The Source on Lake

So amazing ! Really helpful ! Family owned business !! Would go no where else ! Great service, prices and location ! Love it here !

This is the place to go for quality framing. Joe has a great eye and will help guide you though the myriad of possibilities. Even as an artist I can use his good taste to help me pick the right matte and fame combination for my work.

The Source on Lake did a fabulous job with our framing job. Fast and the project turned out beautifully. We were so happy to have our first piece of real art so beautifully framed. Any framing jobs you have I would highly recommend their work. :) I know I will be back!

Incredibly skilled framing. No pre-​made garbage here. Each item is a handmade work of art. Joe is an artisan, and that’s why it costs more than an Aaron Brothers. Premium quality at reasonable prices. You will not be disappointed.

I had a painting framed here. It was a fairly large piece and the paint was very thick. It needed finessing so that the glass would not touch or disturb the work, but the framer I worked with was confident that he could complete the task. And so he did! I could not be happier with how my work turned out!
When I first took my piece in I was given a lot of options for colours, matts and frames. He was patient as I picked out what I wanted and gave feedback as we went along. Since it was a large piece I knew it was going to be expensive, but considering what I picked out and the materials that had to be used, it was actually reasonably priced for a custom framing job. The work was even completed early. I am happy with the entire experience here.
I can’t wait to hang my piece on my wall and I will definitely be coming back to have my other work framed here!

I went here for a quote because of the Unilocal reviews. I thought it was a very expensive quote: ~$ 1400 for two simple 30″ x 40″ wood frames, regular glass, and matting.
More than the price I was unhappy with the service: there was no aesthetic guidance at all and now that I researched it on my own, I realize that it would have been a huge mistake to spend this money; The ratio frame size, picture size, and matting size would have been off. Also they never mentioned the ~15% wider matting on the bottom which should be done.

We found The Source by chance when we moved nearby 3 years ago. What a discovery! Joe is the consummate professional framer — a great eye for art and how to compliment it with finely customized frames. He is very patient in taking time to explore multiple options for each piece, and he never imposes his aesthetic or judgment on what you are considering. Very reasonably pricing and excellent assortment of frames. I can’t even count how many framing jobs he has done for us in the last 3 years

Joe did a great job, very professional. I was going to frame a print my girlfriend bought as a surprise birthday gift, so I needed within a pretty short period of time and Joe was very helpful in helping me choose a moulding. I don’t know how the pricing compares to other framing places but it was for my girlfriend’s birthday so I didn’t really care but he did a great job and she loved it, so that’s a good enough reason for a 5-​star rating

Joe has been framing my artwork for several years now. He’s helped me reframe some valuable vintage works on paper that required his expertise in archival framing. I trust his advice, and he has given me great suggestions on choices of mats and moldings. Plus, he’s really, really nice! It’s always a pleasure to do business with Joe.

I needed 3 paintings gallery wrapped. I was surprised at how many framing places I called that didn’t even know what that is. The Source is very near my home and so I walked in and Joe did a great job on these. He examined the pieces first to make sure that they could be gallery wrapped and then gave advice on the thickness of the bars to be used suggesting that the 2 inch bars would look more dramatic on the large paintings. The paintings look great. The price was a little more than half of Aaron brothers price and he got them done in only 2 days! Aaron brothers said it would take them 10 days!

I went to Source on Lake because of the rave reviews on Unilocal.And I honestly was not disappointed by my experience in the least bit.
I showed up on two different occasions and both times, Joe (the owner), dropped everything he was doing to review what I wanted. This was no easy thing! It took us over an hour each time to get it right!
He worked with me on my narrow budget AND when I said I needed everything in a week, he didn’t flinch! He totally came in on time and the work… well, the work speaks for itself. I took a different approach to an item that I wasn’t sure about. And, well, Joe just did his magic and made me feel like a genius for wanting to do something *different* (of course, Joe was the genius!).
All this said, this is a much more personalized experience than say Aaron Brothers. You will pay a little more, but it’s so worth it to speak with someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Joe. Moreover, I totally trust my precious family photos to be preserved by his commitment to using archival products.
He clearly loves what he does and he’s excellent at it, so… can’t really beat that combo.
Highly recommend it. I’ll be going back for future projects!

Joe has been framing art for us for about three years now. The workmanship is top notch and he’s very patient while you sort through all the mattes and frames. I’m picky about framing — the corners have to be just right — and I’ve been satisfied 100% of the time.

Extremely professional and gracious. This is a long overdue post. Right before my baby was due I had three prints framed, two paintings framed, and one photograph reframed. Joe did an awesome job on everything and truly saved me a ton by encouraging me to take advantage of an upcoming penny sale at Aaron Brothers for the nursery prints. We then customized the mats, and changed out to shatter proof coverings. The painting frames also were a perfect match to the treasured photo’s frame. And everything was done before baby arrived! Thanks again!

You won’t find a better framer and more reasonably priced in Pasadena. Period. Not only that, Joe Boutell, the owner is a fantastic artist himself and has mad skills with mattes (you can see samples in the store). He is personable and really talented and, as the other reviewer said, you will be shocked at his quotes after coming from other places in town. his shop might nt be located in the most central area of Pasadena but it is worth the effort and if you have to wait to can always look at the wonderful Xiem ceramics gallery next door.

Need anything framed? Come here. Stay away from Aaron Bros. and the like; the artists here (and artists they are) will evaluate your print, photo, or painting and work with you to create the perfect frame. Detail oriented and shockingly inexpensive (I say shockingly because the quality is so high), you really can’t miss. It’s tucked away, so you may have to look carefully to find it in a rather bland area just south of the Altadena border; worth the trip «up the hill.»

I highly recommend this place! They’ve framed a lot of stuff for me and it always comes out perfect. Joe is the name of the guy who started this place a few years ago. He’s super friendly, accommodating, and highly professional. You can tell he loves framing because he has examples of his special projects on display in the front of the store. Crazy matte work! They’re really well crafted down to the smallest details! Plus I’ve checked around and the prices are definitely a bargain.