Selected work · Houston
Four Decades of Bespoke Craftsmanship
Case studies and selected projects from the studio archives — collectors' homes, design collaborations, museum installations, and the bench details that make them work. Every frame featured here was designed, fabricated, and hand-finished in-house on Taft Street.
Case study 01 · A collector’s home
A house that reads like a collection.
Over years of collaboration, we framed this Houston residence room by room — works on paper in the living room, a Matisse drawing over the family-room sofa, gilded pairs in the bedroom, and salon hangs that climb the walls floor to ceiling. The brief never changed: every frame archival, every profile answering both the artwork and the room, so a house full of art reads as one considered collection.
Case study 02 · The Chandos project
Partnering with the design team.
Working alongside the interior design team, we framed this project as a single palette — from an oversized canvas floated in a minimal profile against curtainwall glass to quiet bedroom pieces — matching finishes to millwork and scaling profiles to the architecture. This is what trade partnership looks like when framing is planned with the room rather than after it.
Case notes
Problem solving at the bench.
The Dorothy Hood WatercolorsTwo unassuming 1980s watercolors arrived for reframing — and revealed extreme color variations from decades of UV exposure. Rather than conceal the shifts with new mattes, our master framer proposed showing them as a representation of the works’ story. Conservation science and honest presentation, in one design.
Lucas Johnson, “The Two Marys”A fragile low-relief porcelain tablet, torn in two halves with deckled edges, that could bear no contact pressure. A traditional acrylic box felt bulky and cost more than the client wanted. The solution: a shallow armature support backing the tablet halves with invisible secure tabs — the porcelain floats freely but securely, exactly as a museum would have done it.
The Architectural Folding ScreenA client wanted a painting transformed into a folding screen to hide a pair of TVs. First we evaluated whether the painting’s integrity could be ethically retained while altering its presentation — then engineered the joinery and concealed hardware to make it work, hand in hand with all parties involved.
The Sand DollarA small custom shadow box for a simple sand dollar found by a client on the beach — treated as a treasured work of art, because to its owner it was one. Small and large projects receive the same attention to detail.
From the bench
The details that carry the work.
Collector’s view
In their words, at full length.
My favorite Sarah Balinskas Art Services project is a small custom shadow box frame created for a simple sand dollar found by one of my clients on the beach. It had great sentimental value and was treated as a treasured work of art. Small and large projects receive the same lovely attention to detail. I have used Sarah Balinskas Art Services for everything from Twomblys to Old Masters. The selection, direction, and execution are always spot on. Not only is their framing impeccably done, but they are also helpful and resourceful. They suggested and facilitated restoring a precious document to preserve it before framing, which made my client very happy. And it seems as though their custom capabilities are endless.Sandra Lucas, Founding Partner, Lucas/Eilers Design Associates
Sarah Balinskas Art Services’ emphasis on delivering class framing and museum hinging, in addition to precise, accurate information about the same, speaks to their respect for craftsmanship and art. They have regularly executed the highest quality framing jobs for our clients and the gallery. The emphasis on addressing each project in an archival manner is always a crucial part of the discussion. They are my go-to for tricky custom frames and complicated requests. I’ve had them frame everything from a Francis Bacon painting, gallery inventory for fairs and exhibitions, to a small Valentine drawn by my husband — they handled each job with outstanding and enthusiastic care.Erin Dorn, Owner, Seven Sisters Gallery
I usually have a clear idea of how I want a work of art framed. The designers at Sarah Balinskas Art Services guide me to the best realization of that idea, whether it’s a stock frame or a custom application. The Sarah Balinskas staff are consummate professionals who understand both conservation and aesthetics. The attention to detail is impressive. And yet, the mood of the shop is always light and friendly. Over the past… well, it’s been almost 20 years, Sarah Balinskas Art Services has framed more paintings for me than I can remember.Russell Prince
Sarah Balinskas Art Services is simply tops. The company and their superb team have created beautifully engineered and meticulously constructed habitats for our works of art on paper. The collection of over 100 pieces continues to delight and astonish us.Ben & Marion Wilcox
Ingenuity and integrity are the two words which best describe Sarah Balinskas Art Services! My client wanted to transform a painting into a folding screen to hide a pair of TVs. First, they evaluated the painting to see if they could ethically retain the integrity of the painting while altering its presentation. Then came the ingenious way they creatively solved the technical challenges to implement the design while working hand in hand with all the parties involved! If someone wants the best… I always say go to Sarah Balinskas!Virginia W. Kelsey, AIA
Sarah Balinskas Art Services designed a special display for a work by Lucas Johnson titled “The Two Marys.” A traditional solution would have been to mount the tablet in a protective acrylic box — more than I wanted to spend, and too bulky for the delicate modeling of the tablets themselves. The designer’s inventive and happy solution to the dilemma of economy and safety: a shallow armature support that backs the tablet halves and holds them in place with invisible secure tabs. The design allows the porcelain tablet to float freely — but securely. Exactly as a museum would have done it.Patricia Johnson
The craftspeople at Sarah Balinskas Art Services are miracle workers, artisans, magicians, historians, curators, and storytellers. They have the ability to look at the piece, ponder it for a moment, and envision it in an entirely new way that enhances your art beyond anything you could have fathomed. Sarah Balinskas re-framed two previously unassuming Dorothy Hood watercolors from the 1980’s for me. The thoughtfulness and expertise they brought to the re-frame concepts created final products that far exceeded my expectations. As a design professional with meticulous attention to detail, I cannot recommend them highly enough.Aaron Laine, CEO, Fixtures & Fittings, Inc.
Sarah Balinskas Art Services always delivers frames that are art! We love how they collaborate and educate us when we select framing for works in our collection. Our Mel Bochner piece was especially challenging to frame with the depth and weight of the work. They guided us to a very successful and beautiful solution!Stephen Goldberg & Tim Kollatschny
The Sarah Balinskas Art Services team are meticulous at their craft. Their perfect aesthetic makes for impactful and nuanced design applications. They have been making my art sing for years. We are so lucky to have them in Houston.Kelly Barnhart
We’ve framed work by more than seven hundred artists — browse the artist list.
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