Finding the artwork you love is two-thirds of the challenge. Now that you own some great pieces, it’s time to frame up those beloved creations and get them on the wall. Let’s help you get there.

Simple frames are ideal in the sense that they're contemporary and timeless and showcase your art more so than a decorative frame would. That being said, it’s also fun to go in an entirely unexpected route and have an uber decorative, detailed, Hollywood Regency- style frame around an austere charcoal sketch. Smaller works of art can look surprisingly, unexpectedly wonderful with very wide mats and skinny frames. We suggest sticking with white or neutral-toned mats (4-ply or thicker, always acid-free). You can choose to go entirely custom at your favorite local framers’ or you can get a custom archival mat cut for your work on paper and then pick up a readymade frame from Ikea or West Elm – they actually have some pretty great straightforward styles.

In any event, it’s incredibly helpful for you to visit your local framing shop. We happen to adore Sherman Gallery in Marina Del Rey and almost exclusively use them for all of our own artwork, as well as clients’. Below, Mike Graves of Sherman Gallery shares some priceless framing tips:


For framing on a budget, aluminum frames and simple wood frames are available. If preservation of the art is important, an acid free mat and backing should be used as well as UV protective glass or Plexiglas. Regular paper mats are acidic and can damage artwork over time.

For framing works on canvas, a simple "floater" frame is the best modern option. This gives a simple edge of wood as border, while not covering any surface of the painting. You can also use standard frames with a lip.

For framing work with deckled edges, it's best to float the art. This means that the art sits on top of the mat and is not covered. Usually, when floating, a deep frame is used with a set-back or "spacer" to give a shadow box look.

A good frame should complement and enhance the art, but not distract or draw the attention away from it. There should be a balance between the color in the art, the mat and the frame.

There you have it, rumba readers. Now go get some hooks and get ready for the next exciting step – hanging!]]>http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-13001191.xmlArt openingJohn RobertsonLynn HansonRumbaSaturdaySeptember 24thart coupleboxerscrowsknotsswimmersrumbaWed, 21 Sep 2011 00:06:51 +0000http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/2011/9/20/saturday-september-24th-hook-with-lynn-hanson-john-robertson.html56880:10347078:12930434

Join us this Saturday night for the opening reception of hook, featuring work by the uber talented art couple, Lynn Hanson and John Robertson. From 6-8 p.m. on Saturday the 24th, we’ll be celebrating their super-sized swimmers and boxers, as well as detailed renderings of knots and crows. Not to be missed!]]>http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-12930434.xmlCecilioDalia LitvakFine ArtJewelryLui Antal DeakPinksRebecca DarlingRicco VintageRumbaSanta Monica Flea marketVintageantiquesshoppingrumbaMon, 12 Sep 2011 06:42:58 +0000http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/2011/9/12/the-rumba-girls-do-the-santa-monica-flea.html56880:10347078:12813267 While the Santa Monica Flea Market doesn’t always have the most outstanding finds, it’s truly bountiful in its offering of fascinating characters like Lui Antal Deak (showing an abstract oil painting below), a loquacious, lovely Frenchman who deals in fine art and who also happens to be a nudist, which is, we suppose, unrelated. This early Sunday morning, he informed us he’s met perfect ten “bleached out” supermodels, their passion and sensuality gone cold. “It isn’t about what kind of car you have, it’s about how you drive your vehicle,” he euphemistically and sagely stated.


From there, we moved onto Dalia Litvak’s booth to check out her inimitable jewelry. She began producing her creations a decade ago, when her collection of jewels, pearls, and chains, dating from the Victorian to the modern Italian and everywhere in between, began evolving into one-of-a-kind pieces, merging old and new in innovative, unexpected ways. We then dropped by our friend Cecilio’s booth (pictured below with one of a pair of 1930s ceramic lamps he’d sold just seconds before). Cecilio is a regular Santa Monica flea vendor and his shop on La Brea, Things Antiques, is a secret hotspot for stellar vintage finds. And you can head right next door after shopping with Cecilio for a Pink’s dog.


This particular Sunday was good for vintage clothing scouting and we were hunting for some tailored vintage dresses (with no success, unfortunately). Rococo Vintage (vintage clothing for tyrannical aesthetes) gave us a super tip concerning vintage clothing, which confounds most women in terms of sizing: take the waist of any vintage (or unsized) dress to your neck and wrap it around – if it reaches all the way around and overlaps a bit, it’s likely to fit your waist. Incredibly helpful for future vintage clothing shopping! Thanks, Rebecca Darling.



At Cindy Ciskowski’s booth, we nabbed a collection of new linen drumshades and a pair of graphic yellow and white pillows (shown off by Cindy herself in the photo) as we’re truly nuts about the color yellow right now. We also fell in love with a single pillow in a beautiful, subtly tea-stained, antiqued pattern. This trend is huge right now in New York. ABC Carpet is loving it in a major way. And so are we. Expect more of this in the months to come for textiles across the board – rugs, pillows, windows, upholstery, and more.








Go to the Santa Monica Flea Market and experience it for yourself! It’s on the first and fourth Sunday of every month and if the antique art, furniture, lamps, and jewelry don’t charm you, we’re willing to bet the people will.]]>http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-12813267.xml20x200 project50 WattsArt ContemporaryBergamot StationEnormous Tiny ArtGallery 825How to get are you loveLeukemia Needs FoundationLittle Paper PlanesLos Angeles Art AssociationSanta MonicaShoshana Wayne GalleryrumbaSun, 14 Aug 2011 20:31:19 +0000http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/2011/8/14/how-to-get-art-you-love.html56880:10347078:12512935 Art. We love it. And maybe you do, too, but you’re stymied about how to get it. Perhaps it seems intimidating, especially when it comes to abstract art, where “trained” versus “untrained” becomes a determining factor. Could you tell the difference between a Sam Francis original and the handiwork of an expressive monkey? While you might think not, your innate intuition concerning abstract art is stronger than you think, so don’t get too caught up in the details or what’s “right” or “wrong”. And hopefully, our hard-earned tips to getting your hands on art you love and beginning (or adding to) your collection will help!

#1 - Attend as many art openings and gallery exhibitions as you can. This is absolutely the best way to get to know who’s hot or up-and-coming, read his/her resume, see his/her work hung in a buzzing gallery with others, and, most importantly, get to know your own taste by way of exposing yourself to all genres of art. Do not miss Santa Monica’s Bergamot openings – a plethora of galleries grouped together, showing emerging to mid-career to established artists. The Shoshana Wayne Gallery is currently showing a gigantic group show called “Chain Letter” – literally hundreds upon hundreds of three-dimensional pieces from artists all over the country. Worth checking out for the teeming piles of artwork alone!

#2 - Check out art fairs like Art Contemporary Los Angeles and art supporters like the Los Angeles Art Association, the latter of which tends to encourage and exhibit artists in the earlier stages of their careers. Their La Cienega gallery space, Gallery 825, has introduced us to a handful of new, gloriously talented artists. On top of which, the work is less likely to be super spendy since the artists aren’t yet household names!

#3 - Photography and works on paper tend to be more abundant, as there are limited runs of the former and, oftentimes, lithographs and limited edition prints of the latter. Websites like New York gallerist Jennifer Bekman’s 20x200 project and Little Paper Planes give you amazing access to inexpensive, limited edition prints that you can search by price, color, and medium. Also online, Nahcotta Gallery’s Enormous Tiny Art Show carries affordable, small works running the gamut from illustrative to representational – all original and one-of-a-kind.

#4 - Shop with gallerists and shopowners and consultants who are amenable to taking pieces on short-term approval. Nothing will determine if the size, color, tone, and subject matter of a photograph, painting, or sculpture works in a space more definitively than actually seeing the artwork in the space itself!

#5 - Online galleries devoted to a cause, like the 50 Watts program of work created exclusively by people with autism, “teenage amateurs to established artists”, and the Leukemia Needs Foundation, which has events like “ Art for the Cause”, can also be wonderful and rewarding ways to support the arts. Not to mention, some of the artwork is absolutely breathtaking, like this piece below, painted by Jessica Park, a young autistic girl.



Art makes your space, and your creative perspectives, more provocative and more beautiful. Embrace it and make your home or office that much more amazing! And stay tuned for part two of our “how to” series: how to successfully frame your pieces, which is an art form in and of itself.]]>http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-12512935.xml1stdibsIsamu NoguchiMilo Baughman SofaNed EvansRumbabrown jordanburlwood vasescoffee tablefirst lookglass top dining tablein storelucite-framenew piecesrumbaFri, 22 Jul 2011 01:25:31 +0000http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/2011/7/21/first-look-whats-new-at-rumba.html56880:10347078:12214697 rumba’s FIRST LOOK brings you rumba lovers the most recent goods before they’re available on our site or 1stdibs page. This is just a smattering of the new pieces we have here at the shop. More pieces will be posted early next week. In the meantime, email us for details at rumba@rumbastyle.com if you find any of these pieces pique your interest.


Take the traditional concept of potted plants a step or two further with this pair of beautiful burlwood vases. A smidge of the Lucite-framed work on paper by artist Ned Evans is visible from above in this photo. We think this colorful work offsets the potted sunflowers and Milo Baughman sofa wonderfully, don’t you?


Straight from 1949, it’s Isamu Noguchi’s iconic coffee table, featuring an impeccable walnut base and thick glass top. Unbelievably gorgeous, this piece is in exquisite condition.


Spectacular vintage Brown Jordan glass-topped dining table with white metal base, topped by a vintage white planter with a pair of white ThinLine metal dining chairs alongside. Perfect for luxurious al fresco dining in the summer evenings!]]>http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-12214697.xmlEmployeeFiredInterior designerIphoneRefinisherRumbacourierelecticianhandymanhangerrumbaSat, 09 Jul 2011 17:52:23 +0000http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/2011/7/9/finding-ramon.html56880:10347078:12058194 “I’m here, but where’s Ramon?” These words are destined to become the epitaph on my headstone, because if I had a dime for every time “Where’s Ramon?” was asked at rumba, I’d be a wealthy woman. With his low-slung posture and shrugging, eyes hidden behind opague sunglasses, worn even into the evening hours, he somehow, inexplicably, manages to be pardoned for his disappearances and foibles. He’s worked with rumba for three years as a refinisher and everyman. Although we love and appreciate Ramon for his skills and all-round likeability,he drives us mad on an almost-daily basis.

He’s like your guileless brother who once innocently uttered inappropriate comments to your best friend at a party, but is totally forgiven by you due to his harmlessness and charm. Though, to be fair, Ramon’s more of a son than a brother, most times. He’s nearly been fired on no fewer than on a dozen occasions, but I always fall short of uttering the fatalistic pairing of words. Sometimes, he won’t answer his phone for days, setting us into a panic, eventually showing up and succinctly explaining, “My phone was not working,” holding out an iPhone with an ominously black screen. Once again, he sidesteps termination. (sidenote: we’ve fixed his phone nearly as many times as he’s almost been fired.)

I recently joked with several fellow interior designers about not knowing the whereabouts of Ramon at that particular moment. They nodded sagely and concurred, “Everyone has a Ramon.” In the design industry, each of us seems to have a refinisher/mover/painter/electrician/hanger/courier who defies the standard practices of employment. Thankfully, Ramon’s refinishing work is amazing. And for that, he is almost irreplaceable.
The renowned Ramon, grinning truckside.]]>http://www.rumbastyle.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-12058194.xml