Benjamin Lai finished the highly acclaimed Van Der Kelen in 1995 and was immediately immersed into the high end residential sector after returning to his hometown NYC. He spent the better part of his career continuing to fine tune his skills, learning about the other aspects of decorative painting, job management and also adjusting and creating new techniques. Alison had gone from wanting to be a fine art painter to majoring in Interior Design at The Columbus College of Art and Design. Alison continues, “Soon after graduating I had a successful career in Ohio and even garnered several awards for my interiors work, but working for a large firm was wearing thin and moving to NYC was enticing.” She then worked with a few designers in NYC as well as doing independent work.

Alison shares their fated meeting, “Ben and I crossed paths via NYC Craigslist! He placed an ad to meet creative people, chat and hopefully collaborate on an experimental level.” Of all the intriguing personalities that he met, one person stood out: Alison. After many cups of coffee, Alison and Benjamin knew that there was a unique connection between them. Meaningful design and philanthropic resolutions were the initial subjects that inspired the two, but also the realization that the unique skills and ideas of both could translate into a great combination.

Alison and Benjamin spent more than a year developing samples, concepts and ideas. During this time they were able to collaborate on several jobs together by bringing each other onto their own jobs. This helped them to really establish the logistics for their working relationship and fortify their beliefs in each other. Now Alison is the Creative Director for Causer + Lai and Benjamin, the Technical Manager.

Where do you see decorative painting headed?

Decorative Painting is a very misunderstood field in America. In Europe, decorative painting is a skilled trade and there are very serious schools that teach it. I think the widespread understanding of it is basically whatever sells in Home Depot. It’s amazing how even a lot of interior designers and architects don’t really understand what it is. Most people think that it’s this weekend craftsy thing that can be done by most do-it-yourselfers because of all the ready-made stuff. I think that there will better exposure and understanding in years to come. The trend will incorporate much more complex modern color themes and active layering techniques.

Above, some of the intricate work that goes into the decorative painting process.  Below, some of the gorgeous finishes created by Causer + Lai.

What is your personal artisan philosophy?

Surface Design Collectivism! We love collaboration. Every job is an extension of not just us but the client as well. Art is a form of expression and our roles are pretty well defined when clients hire us, but it is this need to express that a client feels when desiring to redo their home. Our projects and spaces are shaped by this type of social environment. Working together, respecting and understanding each others ideas is our philosophy.

What are your favorite go-to materials?

All of our techniques vary a lot but you would be amazed at what we could create with metallics, some beer and shellac!

What is the best professional advice you have received?

We believe strongly in Clean. Clean. Clean.

I first got this advice while studying with Monsieur Van Der Kelen in 1994. Monsieur’s smock was always pristine and white. All the student’s smocks, on the other hand, were filthy from paint. One day he told me that my smock was a reflection of who I am as a professional.

The majority of our work is in private homes. We like to treat their homes with respect like our own homes. We arrive in clean clothes, work neatly, clean up and organize at the end of every work day. Our tidiness is a reflection of who we are as professionals.

What is your ideal job for a month?

We would love to do a boutique restaurant or hotel in a Biedermeier style. Or really any style… We would also really enjoy working on a job that is giving back to the community such as a whole shelter, with murals and texture work.

Professionally, who are some of your inspirations?

Klimt, Picasso, Clyfford Still, Graffiti as a movement, Katsushika Hokusai or anything during Edo Period, Sol LeWitt, Mark Rothko, Imi Knoebel, Pollock, Chuck Close.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at an innovative, forward-thinking studio that still respects the disciplines of artistry.  You can see more of the work of Causer + Lai on their website as well as their Tumblr, Facebook fan page, Twitter account and Pinterest boards.  I thank both Alison and Benjamin immensely for their time and for sharing their projects as well.  Hope you have an inspired day!

We kick off with a colorful and fanciful canvas by New Orleans artist Gretchen Weller Howard.  This particular image was feature in the book Big, Easy Style by Bryan Batt. Her earliest works included graphic design and decorative painting.

This striking mural in polystyrene is in an attic apartment and mimics the exterior foliage.  Just so amazing and I love it in black & white. Do you? It was was featured in Livingetc.

Wall & Deco is one of my favorite wallcovering lines. They have such inspiring and creative works! This one is called Poppy.

The shadow mural of the bird on the branches is just so sweet! I think this dresser is adorable — and perfect for a spring-inspired guest room!  It was finished by the studio of Gypsy Barn. They didn’t do a reverse technique while masking the design. Instead, they chipped the finish off to showcase the mahogany underneath. Very cool.

Aren’t these gorgeous? LOVE them! They gigantic graphic flower mural is the work of Metro Finishes in Orlando’s Suite B Lounge. Below is a closer look.

I spied the picture below a few years ago in House & Garden magazine and have always enjoyed it…

I love how elegant and simple this sgraffito finish is — especially when paired with its inspiration.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our welcome to Spring with birds, trees and flowers!  I look forward to sharing more ideas, inspiration, artists and information with you as well.  Have a beautiful day!

Photographed by Janis Nicolay for House & Home

Wishing you and your loved ones a beautiful holiday filled with laughter and love!

To give you an idea of its space in the home, here is an image from the living room (an interior court). The foyer itself has glazed walls and Moroccan-inspired arched windows.

Here are a few close-ups.  According to archive records, the “ceiling beams enclose areas of canvas painted with conventionalized foliated motifs in red and gray. That decoration…[was] created by Robert Webb“. Mr. Webb was an artist who studied under John Singer Sargent and he mastered gold leafing and mural work while assisting him.  After a few years and solo projects on his own, he moved his family to Florida. It is said that while Mr. Webb was working on the grape leaf design on the foyer ceiling, his client John Ringling said, “Webb, hurry up! I’m running out of time and money!” to which Mr. Webb immediately put down his brush and said “I’m finished!”. The panel to this day remains uncompleted.  Here’s a few close-ups.

Grape tree close-up (above) and within the panel (below)

Do click here to see a visual tour — walk straight ahead and you’ll run right into the foyer. It is interesting to note that the artist, Robert Webb, had a daughter named Thelma who wrote his biography and filled it with his life story, experiences and anecdotes about his peers and projects. She called it Tramp Artist. I’ll be needing to purchase that.

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NEW PRODUCTS

Robyn has quite a few delicious new offerings in her shop. Not only is she one of the top stockists of Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan, she is also carrying Annie’s new Workbook and fabric line!  The wire-bound Workbook is an interactive notebook for home design enthusiasts featuring hand-drawn illustrations, ruled and plain pages, expandable inner pockets and an elasticated tie-closure — it’s a personal book to keep your decor ideas, colors and inspirations right at hand.

The Annie Sloan fabric line (some featured below left) has eight different patterns in toiles and tickings that come direct from factories in Belgium and France and have been selected to complement the colors of Chalk Paint. Brilliant!

Bella Notte Linens (above right) is also a new collection series! They are the world’s first easy care, garment-dyed luxury linens. Irresistibly soft and gloriously colored, every order is custom dyed using low-impact, non-toxic dyes. Don’t they sound sumptuous?

Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint is a new paint product that is also available at Robyn’s boutique!  Milk Paint is an ancient all-natural paint containing basic ingredients including milk protein (casein), limestone, clay and natural pigments. It is interior and exterior rated for many surfaces and is naturally mold resistant. Very pretty!

SUPER SALE

Robyn Story Designs is having a store-wide Pre-Christmas sale — so they are the perfect stop to visit while doing your last minute shopping!  Here’s more information to have on hand while heading to the shop.

HOLIDAY DESIGN SERVICES

Robyn’s team is so well-known for their fabulous interior design services, that even Tampa’s International Airport had them do all their holiday decorations!  At this time of year, the design team is super-busy helping everyone prepare for the holidays and their decor is always fresh, inspired and oh-so-gorgeous.  It’s truly a joy to see the warm and festive results!

Holiday Works in Progress at Tampa International Airport

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I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about Robyn Story Designs — a visit to Tampa, FL means a must visit to her beautiful shop to see every charming nook and cranny. You’re sure to take home something perfect for your space, trust.  Do check in with their lively Facebook page and blog as they always have something new and wonderful to share!  Thank you so much, Robyn, for all your support of Fauxology!

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VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS

Imagine learning amazing finishes and techniques in the comfort of your own home, wearing your favorite pajamas with a nice cup of hot chocolate at your side — all at your own pace, without travel and lodging costs. That’s the beauty of Virtual Workshops.  There are four classes available: SkimStone & Modello® Stencils, Antique Mirror & Glass, Metallic Foils and Stencil Impressions. Each class comes with video lessons and a complete, illustrated manual. If you see each of the class descriptions, they come with informative videos and module lessons.  As the classes are ongoing, you can start a class as soon as you register!

Special Pricing on Virtual Workshops through December 31st!

NEW STENCIL CREME COLORS & STENCILS

Stencil Cremes are a fantastic stencil paint with opaque coverage and creamy, dreamy application. Eight new colors were introduced just last week and they have special pricing through the end of the year!  In addition, a few new stencil patterns were added to the Royal Design Studio collection — you can always see the latest additions in the New Stencil Designs area of their website.

 COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

For ten days until Christmas Eve, Royal Design Studio will feature one selected stencil per day at 50% off!  They are on Day 6 and have a few stencils to go — will your favorite be among them?  Be sure to use the code given for your half off savings!

The daily selected stencils will be showcase on their Facebook page, Twitter account and Pinterest boards.  Do be sure to follow and “like” them for plenty of inspiration, too!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more the latest and greatest with Royal Design Studio!  They also have the Design Amour and Stencil Ideas blog with creative artists and fab projects showcased regularly — great reads!  A nice, big lush Thank You! goes out to Royal Design for the Fauxology support!

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NEW CLASSES & STENCILS

Looking ahead to 2013, Sheri will continue to teach finishes that look very complex and multi-layered but actually use minimal product and are done in 2-3 layers.  Gotta love that!  Her studio’s goal is that you produce incredible finishes for your clients, whether residential or commercial, all while ensuring your profitability and time.

The above are some of the samples from the Signature Series workshop and below is a peek at her stencil line and studio.  She’ll be adding new designs to the Loft stencil collection soon.  You can check out their full class schedule on their site.

NEW PRODUCT OFFERINGS

Do note that the studio also sells the formula along with a sample piece and instruction sheet for some of their most popular Signature Series finishes for the low price of $85.

Sheri will also be introducing a fabulous new cabinet finishing product as well as two new glass colors.  Glass is an ideal embellishment for stencils and custom decorative finishes. Below is a sneak peek of new cabinet finishing samples.  Her Chicago studio will also have a few “free” product update classes in the new year for artists to learn more first-hand.

We’ll be sharing more very soon from Faux Design Studio!  In the meantime, do keep up with them on their Facebook fan page where they share their news, fab samples, amazing projects and even a free recipe or two!  Many thanks to Sheri and Faux Design Studio for their support!

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Love the glazed backgrounds below…

Great textured & papered aged metallic background above and I looooooove the rusted beams and background below. Modern Masters would be able to help me out with both!

Do click on the images above to enlarge them a bit. Very cool finish for the right space!

Such creative and loose ornamental scrollwork above – very nice lilac-gray colorations, too.

Although I commented on the backgrounds, I do think each and every dress is beautiful — there’s something for everyone! Please do take a moment to see the St. Pucchi website – they have glorious dresses and lots of eye candy.  If you’re shopping for a wedding dress, do note they have boutiques in the US and internationally. I also enjoyed reading the story about the designer, Rani Totman, and the success she has enjoyed since launching her company in 1985. I hope you’ve also enjoyed seeing her designs amongst these beautiful backgrounds. Which would you say is your favorite dress and background?  Stay inspired, gorgeous ones!

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(above) This is a beautiful wall mural that Amerikka Design Office specified for the of Chico’s restaurant in Finland. It was featured in both La Boheme and The Contemporist.

(above) A Chinese restaurant, Mr. Wong, in Sydney, Australia and the decor is decidedly 1930′s glamour.  Beautiful portrait, no? The restaurant was featured in We Heart.

So many fantastic artists leave their indelible marks in public places.  Above, you can see the emotional work of Andrea Michaelsson in Barcelona and below is the unique work of El Mac.

(below) We finish off with a particularly famous face, that of Jean Harlow (the Pop Art version, of course).  At one time, it was the façade of the influential London boutique Granny Takes a Trip. I didn’t know it then, but it was the inspiration for an interior mural I shared in a 2008 post.

I hope this has proved enjoyable, gorgeous ones.  Do let me know if have created a similar work of art for yourself or a client as I’d love to hear about it!

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Happy Halloween!

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It’s a 4-step system with a Metal Effects Primer, Iron Reactive Paint, a Rust Activator and the Permacoat Xtreme Topcoat.  They work together as a system to create the wanted metal patina and oxidized effects. (The other metal effects do not always require a topcoat, but the Rust finish does.)

First, you prime with the Metal Effects Primer and then go over that with the Iron Reactive Paint.  Here, you can see that both small and large faux rivets were embedded into the pumpkin before the painting began. You could use thumbtacks for this effect and it definitely adds a nice layer of realism! Make sure you have great coverage of both products.

 Spraying the pumpkin with the Rust Activator.  Notice the safety goggles and floor drops!

Voila! The Rust Activator will then work its own magic and you can frequently see the process before your eyes.  Love that!  Note that it will activate where you spray and so a nice even coat may be best but it also depends on the look you are going for.  Do note that, in addition to spraying, you can also brush on the Rust Activator or use another applicator.  Some areas may take longer than others — I always wait overnight and then I topcoat.  If you should have any questions on the Metal Effects® line, Modern Masters has a fantastic FAQ area with helpful information.

I do have to say the results are not a “painted” effect — the finish is quite incredible!

Modern Masters has wonderful recipes to create stylish rust finish surfaces for Interior Design.  Here’s two sample images:

On the left is the unique Rusted Finish recipe and on the right is the Rusted Iron recipe.  You can find the even more inspiring images of the oxidized metal effects in action in their Photo Gallery.  You might think these finishes are limited to small accessories and/or pots but it’s truly incredible to see the amount of surfaces this line can work on — from hospitality exteriors to fountains to light fixtures to gates to sculptures and more.  This is in addition to walls and ceilings!

Please do be sure to check out their Facebook page and fun Pinterest account as well.  Of course, you could also see all their incredible products, available globally, on their Modern Masters website.  Do let me know if you’ve used their Metal Effects® line and if you’ve liked the results!

HALLOWEEN DAY UPDATE: Wanted to share a wonderful post and tutorial on Metal Effects pumpkins by Chicago artist Bonnie Lecat.  Beautiful step-by-step action — she rocked it!  Enjoy!

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Initially, I was like one of those puppies that couldn’t concentrate as there was so much artistry to take in.  It is a two-and-a-half storied interior court and it is approximately 40 feet long. There are several bedrooms that overlook the hall from a second floor balcony. The tapestries are from the 17th century and depict various scenes, including the life of Alexander the Great and the heroic career of Achilles.

I’ve noted arrows below where you can see the various areas of hand-painted ornamental works.

In case you’d like to pin this image without the arrows, click here.

Here are some close-ups for you.

Love the two-toned harlequins, the hand-painted design and the aging, too.  You?

The column below is made of a gorgeous onyx from Mexico.  To see a close-up, click here.

The furnishings all reflect the Italian and French Renaissance. Lovely gilding on the beautiful screen and furniture!

Thirty rooms spread out from this main living room and it’s the home’s unifying architectural feature.  The ceiling is coffered and made with Florida pecky cypress and frames an inner colored glass skylight.  The cypress has been hand-painted as well as the (previously-seen) ceilings surrounding three sides of the hall on both floor levels.

A truly amazing room.  In fact, if you’d like to take a virtual look at Ca’ d’Zan, the Ringling Museum has a fully interactive tour.  You can also read so much more in an extensive PDF about its architecture and design.  Hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post — have an inspired day!

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Artist Annabel Armstrong

Sometimes, our careers choose us. “I didn’t come to the decorative painting profession until my early thirties, after spending more than a decade floating around between various universities and continents,” Annabel explains. “At that point, I made use of a great opportunity to train under a few well-known decorative painters in the San Francisco area for a few years before moving to Boise, Idaho, to start my own studio.”  Annabel Armstrong founded her decorative painting studio, Surface, in 1997.  Even so, collaboration brings her quite a bit of joy. “Even after all these years of running my studio and working for myself,  I find that I always appreciate the chance to work for other decorative painters. There is always something you can learn from another artist, and the collaboration benefits everybody. Hence, I’m looking forward to a mural project in India later this year where I will be working alongside several artists, including Kaveri and TJ Singh of Los Angeles.”

(above) A painted motif with acanthus and oak leaves was designed to emphasize the architectural shape of the groined vault. Annabel shares (below) that all of a room’s finishes, colors, and textures are taken into consideration when creating a decorative painting concept.

Annabel, what are your favorite design and/or finish styles?

For a long time, my passion has been working with paint and gold or silver leaf on the back side of glass, a technique popularly known as verre églomisé. Ever since I naively tried to pick up a fragile leaf of gold over 15 years ago—and watched it crumble and disintegrate into nothing in my fingers—I have been in love with this delicate medium. Getting a crazy-thin leaf of gold to adhere to the slick surface of glass is a magical process that surprises me every time.

Verre églomisé is so-named because an 18th-century Parisian art dealer named Jean-Baptiste Glomy was known for selling prints with gilded and painted decorative borders on the back sides of the glass under which the prints were mounted. The term is a bit of a misnomer because it implies that the process was invented by Glomy, when in fact the technique is much older than the monsieur and not even French.

(above) Square columns in a restaurant were clad with glass for a verre églomisé project. Antiqued silver leaf and mica powders were used to incorporate the restaurant’s logo.  This project was in collaboration with Cathy Conner of Studio C in Seattle.

Verre églomisé, sometimes just called reverse painting and gilding on glass, has precedents in Roman glass, but it wasn’t until the medieval ages that Europe began to see a lot of reverse painted and gilded glass. Italian artisans seem to have been the first to work with this art form (at least in Europe—reverse painting and gilding also has traditions in Turkey, Syria, Persia and India).  Nuremberg and Augsburg in Germany also became real centers for reverse painting and gilding. A lot of glass-work came out of the Murnau area, near where my mother was born and raised in the Bavarian Alps, so I like to think that it’s in my blood. There’s a wonderful little museum called Schlossmuseum Murnau, which has a substantial collection of works on the reverse of glass.

(above) 23-karat and 12-karat gold leaf, aluminum leaf, collage, oil and acrylic paints, polyester plate lithography on the reverse of nine glass panels. To see them individually, please click here.

What are your favorite websites, blogs, and/or message forums on Internet?

The Textile Blog is a great resource and inspiration for decorative painters. The blog provides insight into not only textile design but all forms of design, decoration, and craft. This on-line resource has a massive yet consummately organized library of images with everything from examples of 16th century lace to 1890s wallpaper design. The video library is equally broad-based: if you look under Tile and Mosaic Design, you can view a video about Portuguese azulejos one moment and in the next you’ll be learning about Escher’s mathematical approach to design. “Like” the Textile Blog on Facebook, and you’ll never run out of interesting links.

What I appreciate about the Textile Blog is its broad-based approach to design, something that’s needed by today’s decorative painters. Too many of us are caught up in capturing a painted effect or in perfectly imitating something such as leather, without asking ourselves why we are painting that in the first place. Decorative painting has to interact with a space, and importantly, it also has a profound effect on anyone interacting with that space. There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that. Decorative painters should be actively studying design and thinking about it in broad terms, not just about our little niche. Our work needs to be an integral part of the design process.

(above, below) Grottesca ceiling project completed on canvas with Nicola Vigini of Vigini Paint & Design. He let me do quite a bit of the design, but more importantly, I had the opportunity to work with a brighter palette than the one I gravitate towards on my own projects.

What are the most inspiring spaces you’ve seen that had decorative painting?

This spring in Germany I visited the Würzburg Residenz palace, famous for the Tiepolo frescoes but also for its Spiegelkabinett. A Spiegelkabinett is essentially a room of mirrors, usually consisting of panels with inset mirrors and carved stucco or wood ornamentation, and can be found in numerous German baroque and rococo palaces. The Würzburg Spiegelkabinett’s floor-to-ceiling mirrors on all four walls incorporate reverse painting and gilding in a Chinoiserie style. The room was built and decorated in the 1740s but was destroyed—along with most of the palace—during an air raid in 1945. Based on a late 19th century watercolor of the room, numerous photographs of the original interior, and just one surviving mirror fragment, the Spiegelkabinett was meticulously restored in the 1980s. The restoration of the gilded stucco ornamentation alone required 2.5 kilos (more than 5 pounds!) of gold leaf!

(above) Handpainted papers created by Annabel Armstrong and (below) is a detail of a powder room mural with the client’s favorite bird, the red-breasted nuthatch, in a tree, followed by a gorgeous crackled plaster finish in ochre.

If you could write a book about any subject, what would it be?

It would be about bacteria, if only for the chance to create the illustrations. Bacteria are such weird little things that come in wacky shapes. And bacteria fascinate me because they represent a vastness that—although literally right under our noses, covering both the insides and outsides of our bodies—goes by mostly unnoticed.

I’ve read that there are typically 40 million bacterial cells in a gram of soil and a million bacterial cells in a milliliter of fresh water; in all, there are approximately five nonillion (what does that even mean? is nonillion a real word? you can’t even wrap your head around this stuff) bacteria on Earth. I love the fact that they form much of the world’s biomass and can be found just about anywhere, including deep underneath the Earth’s crust.  They’ve evolved along with our digestive and immune systems for millions of years, and shaped their environment to create a better bacteria nirvana. That means: not only have bacteria evolved in order to adapt, but we have actually evolved to provide a better home for them. It makes you wonder who’s in charge here.

The mural in the image above was inspired by the frescoes in the Villa Livia in ancient Rome.  It’s the first work I saw of Annabel’s and it still thrills me.  I hope you have enjoyed today’s profile — please be sure to visit her website, Annabel Armstrong Surface, to see more of her artistry.  I thank Annabel so much for her time and for sharing her projects.  I hope they were a beautiful way to start your week!

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Of course, you can also color the bricks in cool funky colors like the Green Avenue Bench Collection did…

The main thrust of this post, though, is to showcase bricks that have been enhanced with gorgeous typography or a mural — in some cases, both.  Starting with an image from Concept Blanc, here’s the rest of the eye candy!

(above) Cool painted bricks by decorative painter Kristen F. Davis and (below) a guest bath designed by the fab Beth Dotolo for her own home.

Love the restaurant design above!  The sign for “Cardui – A Woman’s Tonic” is original to the space and was kept as an overscale art element by designer by Jones Baker.  The space below is the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.

SO beautiful, right?  Traditional brick colors are not the only option and I do hope these examples proved inspiring!  Do you have a favorite?

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Hi, Everyone!  I’m excited that it’s time to announce the Kitchen Week Giveaway Winners!  Please note that the Winners were generated according to the number of eligible comments at the end of the giveaway deadline.  Without further ado…

Faux Design Studio

Faux Design Studio is an incredible decorative arts school in Chicago whose head instructor, Sheri Zeman, is continually introducing new, cutting-edge techniques and products in the field of faux finishing and decorative painting.  Faux Design Studio is a Certified Training Center and retail distributor of the complete Faux Effects International Gold and Silver label product line and offer a full lne of professional faux finishing supplies and tools.

Twisted Roller Giveaway Winner:  Celia Block

Robyn Story Designs

Robyn Story Designs is a 5,000 square foot destination of style, a place where anyone looking to add panache to their home or wardrobe can visit for inspiration.  She has a fab online boutique, too!

$50 Shopping Spree Giveaway Winner: Dollie

Giani Granite

Giani Granite began manufacturing pigment dispersions and specialty additives for paint companies nationwide.  Today, they have award-winning unique kitchen coatings products, such as faux granite countertops, stainless steel and cabinet refinishing kits, that are changing the way America remodels its kitchens!

Faux Granite or Stainless Steel Kit Winner: Monica Arrache

Star Scenic

Star Scenic is an international supplier of faux finish, scenic and decorative painting products.  They have both an physical location in Orlando, FL, as well as an online store.  It was founded in 1990 to meet the unique requirements of scenic artists working in the film industry and theme park projects and have since expanded to include set painters, muralists, faux finish artists, decorative painters, gilders, sign painters and wood finishers as clients.

Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations Kit Winner: Karen Warren

Royal Design Studio

Melanie Royals, owner of Royal Design Studio, is a lover of rich colors and patterns both historic and contemporary.  Royal Design Studio design and manufacture modern wall stencils, furniture stencils, Modello Designs vinyl stencils, stenciling supplies, decorative painting tools and techniques for faux painting in addition to stenciling educational resources for professional decorative painters, interior designers and home decorators.

Autographed Marrakesh by Design & Stencil Surprise Winner: Leigh

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Congratulations to all the Winners and a very special Thank You to all who entered!  Big fireworks of appreciation to our fab Kitchen Week sponsors — please do visit their sites as their products are wonderful.  Winners: In addition to this post, please note that I will be contacting you via the e-mail provided to notify you of your giveaway win and prize.  Please respond by Thursday, August 9, 2012 to claim your prize otherwise another winner will be chosen. You may also contact me at Regina@Fauxology.com ~  Thank You!

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The pattern I’m crushing on is the interlocking square C’s on the front of this furniture piece.  (Actually, I first featured this image on another post, Graphically Speaking, after spying it in Small Shop Studio. The beautiful space is the C Wonder store in SoHo. We love what we love, I guess.)

Then, here it is again at the Viceroy in Palm Springs. Love those alternating bands of color!

Actually, if you were to widen that shot you’d see it’s a big, beautiful optical illusion of a square.  That Kelly Wearstler — she always brings the unexpected.

I’m not quite sure of the technical term of this pattern — you should have seen me Googling for the right phrase that would lead me to more information.  “Interlocking C Square”, “Optical Illusion C”, “C Mosaic Tilework”, “Optical Illusion in Interior Design”, “C Labyrinth Pattern” and so on and so forth.  Do you know the proper term?  I would much appreciate it if you let me know because then I can stop going crazy thinking up new ways to find it the knowledge would be satisfying.

In the meantime, I found this interesting image of the labyrinth flooring at France’s Amiens Cathedral.  It was really wonderful to be reminded how optical illusions and labyrinths figure beautifully in creating the contemporary patterns we know and love today. That may be a post for another time.  Have a great day, gorgeous ones!

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This was a wonderful project in Houston, Texas. We did beautiful finishes in the entire home, but the kitchen was one of our favorites.  The walls were lightly textured and painted with a very soft cream tone and then glazed with color and cream.  The breakfast area had a round inset that was also created by layering Modern Masters metallics to coordinate with the groin ceiling.

Wall Glazing and a Layered Metallic Finish on round ceiling inset.

The cabinets were painted a few shades darker than the walls and glazed to create a deeper, richer effect.

Pitch-perfect cabinet refinishing that looks like it was created in a high-end factory!

(above) In addition to the cabinet refinishing, panels were stenciled with Modello Ornamental Panel (OrnPan118) vinyl stencils on the refrigerator to create dramatic interest. (below) The groin over the island was huge and layered with Modern Masters metallics. The bronze and gold tones were woven into each other to create a smooth, rich finish.  The four corner stencil designs were the Modello Ornamental Center pattern (OrnCen193) painted in with Champagne Lusterstone.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed Ashlie and Kindra’s work.  Please do see their company site, A Fabulous Finish, which is based in The Woodlands in Texas.  Do also keep up with them on their Facebook fan page. There’s some great talent in Texas!  I also do hope you’ve enjoyed Kitchen Week!

For their winning submission for Kitchen Week, Ashlie & Kindra will receive a signed copy of the book Marrakesh by Design and a special stencil surprise from Royal Design Studio.  Would you like to win this prize as well? Scroll right below or click here!

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