25 Years in the Making: The Bella Origin Story

Some things begin with a business plan. Bella began with a point of view.

Twenty-five years ago, we saw an opening—space for better design, better materials and a more thoughtful approach to the frame itself. Bella was built on the belief that beautifully made mouldings didn’t need to be rare or precious—and that if others could do it, we could do it with more intention, more character and more personality.

What has followed is twenty-five years of making, refining, rethinking and occasionally re-imagining what a frame could be—made possible by a creative community (that’s you!) that understood this point of view and brought it to life.

The Early Days

The earliest Bella collections were classic Italian beauties, the kind that didn’t need explaining. Names like Bellissimo, Francesca and Pronto—romantic, timeless and rooted in European tradition. They reflected a deep respect for craftsmanship and an eye for proportion, finish and beautiful details.

And some things, it turns out, don’t age. The Checkmate—introduced in those early years—remains a staple today. Graphic, versatile and endlessly relevant. Proof that good design always endures.

Risk, Reward and a Little Glitter

Not every step along the way was safe—and that was the point.

In 2007, Bella took a leap with our Vegas collection. Glitter-covered mouldings weren’t exactly a guaranteed win, and there were more than a few raised eyebrows along the way. But the risk paid off. For years, the 1” Pinky Glitter reigned as Bella’s top seller, a reminder that joy, sparkle and confidence have a place in custom framing.

Of course, not every experiment was a triumph. (The fuzzy giraffe-and-zebra Petting Zoo collection still makes an occasional appearance in storage.) But even the missteps are part of the story—pushing ourselves to try, to stretch and to see what happens when you let creativity lead.

The Prisma Moment

Some of the most meaningful moments in Bella’s story have come from recognizing something special — and wanting to see it go further.

Prisma started with the vision of a single industrial designer working independently in Oregon, creating bold acrylic frames. Technically challenging and engineered with real ingenuity, these frames weren’t easy to make — and because of that, they were only offered to a handful of shops nationwide. But our retail team loved them for their playful spirit and the way they broke through the usual framing vocabulary.

When the designer closed up shop, it was genuinely upsetting to think that this idea — part art, part science and full of color — might go away. So, we reached out and worked with the designer to continue the line, thoughtfully introducing improvements that let us produce these vibrant, customizable acrylic frames at the scale and quality our customers expect. 

That evolution became Prisma—a collection that takes picture framing into “a whole new spectrum” of color, shape and pattern, and that thrives in design-driven environments where creativity matters. 

Prisma wasn’t just another product. It became a defining moment for Bella — signaling a brand ready to be playful, vibrant and a little irreverent, while also pushing us to expand our operational and manufacturing expertise.

Craft, Then and Now

Over twenty-five years, much has changed—and yet much hasn’t.

Many of Bella’s Italian suppliers are now second- and third-generation craftspeople, carrying forward traditions of gold leafing, marquetry and wood carving that predate all of us. The methods remain time-honored. The hands are practiced. And the standards are uncompromising.

What has evolved is the range—a broader palette and the confidence to mix tradition with modernity, restraint with playfulness and refinement with a touch of irreverence.

What Endures

Looking back, certain collections feel inevitable in hindsight: the soulful finishes of Raku, the exuberance of Vegas, the graphic optimism of Rainbow Parade, the clarity of Prisma Rays and Polka Dots. They resonated not because they followed trends, but because they were unmistakably Bella—true to a point of view our creative community recognized and embraced.

And then there are the stories. Italian salesmen with impeccable suits and questionable timing. Trade shows. Sketches fueled by coffee and prosecco. Design competitions that turned frames into statements of love, memory and meaning.

These are the textures of Bella’s history—the things that don’t show up in catalogs but are integral to who we are.

Thank You for 25 Beautiful Years

Bella’s story is still being written. But twenty-five years in, one thing feels certain: this has never been about frames alone. It’s about our shared belief as custom framers that beauty matters. That art and framing is part of a life well-lived. And that the most compelling choices are the ones that refuse to play it safe, pairing refinement with the unique and unexpected.

Thank you for being part of the journey and shaping Bella into what it is today. Cheers to what we’ve made, and to everything still ahead!