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Picture frames for museums & galleries

How the Design Museum expanded their retail offer with flat-packed, multisize picture frames — without increasing SKUs or operational overhead

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The problem

Selling picture frames in museum shops is harder than it should be

Museum and gallery gift shops sell a wide range of artwork merchandise — prints, postcards, exhibition ephemera and more.

But while artworks vary in size and format, traditional picture frames don’t. To range frames successfully, shops are forced to carry multiple frame SKUs that sit outside their core offer and take up valuable shelf and storage space.

Framing becomes complex, space-hungry, and commercially unreliable — so it’s often excluded entirely.

The solution

A framing system designed for institutional retail

Pop-up Frames are flat-packed, cut-to-size picture frame kits that adapt to multiple square and rectangular formats.

By stocking just Small and Medium Pop-up Frames, museums and galleries can offer framing for postcards, A5, A4, A3, and square vinyl — without increasing their SKU count or storage requirements. 

  • One frame fits many sizes
  • One SKU replaces dozens
  • Guaranteed 50% trade margin
  • Flat-packed for easy storage
  • Peel & stick wall mounts included

Case study

the Design Museum — framing Wes Anderson: The Archives

For the shop accompanying Wes Anderson: The Archives, the Design Museum needed to frame and display around 35 different printed products, spanning multiple sizes and formats.

The shop sits within a Grade II listed building, meaning no wall damage was permitted. Traditional framing and hanging weren’t an option — but speed and flexibility were essential.

Why it worked

  • Complementary to their main offer

    Framing needed to support the exhibition retail offer, not distract from it — working across posters, prints, and postcards without adding visual noise or operational complexity.

  • An easy install

    Using a limited number of Pop-up Frames, artworks were cut to size, mounted, swapped, and rearranged as the layout evolved in real time. By the end of the day, every product was framed, displayed, and ready to sell.

  • Minimal SKUs, maximum impact

    With just 2 core SKUs and complementary colour options, the Design Museum added picture frames to their primary retail offer while using shelf space efficiently.

  • Commercially proven

    The gift shop went from selling just artworks, to a complete same-day framing solution. Sell-through was consistent, with 3 complete restocks within the first 3 months.

Senior Buying Manager, the Design Museum

Responsive, solutions focused, and a genuine pleasure to work with. Highly recommended. 🙂

Pop-up Frames delivered an excellent experience for the Design Museum, from partnering with us to create a gallery wall installation through to delivery and replenishment to support the offer.

The product is innovative, compact, and extremely well considered, and Roger and Matt demonstrated a strong understanding of the requirements of a public facing museum environment. The team managed the installation professionally and efficiently, and provided outstanding support throughout.

Preena Patel
Senior Buying Manager

  • Multisize frame system

    One frame fits many formats, replacing dozens of SKUs

  • Flat-packed design

    Efficient shelf-space allows you to focus on your core offer

  • Neutral colourways

    Works across diverse exhibitions and artists with no compromise

  • Peel & stick mounts

    Customers can frame immediately giving you an all-in-one solution

  • FSC certified materials

    Forested & manufactured in EU with FSC materials

  • Guaranteed margin

    Predictable low-risk revenue that justifies its shelf space

Built for how museums actually buy

Request a demo pack

Pop-up Frames are supplied in trade multipacks. Our logistics team can arrange for orders to be delivered at your choosing and we supply setup help on-site as required.

Request a free demo pack of Pop-up Frames to understand how the product would look in your store.

Request a demo pack

See if Pop-up Frames are right for your retail space

Not sure which option is right for your space? Drop us an email and we can help you find the right fit — hello@popupframes.com.

Request a retail pack Download rate card

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Pop-up Frames suitable for museums and galleries?

Yes. Pop-up Frames are designed specifically for institutional and cultural retail environments. They are already used by museums and galleries to sell framed artwork alongside prints, postcards, and exhibition merchandise — without adding operational complexity or curatorial compromise.

How many SKUs would we need to stock?

Most museums and galleries stock just two core SKUs: Small and Medium Pop-up Frames.

Together, these cover a wide range of common formats — including postcards, A5, A4, A3, and square vinyl — allowing you to replace dozens of traditional frame SKUs with a much simpler range.

Do Pop-up Frames look “temporary”?

No. While Pop-up Frames are flat-packed for storage efficiency, once assembled they are designed to look and feel like considered, contemporary picture frames.

They’re intentionally minimal and available in complementary colourways, so they work across different artists, exhibitions, and visual styles without drawing attention away from the artwork.

Will customers understand how to use them?

Yes. Each Pop-up Frame includes everything needed to get artwork on the wall, including peel & stick wall mounts.

Customers can frame and hang their purchase immediately, without tools or wall damage — which removes a major barrier to buying framed artwork in the first place.

How do Pop-up Frames perform commercially?

Pop-up Frames are sold on a guaranteed 50% trade margin, making them a predictable, low-risk add-on category.

In museum retail environments, they are typically sold alongside artwork purchases, increasing average order value without competing with the core product offer.

Do we need to commit to large volumes or bespoke orders?

No. Pop-up Frames are supplied in trade multipacks with no bespoke commitments and no speculative stock requirements.

You can start small, assess performance, and reorder based on sell-through.

How are Pop-up Frames supplied and ordered?

Pop-up Frames are available according to your choosing:

  • Directly through our team who can provide logistics support and order recommendations
  • Through Faire, for simple procurement using platforms your team already uses

This keeps ordering, invoicing, and reordering straightforward.

Are Pop-up Frames sustainable?

Yes. Pop-up Frames are FSC-certified and manufactured in the EU.

Their flat-packed design also reduces shipping volume and storage requirements, aligning with institutional sustainability and procurement standards.

To learn more, read our sustainability policy.

What’s the best way to assess if Pop-up Frames are right for our shop?

The easiest way is to request a retail demo pack.

This allows you to:

  • Assess build quality and finish
  • Understand how the multisize system works
  • Evaluate how Pop-up Frames could sit alongside your existing retail offer
  • You can also request a one-page summary to share internally with colleagues or stakeholders.

I'm still not sure

If you’re not certain which option is right for your space, drop us an email and we'll be happy to talk you through the options — hello@popupframes.com.