frame

Maybe you have recently found some extra time to go through some photo albums that have been stored away or scroll through your phone’s camera roll and found a few gems that deserve to be displayed for everyone to see. There is no better time than right now to give them the grand display they deserve! This is the perfect way to show your family history, grandparents, parents, aunt, and uncles, maybe you even have a picture of you all together!

This is a great way to honor late family members, show off your family throughout the years, or even just display some of your favorite pictures. Our Granby frame is an ornate wood style that comes in both gold and silver and would be perfect for displaying old family photos. Just be sure to take extra precautions when framing older photos so that they will continue to look great for years to come!

Another tabletop display idea is a display for school pictures, whether it’s just of the current school year or pictures of your kids throughout the years to show how much they have changed. Most schools offer annual photos through a professional company taken right at the school. You can then order different sizes and packages to fit your needs. Some companies will also offer a digital download of your child’s school photos that you will be able to upload straight to our Frame Designer.

We will print, mount, and frame your photo, which will be sent directly to your doorstep, ready to be hung! How easy is that? For school photos, why not try our Ashford frame style — a thin metal, so all the attention will be on the school photo, and you can add a matboard (or two) to match your school colors or even just your outfit in the photo! 

Another great way to display photos on a table is at your wedding. You can create a display of your engagement photos, photos throughout your relationship, a display to honor late family members who didn’t get the chance to be there, or even frame signs! If you are having an outdoor wedding, try one of our wood frame styles such as Dayton or Derby, or for an indoor wedding check out our metal frames such as Stafford or Hammond. You then can add a matboard to match the color scheme of your wedding to make everything coordinate. 

It doesn’t have to be just photos of your family and friends, you could also display some of your favorite artwork. Unsplash has tons of high-quality photos free for download that you can upload right into our Frame Designer.  

Choose Your Location 

Frames on table

There are many places you can add a tabletop display. You can add photos to your desk in your office, a hutch in your living room, or even on top of a piano! If you are planning on displaying family photos, try placing them so that you can see all of them without having to pick them up and move them around is great! You won’t want to add too many to your table, otherwise, it will look cluttered and messy. So choose a few of your favorites and let them be the topic of discussion every time you have guests over. They are a sure way to get a conversation going!

Adding a photo or two to your bedside table is a great way to add some personality to this space. You can use a picture of you and your SO, your kids, your furry friend, or even your human best friend. Use the furniture and accessories in your room to coordinate with your frames. If you have a dark wood bed frame, check out our Dayton frame style in Cocoa. 

If you have a lighter wood bedframe, our Derby frame style in Wheat might work best. Finally, if you have a metal bed frame, why not try out our Hanover frame style? It is available in 10 different colors, so you are sure to find one that matches your bed frame or even coordinates with it or other decor colors you have in your room.

Another option is to layer your artwork. As we mentioned, our EaselMate™ only works for photos 13”x19”, you can always lean your photo frames against a wall on top of your mantel or on a shelf, adding the smaller frames with our EaselMate™ in front of them. This is a great option for artwork that you don’t mind getting covered a bit. 

If you have a bookshelf or cubic shelves in your space, you’ll most definitely want to add frames to them — they just make everything better! Whether you are framing pictures of your family or some unique art you found online or even some of your photography. Bookshelves or cubicle shelves are a great way to display a ton of little decor pieces, so be sure to choose a photo that will pair well with the rest of your decor.

frame on piano

Choose Your Frames

Frame display on dresser

We mentioned some frame styles above, but there are still many more! After you have decided which photos and art pieces to frame and where you want to put them, now it’s time to design your frame! Use your furniture pieces and the interior design style of the room to coordinate your frame. If the chairs in your dining room are light grey wood, our Derby frame style in Rustic Grey might be perfect. 

Consider staying uniform and keeping the frame style all the same and just changing the size of the frame. This way all your frames will not only coordinate with the furniture but all match each other. 

While keeping your display uniform always looks great, a complete opposite is always a great option too. You can mix and match your frames for a fun, eye-catching display. Try using different frame styles that will all coordinate with each other. Or mix and match your favorite wood and metal frame styles for the ultimate display.

How to Add EaselMate™ to Your Order

EaselMate

Adding an EaselMate™ to your cart is simple. Head over to our accessories page and click on EaselMate™ which will bring you directly to the product. From there you can add as many EaselMates™ to your cart. When you go to check out after designing your frames, the product will be in your cart! 

Your EaselMate™ won’t arrive already attached to your frame, but attaching it is quite simple! You will need to screw the bracket into the bottom of a wood frame or screw it into the lower channel of a metal frame. It’s that easy! As we mentioned earlier, the EaselMate™ will adjust at any angle, so be sure to play around with it so that it sits perfectly on your tabletop.

Final Thoughts

Frames on dresser

Tabletop displays are a great way to display those smaller photos that you have laying around the house or in boxes. Give them the grand display that they deserve so everyone can appreciate them as well! They are sure to get a conversation going with your guests or make you smile each time you pass on by.

If you have a tabletop display in your home with our frames or use our EaselMate™, don’t forget to send us pictures on social media, we would love to see them!

Are you subscribed to our email list? Now’s your chance to be featured! Want to be our next Featured Friend? Send your photos to creative@frameiteasy.com with the subject “Featured Friends” and why you love Frame It Easy!

Ready to get creative?

Whether you have a piece of art ready to frame, or you have something for us to print, we've got you covered. Our online custom picture framing perfectly fits not only your art, but your style and budget, too! Use our custom frame designer to create a frame, or browse our suggested frame designs. Happy designing!