Swap the print, keep the frame

Why keep the frame

When you buy a framed poster, the frame is roughly half of what you pay. It’s also the part that lasts: a well-made frame can follow you through several homes and several changes of taste, while the poster inside changes as often as you like.

That’s the whole idea. Once the frame is on the wall, a new look costs only a poster – and the old one isn’t gone, just resting. It’s the simplest way to make a room feel new, and a kinder one than buying a whole new piece every time. More on how we think about it on our sustainability page.

How to swap, step by step

On the back of our frames you’ll find small metal clips that hold the back board in place, and two hangers – one for portrait, one for landscape. That’s all you need to know.

1. Lay the frame face down on something soft, like a blanket or a towel on the table, so the glazing stays free of scratches.

2. Open the clips. Fold them up and away from the edge. They’re easy to open and close again, so don’t be shy.

3. Lift out the back board. If there’s a mat board inside, leave it where it is, against the glazing.

4. Swap the poster. Lay the new one face down on the glazing and line it up with the edges. The old one can go straight in behind it – more on that below.

5. Close the clips and turn the frame over. A quick look for dust or fingerprints, and it’s ready.

6. New direction? If the new motif is landscape and the old one was portrait, hang the frame by the other hanger. No new frame needed.

A year in one frame

Choose a frame size and stick to it, and every new poster in that size will fit. Here’s a year’s worth of motifs for one 50x70 frame – a few for each season, so there’s always something next in line. The landscape ones are a good excuse to try the other hanger.

One frame, two sizes: the mat board trick

A mat board – the light border between the glazing and the poster – changes which poster fits. In a 50x70 frame, a mat board takes a 40x50 or a 30x40 poster instead. So the same frame can hold a big motif one season and a smaller one with a gallery-style border the next.

It works in other sizes too: a 70x100 frame with a mat board takes a 50x70, and a 40x50 frame takes a 30x40. Our guide to mat boards has the full list.

More ways to swap

On a picture ledge, frames stand instead of hang, so swapping is as easy as moving books on a shelf. Our picture ledge ideas show how to layer them.

On a poster hanger, magnets hold the poster at the top and bottom – no glazing, no clips, and a swap takes seconds. See our poster hangers.

On a gallery wall, you don’t have to change everything. Swap one or two posters and the whole wall feels new. Need a starting point? Try our gallery wall ideas.