Investing in Skills: Gilding at SohoFrames

We invest heavily in our business, both in the latest machinery, like our Gunnar computerised picture mount-making machine, and in our team through continuous training and development.

The Art and Process of Gilding Picture Frames

Here at SohoFrames we have offered gilded picture frames for many years. And if you’re new to this, gilding is the application of fine metal leaf (usually 23k gold) onto the specially prepared wooden surface of the frame. We used to send our frames out to external contractors for gilding. However, we were never fully satisfied with either the turnaround times or the final quality, so we decided to learn this skill for ourself

The Challenge of Learning Gilding

Getting professional gilding training posed some challenges:

• We enrolled our team members onto gilding courses run by various colleges.
• Unfortunately, each course was eventually cancelled for one reason or another, usually due to lack of numbers.
• We were repeatedly left without a reliable learning pathway.

A Different Path: Learning from A Master

Despite the setbacks, we were determined to pursue our goal. Instead of continuing to enrol in courses that were then cancelled, we took a different approach to the apprenticeship model, and reached out to some of the industry’s most respected gilders in the country with the goal of learning directly from them in a private capacity.

Finally, after years of trying, it happened.

Intensive One-on-One Gilding Training

A gilder whose work and ethics we admired, arrived at our Soho workshop and began to teach us. He focused specifically on the technique needed to successfully gild picture frames.

• One-on-one intensive training sessions
  
• Hands-on practice and self-study
• Follow-up visits to review progress and techniques

By 2024, we had fully brought the gilding process in-house — developing our own methods, our own signature style, and upholding our own high standards.

We think you’ll like the results.