A craft, passed down.

I started Framehouse in March 2025 after a long career — most of it with SAP, a German software company. Framing is a craft my dad, John, taught me. He ran a studio out of his garage for eighteen years after retiring, serving artists and clients, and I'd spend time in the workshop with him whenever my family visited. It was there I learned that good framing is never rushed.

My workshop, now equipped with professional machinery, is at home in Brookfield. I see clients by appointment. Unfortunately, I don't offer same-day framing — there are plenty of shops that do that. Sourcing the right moulding and matboard from suppliers (if I don't have them in stock) for each piece matters more than speed.

Alongside Me

Lois.

Lois works alongside me in the studio. She has an expert eye for colour and design that transforms every consultation into a thoughtful aesthetic conversation — a decor and garden enthusiast, and an insatiable forager of all things beautiful for the home. She is also skilled in frame refurbishment and restoration.

Lois paints in acrylic on board from her home studio, drawn to still life, colour and texture. Originally from Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, she migrated to Australia in 1997. A former newspaper and magazine journalist, she is the author of Aussie, Actually — a heartfelt account of life as a South African migrant in Australia — and two children's books illustrated by our daughter, Lara (@laranicholls.art), What Dog is That? and How to Catch a Mozzie. Between us we have three grown children — two married, and our youngest son to be married in September 2026.

Find her books & writing on her Linktree, or read her regularly on Substack.

As an author