Gilded Frame Antique Restoration Shop: Frame Masters 1969

Frame Masters 1969 has worked on picture frames in Los Angeles since the year in its name, and its showroom stands at 1543 N La Brea Ave., Los Angeles 90028, in Hollywood just north of Sunset Boulevard. As an antique restoration shop it focuses on one demanding craft: repairing, refinishing and regilding ornate gilded frames. Hours are Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm, and Friday, 9 am to 2 pm. Saturday is closed and Sunday is by appointment.

The about page states the founding year and the client base plainly: the shop was founded in 1969 and works for museums, collectors, art dealers and interior designers. It does not name its owners online, but the clientele says a lot about the standard of work. Museums and dealers care about frames because a period frame can add real value to a painting, and a good regilding job has to look like the original surface, not like a can of gold spray paint.

Besides restoration, the shop does custom framing, and its showroom page notes that it can offer same-day repair or framing, subject to material availability. That is unusual for gilding, which normally takes many coats and drying time, so treat same-day as something that applies to simpler repairs and framing jobs rather than a full regild of a carved frame.

The restoration page describes the work as repairing, refinishing and regilding antique gilded frames. In practice, old frames come in with broken corners, missing pieces of carved or cast ornament, and gold worn through to the red or yellow clay underneath. Missing ornament is usually remade by taking a mould from an intact section of the same frame and casting a matching piece, which is then fixed in place and blended into the surface.

Regilding is the final layer of the job. Water gilding involves laying thin sheets of gold leaf over a prepared gesso and clay ground, then burnishing selected areas with an agate tool so they shine against the matte areas around them. The shop's own catalogue lists frames refinished in 22k gold leaf, the warm, deep gold that most antique American and European frames carry. The same page also mentions furniture restoration, but frames are where its reputation sits.

Frame Masters publishes prices for restored frames it sells. A 22 by 36 inch restored antique ornate picture frame refinished in 22k gold leaf is listed at $925, and a Richard Tobey frame refinished in 22k gold is listed at $1,190. These are finished frames ready for a painting, not repair quotes, but they give a realistic sense of what full 22k regilding is worth on a frame of that size.

For your own frame, the shop offers a complimentary consultation and evaluation from photos. Photograph the whole frame from the front, each damaged corner close up, the back to show how it is built, and the rebate where the canvas sits. Give the outside and sight measurements. A frame with only a few chips can often be touched up and toned, while one with large losses usually needs moulded replacements and regilding across a full side.

The showroom page asks visitors to call for an appointment, especially on a Friday when the shop closes at 2 pm. Carry a frame upright, wrapped in a blanket, with cardboard over the corners, and never lay a gilded frame face down on a hard surface, because the high points of the carving are the first to chip. If the painting is still in the frame, mention it when you call.

Sunday visits are by appointment only, which is useful for designers and collectors who work weekdays. Bring the painting or a good photograph of it if you are thinking of reframing as well as repairing, as the team can match a period frame to the date and style of the artwork rather than simply restoring whatever frame came with it. Collectors who own several works by one artist sometimes ask for matching frames across the set, and having all of them in the showroom at once makes it easier to agree on a single finish, from a bright burnished gold to an aged, toned surface.

This stretch of La Brea mixes film history and working businesses. A block south of the shop, across Sunset, the studio lot at 1416 N. La Brea Ave. was built by Charlie Chaplin in 1917 and later became the Jim Henson Company Lot, and it took the name Chaplin Studios at the start of 2026. The timbered, storybook buildings along the frontage are easy to admire from the sidewalk.

Walk north to Hollywood Boulevard and turn east one block to reach the TCL Chinese Theatre at 6925 Hollywood Blvd., with its forecourt of handprints and footprints in cement. The Metro B Line station at Hollywood/Highland is the nearest rail stop for anyone arriving without a car. Coming back down La Brea, the frame shop makes a quiet contrast to the crowds on the Walk of Fame.

Address: 1543 N La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90028, Hollywood. Hours: Monday to Thursday 9 am to 5 pm, Friday 9 am to 2 pm, Saturday closed, Sunday by appointment, and the showroom asks you to call ahead. Services: antique frame repair, refinishing and regilding in 22k gold leaf, custom framing, same-day repair or framing subject to materials. Restored frame prices on the site: $925 for a 22 by 36 inch ornate frame, $1,190 for a Richard Tobey frame.

Best for: collectors, dealers and anyone with an old gilded frame that has broken corners or worn gold. Start with photos and measurements for the free evaluation. Ask the Karpo APP for a lunch stop on La Brea or a nearby gallery, and a frame drop-off fits neatly into an afternoon in Hollywood.