Top 10 Tips for Custom Framing & Preserving Special Photographs

Written by

It’s wedding season—the perfect time to consider custom framing your beautiful photographs so you can enjoy them for years to come. From glass recommendations to matting and moulding, we’ve got the Top 10 framing tips (thanks to Larson-Juhl framing experts) to help you preserve and present your special memories!

Top 10 Framing Tips
 

1. Choose the right mat
Many people today look at mats as an opportunity to add color to the frame design, but originally mats were neutral in color and used to provide visual relief between the art and its surroundings. Regardless of color, think big: More generous mat borders enable you to focus on the art much more easily. And make sure to use acid-free mat board.

2. Consider wider frame moulding
If a frame design doesn’t include a mat, the frame size may need to make up for it. A wider frame may still be smaller than the overall picture size would have been with a mat, but it helps art look more interesting and important.

3. Use conservation-grade glass or acrylic
Conservation-grade glazing protects art from most of damage caused by harmful UV light rays. By investing a bit more in protective glazing, you will maintain the integrity of your framed art and increase its longevity.

4. Double or triple mat layers all can be the same color
Many people just assume if there are multiple layers of matting used, each layer needs to be a different color. Actually, using the same color for all layers can simplify the design and keep attention focused on the art.

5. Use clear glass for bold images and non-glare glass for muted images
Clear finish (shiny) glass or acrylic helps to maintain sharp lines and shapes, bold colors and fine details. For soft, muted images, use non-glare glass or acrylic. Non-glare (also called Reflection Control) glass has a soft finish that diffuses details and colors. It looks great when the art itself seems intentionally soft in focus or muted in color.

6. Be creative
Many pieces of art look great when framed in a moulding style that’s unexpected. Some types of contemporary art look good in a traditional or rustic frame, and an ornate frame sometimes can add just the right finishing touch to a piece of folk art.

7. Pick the right contrast
Black and white provide the highest degree of contrast of any colors, so a black-and-white photo looks best with a high-contrast frame design. Images with softer colors and contrast look best in lower-contrast frame and mat combinations.

8. Consider bottom-weighting a mat
A bottom-weighted mat is one where the border below the art is wider than the borders on top and sides. Logical reasons to bottom-weight include when the lower half of the art is darker or contains larger shapes or patterns than the upper half. You may also choose it for a classic look or for valued art that you do not want to cut down.

9. Group images
When placing more than one picture in a frame, a multiple opening mat provides the means to bring them together. It is common to use a wider border around the outer edges than the amount of space used between images. When working with more than a few pieces, it can add interest to use different mat opening shapes.

10. Add depth and variety
Special details like extra-deep, 8-ply mat boards and narrow, ornamental frames called fillets that work inside the primary frame add layers, making certain designs more dynamic and memorable.

See more Biltmore frames.

Find a Biltmore retailer near you.

Discover our Wedgewood Bedding Collection

Written by

No other brand in the world enchants and delights like Biltmore. It’s a timeless way of life inspired by George and Edith Vanderbilt’s vision of gracious living and hospitality. Grounded in beauty and refinement, the spirit of Biltmore is captured in every stylish detail and exquisite element of the products our partners produce.

Breakfast Room in Biltmore HouseThe Breakfast Room is a wonderful example of inspiration. From its richly-textured leather wall coverings and silk cut-velvet fabrics to the bright colors of the two Renoir paintings displayed on the walls, the room envelopes guests in a warm, intimate setting full of rich details. It is the fireplace-surround, however, that connected beautifully to our Wedgewood Bedding Collection.

Blue and white Wedgwood-style tilesAlthough we have few archival notes on the origin of the surround or its installation at Biltmore, the delicate blue and white tiles are late 19th century jasperware, which is a type of colored stoneware to which a relief decoration—usually white—is applied. The surround in the Breakfast Room is after the style of legendary British potter Josiah Wedgwood.

Wedgewood Bedding CollectionInspired by the soft wedgewood blue-color hues in these jasperware-style tiles, our gorgeous woven jacquard Wedgewood Bedding brings a classic note to your bedroom with hints of color that harmonize with existing décor. Enjoy this refined bedding ensemble complete with a tasteful collection of coordinating decorative pillows and beautiful window treatments.

Tussie Mussies and the Victorian Language of Flowers

Written by

When is a flower more than just a flower? When it’s a hidden message of strong emotion.  In Victorian times, social customs dictated discretion above all else, so declarations of love or other strong feelings had to be coded. One way to do so was through floriography or the language of flowers.

The concept wasn’t invented in the 19th century. In ancient Greece, flowers were assigned meaning and the symbolism carried forth into the harems of Turkey. The Elizabethans picked up on the practice, using the names of flowers in poetry to signify unutterable thought. But it was the Victorians who fully embraced the language of flowers, to the extent that numerous dictionaries explaining the language were published.

During Queen Victoria’s reign (1837-1901), it became fashionable to carry a small nosegay or tussie mussie as an accessory: a flower was considered a more modest adornment than jewelry for a young woman. A tussie mussie was sometimes tied with a ribbon, but could also be carried in a cone-shaped, decorative silver holder, still used today for some bridesmaid bouquets. It wasn’t just women who donned flowers, though. Men took to wearing flowers in the buttonholes of everyday coats and jackets, not just for special occasions.

To send a message in the language of flowers, a bouquet or boutonniere would be exchanged. A combination of flower, foliage, or herbs could spell out a whole sentiment. Bouquets expressed not just love, but also friendship or familial connection.

The American cowslip was the flower of divine beauty, while the acacia was a flower of friendship. Roses were a complicated matter. While today a rose is all about romance, in Victorian times there were nuances to it. Red roses unmistakably meant romantic love, but a white rose, for example, meant “I am worthy of you.”

But there were also flowers that had less-than-cheerful meanings, such as ridicule, rebuff, coolness, and coquetry. The yew, for example, was the flower of sorrow. An almond flower would not have been a welcome gift: it meant stupidity and indiscretion. Messages could be customized. If the leaves were left on a flower, for example, the message was in the affirmative; if they were taken off, an opposite meaning was intended. Even the manner in which a bouquet was received had meaning: a right-handed exchange was a yes; a left-handed one, a no.

Definitions of flower meanings weren’t always consistent. One flower whose meaning never varied, though, was the stephanotis, the flower of “wedded bliss.” The flower became a popular feature of wedding bouquets and remains so today.

Our Top 10 Memories from 2015

Written by

We hope you enjoy this short video highlighting our “Top 10” memories from 2015. It was certainly a milestone year for Biltmore, marking the success and growth of our company as we continue to protect George Vanderbilt’s legacy and preserve the art of hospitality.

  1. We partnered with Cosprop for our first feature costume exhibition to display over 40 costumes from the hit PBS mini-series “Downton Abbey.” Due to overwhelming positive feedback, we have decided to showcase more costumes and historic fashion in our 2016 exhibition “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film.”
  2. Biltmore Blooms featured a gorgeous display throughout our 75 acres of landscaped gardens, this year including over 74,000 tulips and 15,000 daffodils.
  3. Six Summer Concerts spanned the month of August, with each artist performing on Biltmore’s South Terrace overlooking the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains. Our team is already working on a spectacular lineup for next year!
  4. Biltmore’s Sporting Clays Club opened their new location on the West Side of the estate, restoring a home estimated to be built between 1879-1889 that had remained on the estate from the pre-Vanderbilt era. The project received the 2015 Griffin Award from The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County in the Adaptive Re-Use category.
  5. Biltmore For Your Home celebrated their 25th Anniversary, with their licensed partners and extensive line of home decor products continuing to draw inspiration from Biltmore and uphold the standard of excellence set by the Vanderbilt family.
  6. Biltmore’s North Tower Ridge Cap project spanned nearly the entire year, coming to completion in early November and showcasing our commitment to authenticity and preservation of the estate.
  7. We celebrated North Carolina Wine Month with the “Taste of Biltmore” in September, featuring numerous culinary events and demos of our estate-grown wines and field-to-table cuisine.
  8. Biltmore Winery celebrated its 30th Anniversary and continues to be the most-visited winery in the country, with distribution expanding to 21 states.
  9. Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate officially opened on December 1. This new lodging property offers a casual and convenient way to stay on the estate, with dining, shopping, our Winery just steps away.
  10. “Christmas at Biltmore” continues to be an amazing tribute to George Vanderbilt’s favorite holiday, and allows us to relive the excitement that he must have felt when he opened his home to family and friends for the first time on Christmas Eve 1895.

Thank you to all of our guests who visited Biltmore during 2015, and we look forward to seeing you again soon. Happy new year!

“Undecorating” Biltmore House

Written by

It takes months of planning and preparation to set up Christmas at Biltmore, but our amazing Floral Designers “undecorate” in just two days! They've mastered the art of organizing and packing ornaments, garland and other decorations before loading it into our warehouse, where it is safely stored until next year.

When you're packing up your holiday decor this year, use these tips from Biltmore's expert Floral Designers to keep everything looking beautiful year after year. 

  1. Never store natural materials such as nuts, cones, pods, dried flowers, or greenery with ornaments or decorations. This could invite insects, mice and moisture problems.
  2. Remove all dust and dirt from the individual ornaments before storing. Brush with a soft natural bristle brush. (Make-up brushes work well.)
  3. Always remove any ornament hangers, as they will scratch paint and could possibly rust onto cardboard or cotton ornaments.
  4. Wrap each ornament individually in tissue paper, and if an antique or collectable, be sure to use acid-free tissue to protect your investment or your memento. Also use tissue to pad the ornaments as you pack them in boxes.
  5. Never use newspaper or colored papers, as they will stain and are acidic and may damage materials. 
  6. Place the individually wrapped ornaments in shallow boxes. For everyday ornaments, apple boxes with the cardboard dividers work well for holding ornaments securely. Do not stack too many layers, as the weight of the upper layers could break ornaments on the lower layers. Shallow boxes are best.
  7. For antique ornaments, use shallow acid free cardboard boxes. 
  8. Do not use plastic storage boxes, as they do not allow for good ventilation. The box needs to be breathable, in case condensation should occur.
  9. Never store ornaments in a damp basement or a hot attic.  Temperatures need to be relatively consistent, to keep paints from flaking or spotting. High temperatures found in attics can melt wax ornaments. Humidity needs to be low, to prevent condensation or damp spots. Moisture can cause paint to break loose, or can create tarnished dark spots on glass or metal.  Cardboard and cotton can be ruined by moisture.
  10. Store boxes in a safe, cool, dry spot, away from sunlight or heat. Closet shelves in an air-conditioned and heated home work well.

Remembering our Christmas past

Written by

Christmas has always been celebrated in grand style at Biltmore, beginning with the opening of Biltmore House on Christmas Eve 1895 and continuing today with Christmas at Biltmore. The festivities have always included friends and family, plus a special party for employees of the estate.

Creating traditions

While George Vanderbilt was still a bachelor, he enlisted the help of Mrs. Charles McNamee, the wife of his friend who assisted in purchasing land for the estate, to provide Christmas gifts for 300–500 guests, including estate workers and their families. Mr. Vanderbilt greeted everyone in the Banquet Hall on Christmas afternoon, and members of his own family helped distribute the gifts which included Christmas trees and trimmings for estate employees to decorate their own homes.

In 1897, Biltmore’s Christmas celebration took place at All Souls Parish in Biltmore Village because George Vanderbilt was away from home. According to a report in the Semi-Weekly Citizen, there were “toys and candy and cakes and oranges for the little ones, and books and articles useful and ornamental, dress goods and jerseys, ties and gloves, for the older folk. As in previous and future celebrations, refreshments were served, including ice cream, cake, and bananas.”

Cornelia Vanderbilt and her cousin John Nicholas Brown in 1905

Cornelia Vanderbilt and her cousin John Nicholas Brown, 1905

Celebrating with friends and family

George Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser in 1898, and she took an immediate and active interest in the estate’s annual Christmas festivities. In 1905, when George and Edith Vanderbilt’s only child Cornelia would have been five years old, the New York Times reported the following details about the holiday cheer at Biltmore:

“Mr. and Mrs. George W. Vanderbilt this afternoon provided for nearly a thousand children of Biltmore estate employees a big tree in the banquet hall of the chateau. The little ones were loaded with useful gifts and toys…bought in Asheville in the last week…Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt welcomed each of the little guests, many of whom came twenty miles from the coves and mountain tops of the Vanderbilt forest domain, some walking, some by ox team and some mule back…. Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt…personally distributed all the gifts, aided by Mrs. Edith Wharton, Mr. Wharton, and Mrs. Ernesto G. Fabbri (George Vanderbilt’s niece].”

In her oral history, Edith Cauble, whose parents worked on the estate, recalls:

“Christmas parties where Mr. Vanderbilt stood on one side of the front door of the House in tails, and Edith stood on the other side wearing a long velvet dress giving out oranges and candy. In the Banquet Hall there was music and Cornelia would run around with the other children.”
 
Biltmore Employee Christmas party in 1916Employee Christmas party at Antler Hall, ca. 1916

Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt continued the employee Christmas parties even after George Vanderbilt passed away in 1914. In 1916, the event took place outdoors at Antler Hall—a large home originally located where The Inn on Biltmore Estate™ now sits. In the archival photograph featured here, you can see Edith Vanderbilt just to the right of center wearing a dark hat, and Cornelia to her left in a white hat.

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at the entrance to Biltmore HouseSanta and Mrs. Claus welcome guests to Biltmore

The tradition continues

Today, more than a century after the first holiday festivities at Biltmore, we continue to host our annual Christmas party for employees. It is still a grand occasion with gifts for the children, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and delicious refreshments—and a wonderful opportunity to see America’s Largest Home® lit by the glow of candles and firelight during Candlelight Christmas Evenings.

Featured blog image: Photographs of George Vanderbilt’s parents (William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt) 

A towering tribute to Christmas

Written by

Our magical Candlelight Christmas Evenings bring the season to life with flickering candlelight and cozy flames, plus the sounds of choirs and musicians to create an intimate atmosphere in Biltmore House. On the Front Lawn, a 55-foot Norway spruce tree, lit by 45,000 tiny bright lights and surrounded by hundreds of hand-lit luminaries, welcomes guests and sets a charming holiday mood. 

Big tree being set on Front Lawn of Biltmore House“For Christmas decorations outside Biltmore House,” said Cathy Barnhardt, Floral Displays Manager, “we need a tree that's tall enough to show up in front of America's largest home!”

Each year, our Floral team works with Andrews Nursery–the same nursery that provides our magnificent Banquet Hall Christmas trees–to find a towering evergreen that will work for the Front Lawn. Their preference is for a tree that already needs to be removed because of its proximity to homes or power lines. In 2012, for example, the Front Lawn tree came from Roan Mountain on the North Carolina/Tennessee state line.

“It started out as a live inside Christmas tree that was planted outside after the holiday,” Cathy said. “It grew for nearly 50 years until it just got too big for the yard and had to come down. We were very excited to bring it to Biltmore.”

Norway spruce for the Front Lawn arrives at Biltmore HouseAs for lighting the massive Front Lawn tree each year, our engineering team spends several nights creating the glowing display.

“This year's Norway spruce weighs in at 11,000 pounds, is 55-feet tall and 34 years old,” said Brent Merrell, Director of Engineering Services. “We use three boom lifts to decorate it and most of the lights are placed after dark so we know they are evenly distributed.” 

Time to Light the Luminaries

Written by

Late in the afternoon just before sunset, a small crew of Biltmore staff members hops out of a pick-up truck in front of Biltmore House to begin a long-standing holiday tradition: the lighting of the luminaries.

Single luminary overlooking Biltmore HouseThe glow of 300 luminaries lining the front lawn and Rampe Douce help set a yuletide tone for our guests as they prepare to enter Biltmore House for Candlelight Christmas Evenings, taking place nightly, now through January 8, 2016.

Each luminary contains a white votive candle, held in place with a generous scoop of sand. It takes about two hours for a 4-person team from our Housekeeping staff to hand-light each one.

The number 7 is an important one for Nell Swan, Facility Services Supervisor and a member of the luminary team for the last 15 years. Seven is the number of steps she takes to place each bag on the lawn to ensure that perfect symmetry for which this light display is known. Some areas require eight steps, she says, but the edge she was working, near the Stable Courtyard, calls for seven.

Luminaries in front of Biltmore HouseWhen it comes to “behind-the-scenes” activities, guests seem to be endlessly fascinated with how we do what we do at Biltmore. According to Vince Helton, Director of Facility Services, while the larger team lights the luminaries, one staff member enters Biltmore House to set up chairs, music stands, and lights for musicians, turn on all fireplaces on first and second floors, polish the brass threshold at the Front Door, and turn on the lights for the large outdoor Christmas tree. “Once the evening activities end around 11 p.m.,” said Vince, “the team starts picking up the luminaries so that everything is ready for our daytime guests.”

The luminaries, combined with the forest of lit trees in the middle of the lawn – including a 60-foot-tall Norway Spruce – create a magical welcome for our guests arriving to tour through Biltmore House. Kudos to Nell and team for making it happen every night!

Sitting Pretty–A Naturally Stunning Floral Arrangement

Written by

Biltmore Floral Displays designer Molly Hensley is a member of the team who helps bring Christmas to life in America’s largest home.

“We work on Christmas plans and projects all year,’ she said, “so we can transform Biltmore House into a magical world of lights and trees and decorations for our guests!”

How do you create gorgeous holiday arrangement that suits a more modern home? Molly offered a great idea for a design that incorporates natural elements and favorite ornaments in a stunning but simple accent or centerpiece that you can easily do yourself, complete with a materials list and Molly’s expert tips:

Materials

6-inch plant of your choosing (a little height is good for this particular project)
Protective plastic liner
Sheet moss
Some of your favorite ornaments (inspired by Christmas at Biltmore, we've used our “Nature of Christmas” ornaments available at Belk–see the collection here)
Decorative container (see the collection here)
Floral foam & bubble wrap
A few natural elements (pinecones, decorative bird, bird’s nest, etc.)

How-To

“For this particular project I chose an Angel Wing Begonia that was about 18 inches tall in a 6-inch pot.  The decorative container was on the deeper side, so I set the begonia on a small piece of floral foam to make it level with the lip of the container.

“I filled the remainder of the container with bubble wrap, then covered the bubble wrap and the plant pot with moss. I nestled a cluster of elegant ornaments in the moss next to the plant, and added a few pine cones for a natural element. I also wired a decorative bird on an arm of the begonia, and a small bird’s nest to accompany it. For a finishing holiday touch, I added a bit of ribbon to a velvet poinsettia and clipped the whole thing onto the edge of the container.”

How a first-timer helps deck Biltmore’s halls

Written by

For the past decade, Tracy Ross has enjoyed Christmas at Biltmore from the sidelines, first as a host in Biltmore House and then as a member of the Reception & Ticketing Sales Center team. This year, however, Tracy has stepped into a new role with Biltmore’s Floral department, and she’s got her hands full of Christmas—literally!

Tracy Ross holds the tip of Biltmore's biggest tree“I’ve helped Floral over the years with things like fluffing trees,” Tracy said, “but this is the first time I have a personal stake in it, and I can say ‘I did that.’”

Tracy joined the team just a month before Floral began decorating for Biltmore’s most-anticipated season of the year. The theme—A Gilded Age Christmas—had already been decided and plans made for the decorative style featured in each room. That meant that Tracy jumped in wherever she was most needed, assisting her new co-workers in bringing holiday magic to life in America’s largest home and all across the estate.

“They are so incredibly organized,” said Tracy of her teammates. “Day-by-day, step-by-step, they’ve worked out all the details so that nothing falls through the cracks. And even though everything is planned, individual personalities shine through in the decorations!”

One aspect of decorating Biltmore that surprised Tracy is the research Floral conducts to ensure that their designs are historically accurate and connected to Vanderbilt stories and traditions. “A member of Floral wanted to include vintage ice skates in her room decorations,” Tracy said, “so she went through archival material until she discovered a photograph of Cornelia Vanderbilt skating on the ice-covered fountain pool on the Front Lawn of Biltmore House.”

Vintage ice skates with garlandThe photograph gave her the historic tie with Biltmore and the Vanderbilts that she needed to feature ice skates. “Her effort makes the décor in the Music Room that much more special and meaningful,” said Tracy.

Another thing that surprised Tracy? How much behind-the-scenes preparation work it takes to create the decorative elements for each room. “The garland for the Winter Garden took eight separate steps to complete,” Tracy explained. “We started with a thick garland that was beautiful on its own, and then we added layers of permanent botanicals like ivy, dusty miller, and pine branches. Then more layers of icy sparkles to achieve a true Gilded Age look and feel. When it was finished, it was unbelievably rich and luxurious—exactly what you’d expect the Vanderbilts to have in their home!”

While Tracy works with this season’s Christmas at Biltmore decorations, she’s already planning ahead for next year. “I feel very blessed and very lucky to be around all these talented people,” she said. “They’ve welcomed me to the team, and they trust me to begin putting my creative personality and ideas into the mix. I’ve always loved Biltmore and the holidays, but this year, that love has really been revitalized!”