Where to Buy Picture Frames - A guide to DIY Frames in Australia

So many customers are asking this question - where is the best place I can buy picture or poster frames? With too many options out there, we decided to create this guide to buying DIY frames from popular Australian retail stores, so you can create the look you love!

Don't forget we also sell a range of high quality poster frames - all with free global shipping. Check out our range of high quality empty poster frames if you prefer to shop online and need a better selection of larger sizes, as these can be tricky to find in retail stores as shown below. 

Read on to find out about cheap and cheerful frames, plus more expensive options. Each have pros and cons as we explain. The stores mentioned below have frames which will fit our unframed art prints.

We suggest buying your frames first, then purchasing your unframed art prints or posters. More than a few customers in the past purchased their prints first and then found frames they needed were sold out.. despite seeing them in-store a week earlier. So if you see a frame you like, grab it! Most large retail stores will return or exchange for a different size later if you change your mind.

Be careful when buying unframed prints. They need to be above 220gsm + in thickness so they are less likely to warp over time. 

Pro Tip -- Prints should be MATTE not GLOSS! Gloss prints can stick to glass and cannot be removed without ripping them off later.

 

IKEA

Let's begin with our favourite! We love getting lost here and finding all sorts of ideas and things we never knew we needed. The Swedish giant has an incredible range of frames in a heap of the same sizes we offer, like A4, A3, 40 x 50cm, 50 x 70 cm etc. Have a look on their website before you go in to suss it all out!

Ranging from black, white, gold, silver and various shades of wood - sooo many to choose from! Prices range from really cheap (think 50 cents for a plastic frame of ambiguous quality) to medium range for something a bit more substantial (think 50-ish dollars). They used to have a lot of glass faced frames, however it has now moved to mostly acrylic. 

Their most popular is the RIBBA frame which comes in small, medium to large sizes at reasonable prices. Online ordering is also available which is a huge bonus.

Pro Tip - The thinner the acrylic glass is, the more your print may warp or ripple over time. The clear face can also look wavy in certain light. Go for thicker (2-3mm +) acrylic glass.. or real glass if you can! It may be more expensive & heavier.. but will look much better on the wall 🙌 

 

KMART

Here comes the most popular choice! Kmart is well known & most loved for its frugal yet fashionable home decor items. They stock a huge variety of frames in small + large sizes, which are difficult to find at a comparable price elsewhere. If you are lucky enough, you have a late night or 24/7 Kmart near you 😃

Be warned though, most of the frames here come with thin acrylic faces instead of glass. The quality is hit and miss. Carefully check the frames for any cracks in the frame or clear face before purchase. We have bought some in the past only to find damage later before we even opened them up!

Their ANKO brand largest frame size is 61 x 91.5cm, then goes down to A1, A2, A3, A4 and smaller. There are also popular frame sizes in inches for family photos etc. Worth mentioning you cannot beat their $2 price for the A4 black frame, this one even comes with a real glass face. 

Keep in mind you get what you pay for. these are not excellent frames and may not last the distance. They are not built to last at these low prices. If you are after cheap and cheerful, this is the place to go. 

Pro Tip -  An easy way to tell if the clear face is real glass or not is to touch it with the tip of your finger (even if its got shrink wrap around it). If it feels cold, then it's usually real glass. If it's the same temperature as the room, then its usually acrylic!

 

BIG W

There is nothing better than aimlessly wandering the aisles checking out the camping gear, underpants, garden furniture, and homewares all in the same store 😂 We are sad to see some of these stores close over recent times. However we have found them to be a treasure trove of frames! 

Really cute decor style frames with metallic accents, decorative trim and chain hanging contraptions, there are so many to find here and they are changing the styles all the time. If you see it - buy it. It might not be there tomorrow. 

Their prices range from low to mid range. They are not as cheap as Kmart in some sizes. Expect to pay about $10-$15 more for a larger frame here. They do have glass options but these tend to be in the smaller frames only. 

Great options here for smaller frames to fit family photos, or medium sizes to fit small posters or certificates.

 

TARGET

Good ole Tar-jay! If you want something a little more posh but not overwhelming in price, this is the place to go. With their unique range of fashionable home, fashion and decor ranges it's always a pleasure to peruse the aisles for hours at a time. You never know what gems you may find here 🥰

Here you will find a nice selection of frames, which we would say are mid range in quality. They have a very limited number of larger frames, and a good selection of smaller ones. Some are unique like their current range of wicker and marble frames. They are constantly changing stock depending on the latest homewares trends. If you see something you like grab it, as the fashion ranges are only there for a limited amount of time. 

Their house brand is currently called FRASER or HOME, and the frames are available in standard colours of black, white and timber as shown in photos below. It's worth noting the largest empty frames we could find when we went was 28 x 36 cm. Most of them have real glass. Prices are reasonable -  slightly more expensive than their sister brands at KMART.

 

THE REJECT SHOP

You know the feeling.. if you see the reject shop, you just simply cannot walk past without a quick browse! Or maybe its just us 😂 You never know the goodies to be found inside... the treasure troves never disappoint. You never know which big name brands you come across at usually 1/2 to 1/3 of their normal retail price. 

Here you will also find a good selection of frames, which seem to be on-par with Kmart quality however a slightly wider selection of unique styles. Like most stores, here you will find a good selection of small frames with a limited number of larger ones. A4 frames at $2 each for the basic style. We were able to find A2 ($12) and 60x90cm ($25) frames on this particular day.

Also worth a mention was their chic instant gallery wall frame set which came with 8 frames in the box in varied sizes for that perfect gallery wall look. Another cute option was a frame with grid wire and pegs, perfect for displaying postcards and notes. 

 

FREEDOM

If you are after higher end glass frames, Freedom have a few on offer. They used to have a wider selection in-store however we were quite disappointed to see a drastically reduced offering at our local in Miranda NSW, with staff encouraging us to shop online for the larger frames (even though they are fragile items).

That aside, the frames are great quality and feel solid in your hand. Most of them have real glass faces. The smallest ones start at $9.95 so the pricing is quite reasonable. The largest size we can find on their website currently is A2 (which is double A3) at $49.95. This is disappointing as they used to have larger poster sizes available. We suspect they have supply issues due to COVID. Will check back in the coming months and see if this has changed!

Expect to pay more but the product itself is fantastic and will last you a lot longer than a Kmart frame with a thin acrylic face on top. 

Lastly we loved their photo frame sets for that instant Gallery Wall look. Not cheap here again but the quality is lovely. These are great for family photos in the hallway, above a console, or standing on a flat surface. Try your luck at Freedom and let us know if your local store has more on display than ours.

 

MYER

If you are after some quality frames, this is a great place to check out. We found the customer service to be the same as Kmart, and the ranges are not as fashionable in our opinion. However the plain frames in black, white and timber are great quality and Australian-made.

Size wise not as many as we hoped for, no one seems to be able to get as big as the Kmart 61 x 91.5 cm frame. However the quality is great and they use real glass. The ECO range also uses sustainable timber and offers a lifetime guarantee. 

Expect to pay 2-4 times the prices of Kmart here. The product you get is far more superior and will last a long time.

They do have a metallic range of frames in sleek designs, but nothing too trendy. Stuff you would gift to mum or gran for Christmas, think antique look heraldry or hamptons styles.

 

DAVID JONES

The most expensive, yet best quality so far. Expect to pay $40 for a small frame here. They also stock the ECO & PROFILE brands (same as Myer). Both these brands are Made in Australia.

Their fashion range of terrazzo, marble and gold styles are just lovely. They don't seem scared to offer trendy styles, unlike the current selection in Myer. Here you will also find high end frames by brands such as Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang and Whitehill. 

All the frames we looked at had real glass. The sizes were again on the smaller side. Nothing larger than A2 or similar. It's a shame the Poster frames are so hard to find. However a poster frame with real glass would be so fragile, it may not be sitting on the shop floor for safety reasons.

 

COUNTRY ROAD

Country Road Frames, a recently launched range in the last few years. We have just spotted these in our local and added them to this page. Another expensive option though, but worth the price!

Slick and modern, made of solid wood and black board MDF backing on the larger sizes. We found a heap of small sizes such as A4 and below, and a nice range of larger sizes like A2 and A1 that were really difficult to find elsewhere. Mind you the price is quite high, but the quality is nice and solid. No glass on the larger sizes which is probably a good thing considering how fragile and heavy that would be! 

Quality is on par with David Jones (who also now stock this brand of frames), however as far as we can see they are not made in Australia. We had to ask a team member, as the products dont have any country of origin labels on them. If you're looking for nice solid frames these are a good option. 

 

OFFICEWORKS

This place is a little gem where you find a lovely variety of frames usually displayed near the print and copy stations. You don't expect them to have such a great range, and it's worth noting they can do large frames too but most stores have to special order them in.

Prices range from cheap $2 certificate frames to $80 thick timber frames. Most of them are in acrylic and the smaller ones can have real glass.

Check out our local, there is no shortage of stores across the nation from Sydney to Perth, and they stay open till late - bonus!

 

 

SPOTLIGHT

The home of haberdashery and craft!  Who knew.. they now stock a range of homewares, decor and frames. We went hunting and then got lost in the home decor section.. whoops! Some really amazing stuff and great stock levels even during COVID at our local. Head to your nearest store to check out their massive range of frames, and we love that they have a good selection of larger sizes too! 

Keep an eye out for the acrylic though, we couldn't find much glass here. Pricing is reasonable as well but as above, not as cheap as Kmart in a lot of the larger sizes.

 

 

TK MAXX

These guys are new-ish to Australia but well worth mentioning. Although there are not many locations yet, we try and visit whenever we are near one as they have so many designer brand goodies at fantastic discounted prices.

Recently we visited the newly opened Belconnen store in ACT. They did not disappoint! Spotted some luxe brands like Marc Jacobs, Rachel Zoe, Profile and Studio Nova. Anywhere from plain, luxe metallic to cute kids styles, check it out and grab whatever you need before they go!

Prices and stock vary so much here, as they are constantly selling through and replenishing depending on what brands want to offload end of season items. 

Again not many larger sizes here. Keep in mind the stock varies every week, but you can get amazing quality or a fraction of the cost. 

 

If you have any other stores in mind we might have missed here, shoot through an email and we can check them out on our next retail therapy session! Until then happy frame shopping 😃