Finished With Style

Mouldings and Medallions

2012-02-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

While we were finishing the powder room in Dave and Rita's, there was a whole lot of work going on throughout their entire home. New crown moulding and ceiling medallions were being installed in their kitchen, family room and master bedroom.

New crown, corbels and medallions

Dave & Rita's home is filled with beautiful furniture pieces and carpets that they have collected over the years. Rather than painting all the decorative trim white, they wanted to accentuate the Old World feeling of the carved wood.

ALL of the new trim was basecoated in black..ALL of it. Basecoating in black gives the end product an aged patina. The basecoat was followed by 2 passes of bronze glaze~dark, then high lights were added.

Moving right along at Dave & Rita's. Up next: the foyer.

Susan & Tracey
FWS

Oh, What A Ceiling!

2012-01-30T14:12:00.001-05:00

After completing a powder room, 7 ceiling medallions, 4 corbels, a dozen cartouches and many, many feet of crown moulding, we moved on to Dave & Rita's dining room. The decor is Empire~Louis XIV, which is quite ornate. It was decided that we would go big on the ceiling, yet subtle. Is that possible?! D and R wanted their dinner guests to be seated, casually glance upwards and...ooohhh! The wow effect.

So...go big or go home...we brought a carpet (in the form of a stencil) up onto the ceiling, filling the 8' x 10' tray, as well as all four corners. To accentuate the tray, the 4" soffit was gilded. And so was the medallion.

We applied Lusterstone in a pale, silvery grey on the ceiling. The medallion and soffit were base coated in black, then gold leafed. Just this change alone created a dazzling effect!

Next, the ceiling stencils were installed. We painted 3 layers: a 1/2 tint of the wall color, the Lusterstone, then highlights of gold.

Wow!!!

Although there were many elements to this design, each was important to the end result. We had to to keep the design well-balanced. Otherwise, the dining room would have appeared unfinished. The ceiling is truly bold, yet subtle at the same time. Our next project is Dave & Rita's master bedroom...yep, you guessed it...the ceiling!!

Susan & Tracey
FWS

Sneak Peaks of Upcoming Posts

2011-07-23T12:04:00.009-04:00

By the last post date, it's obvious that we have been away for some time! There were probably 3~plus feet of snow on the ground back in February. And now, we are in the middle of a heat wave in July. Triple digits are forecast again for today. Time flies when we are busy!

We've been working on several projects over the past 6 months. This summer, we have a few weeks of down time...we will collect our thoughts (and photos), and post the completed jobs.

Here are some sneak peeks~

Susan & Tracey
FWS

Gilded Glass

2011-02-25T12:48:00.001-05:00

Gilding glass, or verre eglomise is a centuries' old technique of etching, applying metal leaf and paint to the reverse of a glass surface. This is our 21st century spin on the process. We think you will agree that this a very elegant finish.

We first positioned the 'positive' weed stencil on the glass panel and masked off a decorative border. Metallic leaf size (adhesive) is applied to the exposed glass.

When the size is tacky, variegated, metallic flakes are evenly distributed over the entire glass panel.

The stencil design is then backed with copper leaf and burnished with a soft brush. This ensures full coverage of leaf when viewed from the reverse.

A coat of sealer is applied for protection. When the size and sealer are totally cured, the stencil is pulled.

The final installation is the door of a newly constructed bathroom vanity. Stunning!!

Imagine the possibilities! Tabletops, serving trays, french doors, mirrors, sidelights, transom windows...endless!!

More photos to come, as we have several gilding projects in progress.

Susan & Tracey

FWS

The 5th Wall

2011-02-10T15:28:00.001-05:00

A few posts back, Julie's dining room, we mentioned our 'strong' opinion regarding ceilings. Well, here we go again, a dining room and it's ceiling. The dining room walls had recently received a strie treatment. Strie is a combed glaze finish created by pulling 1 or 2 tinted glazes over a base color, resulting in a very fine pin stripe. The clients, Mary & Paul, weren't sure if the color or the strie were right for the room. We offered 3 solutions: paint an additional stripe over the existing colors on wall, add color and a medallion to the ceiling or do both.

It was decided to start with the ceiling. Replacing the expanse of the white ceiling with a warm, complimentary color would change the entire feeling of the room. And adding a medallion would anchor the chandelier. Mary & Paul's existing walls were blue and the window treatments gold dupioni silk. We chose a gold lusterstone to 'warm up' the blue walls and balance the fabric and hardwood floor.

We won't bore you with the details of the installation...standard trowelling and stencil procedure for FWS. What we will share was the exuberant reaction of the clients: It's as if the ceiling color and artwork had ALWAYS been there!!! They were beside themselves. And it's true. The 5th wall just shouldn't be ignored.

We are currently doing some personal shopping for them, assisting them in completing some unfinished decorating projects.

No more white ceilings!!

Susan & Tracey

FWS

Simply Beautiful, Simply Green

2011-01-31T11:57:00.002-05:00

We would like to showcase one of our finishes...Jadecor. JaDecor is a natural wallcovering created from a unique combination of natural cotton and/or silk fibers. With the addition of dyes, metallics, mica and threads, the decorative possibilities are endless.

Believe it or not, this is JaDecor in it's 'before' state...a big pile of fluff. Hard to imagine putting this on a wall or ceiling. And, believe it or not, JaDecor is applied with a trowel.

In it's wet state, JaDecor resembles oatmeal. Perfect for trowelling!

Because the palette is endless, the finished result can be casual,

elegant,

or casually elegant.

We have installed JaDecor in bathrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, foyers, restaurants and a variety of commercial spaces. Like all of our finishes, JaDecor is a custom, one of a kind treatment. And, FWS is one of only a handful of certified installers in Connecticut.

Simply beautiful!

Susan & Tracey

FWS

Bathroom Nightmare

2011-01-24T13:50:00.003-05:00

This was truly a bathroom nightmare. Very scary cherubs painted on a light blue bathroom ceiling. In the ladies' room... of a restaurant. The restaurant owner had expected roly-poly cherubs. Instead, she got skinny elves with pointy chins.

We are not bashing the artist. The client was just not happy with the work. She had let go of the idea of a cherubic ceiling and was looking for a quick fix. And a quick fix it was!

We went in immediately and painted the offensive ceiling black. Getting rid of the blue ceiling (not to mention the cherubs/elves) was an immediate improvement. The walls had already been glazed with a metallic bronze over black, so the black ceiling gave the ladies' room a more cohesive look.

Of course, we did not stop there. We decided to layer a stencil over the bronze glaze. And since this was a quick fix, we went to our library of stencils. The large damask cartouche that we had used in Julie's dining room was the perfect fit. The all-over stencil went up quickly, using a copper metallic glaze.

The owner was thrilled with results.

Small bathrooms can be jewel boxes. Have we mentioned this before? A professional opinion here: the best way to ease color and pattern into your home is in a small bathroom.

Start with a bathroom!

Susan and Tracey

FWS

Yes, We Do Windows

2011-01-18T13:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, we do windows...

and roosters

and fountains

and mosaic counter tops

and a Celtic Cross.

Bring it on.

Susan and Tracey

FWS

The Blue Buffalo Co.

2011-01-11T13:31:00.002-05:00

The folks at The Blue Buffalo Co. are sooo lucky, they get to bring their dogs to work!! Blue Buffalo is a natural, holistic pet food company, based in Wilton, CT. Very cool company...the dogs and their people.

The Blue Buffalo Co. offices had moved into a new location, prompting a redesign of the lobby. Although an interior designer was involved with the overall plan, the company had a very clear idea of what they wanted. The vision was to feature the logo on an accent wall of imported barn siding from Canada. Kind of a vintage, old feed store look...as if the buffalo logo had always been on the side of that old barn.

We first projected "Blue", the buffalo, onto the wall. Next, we used a Modello stencil for the positioning of the lettering. All images were painted with iron paint.

Once the paint had cured overnite, we carefully spritzed and sponged on a metal reactor. This is a solution that forces the iron paint to rust. We let the images 'rust' over the weekend.

Having achieved the desired rustiness, we dry-brushed the images with a custom blue glaze, then randomly sanded back color and rust. We went back and forth with the glaze and sandpaper, until we felt the logo was as aged as the barn boards.

The end result was just as The Blue Buffalo Co. had envisioned. It's as if their logo had, indeed, been on the side of that old barn in Canada.

Bring your dogs to work if you can!

Susan and Tracey

FWS

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-22T09:26:00.000-05:00

Friendly Wishes for

a Warm and Wonderful

Holiday Season!

Susan and Tracey

Finished With Style, LLC.

Spoken for in Westport

2010-12-20T14:13:00.001-05:00

Remember when we showed you the photo of the kitchen in the Westport rental...six months ago?! To make a very long story short, we ended up refurbishing the entire house. Yep!! Overhauled the entire house!! Plaster repairs, paint, lighting fixtures, tiling, hardware, floors refinished, laundryroom moved, basement refinished. Of course, we had help from the 'trade': carpenter, electrician, plumber, to mention just a few.

We could go on and on about the state of the house and the extent of work done, but basically this house was brought into the 21st century with repairs and cosmetic updates. After many weeks of work, all was complete and the house rented after 2 showings. We think the before and after photos speak volumes, so enough said!!

We have been very busy since the completion of Speechless in Westport...lots of work to show. Business/ blogging resolution for 2011? To blog on a weekly basis.

Susan and Tracey

FWS

A Jewel Box

2010-12-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

Quite often, we are hired by clients who are afraid or unsure of putting color and finishes on their walls and ceilings. Recent clients, Rita & Dave were definitely in this category. After showing them our portfolio of sample boards, they decided to start small in their very grand home. They decided to have us finish a powder room. If they liked that, well, then we would go from there.

We were working with a 6' x 8' powder room, tiled floor, beautiful gilt mirror, sconces and chandelier, custom window treatment. Beige walls. White ceiling. The new color palette was inspired by the window treatment fabric. Finishes were chosen for the walls, ceiling and ceiling medallion to compliment the accents in the space.

The walls and ceiling were basecoated, then burnished with tinted waxes, resulting in a high-polished finish, not unlike Venetian plaster. The medallion was basecoated in black, then drybrushed with gold metallic paint to mimic the gilded accessories. The new moulding was aged with a gold glaze, accentuating the carved details.

TaDa!! A beautiful jewel box.

And, now, over their fear of finishes, work has continued throughout their beautiful home.

Much more to follow!!

Susan & Tracey

FWS

Form Follows Function

2010-12-14T11:35:00.000-05:00

This was a fun and functional project in Breda's kitchen. Rather than cluttering up the fridge door with magnets and stuff, why not put a decorative magnetic board right onto the wall? And why not make it a lovely restaurant-style menu board with gold leaf scrollwork?

That's exactly what we did for Breda. We selected a 2' x 3' decorative frame stencil to fill her blank wall. We masked off the area of the frame's scrollwork and painted it out with 3 coats of magnetic paint.

The magnetic paint was then given a decorative coat of color with a textured bronze paint. The stencil was installed on top of the magnetic area and given a basecoat of black paint.

Once the paint was dry, a coat of size was applied. The stencil was then removed, and a variegated gold-leaf was added.

And voila! A beautiful magnetic board/wall! Another great idea would be to install this stencil with chalkboard paint, rather than magnetic. Either way, the grocery list becomes a piece of artwork.

Susan and Tracey

FWS

Speechless In Westport

2010-06-30T11:30:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, there are just no words.

This a rental property 911 emergency call.

Another 'yikes' kitchen...

...we love a challenge.

Updates soon.

Inspiration: Found

2010-06-03T14:06:00.024-04:00

The inspiration for Julie's dining room was found in her choice of fabrics, and her desire for an all-over damask. After presenting the initial sample boards, Julie decided on a combination of technique and color. The damask pattern was then chosen; the same 'chandelier' cartouche used in the samples, 14" high. For the ceiling finish, we opted for Lusterstone, custom-tinted to match the draperies with the medallion stencil complementing the wall pattern.

We would like to express a professional opinion here. We feel VERY strongly about ceilings. This is the 5th wall...never leave it white!! Especially if you have beautiful crown mouldings and coffered beams, as this dining room does. Color on the ceiling completes the room, makes the trim pop and will feel like its always been there. You'll want to paint every ceiling in your home...no kidding...clients have done this!! Either bring the color of the flooring up, or use a color that is a slight contrast to the walls. Trust us on this!!

First up...the coffered ceiling. It was basecoated in Richmond Gold, followed by 2 passes of Lusterstone custom tinted in the same. The medallion stencil was then installed.

The walls were then basecoated in Blue Danube. We trowelled on 2 coats of Soft-Tex, also custom tinted to match. Soft-Tex is a plaster that adds soft highs and lows to the wall, giving the appearance of fabric.

The walls were measured and marked for the registration of the stencil. The first pass of color was Lusterstone tinted in the Richmond Gold. Working with a production stencil of 2 images up, we worked our way around the room with the 'whole' cartouche and then went back in to complete the corners, tops and bottoms.

After the first pass was completed, we toned down the entire damask pattern with a wash of the Blue Danube Soft-Tex.

The completed dining room walls have a very soft, aged feeling. A little shimmer, but not too formal. And the ceiling...the icing on the cake!! As mentioned earlier, we have very strong opinions about the 5th wall.

This particular ceiling has very dramatic architectural features that were lost against the sea of white. Now, stunning in gold!! Need we say more?

The sitting room across the hall was completed in a similar color palette: Richmond Gold on the walls, and a very pale blue on the coffered ceiling. Perfect visual balance upon entering the home's foyer.

Julie recently informed us that she and her family are now using their dining room on a daily basis. Amazing what artistic inspiration can do for a room.

Until next time...

Susan and Tracey

FWS

Finding Inspiration

2010-05-10T16:43:00.001-04:00

Some clients know exactly what they want...they have a very clear vision in their head. Others work with a designer, who helps create that vision for them. And some clients are in-between.

A recent client was 'in-between'. Julie had ordered window treatments for 2 formal living spaces; her dining and front sitting rooms. A designer had helped her select fabrics based on existing upholstered pieces. And then recommended us for wall and ceiling finishes, rather than wallpaper.

Choosing fabric first is always the best inspiration for selecting paint colors. There are MILLIONS of colors that can be matched to fabrics. Don't arm yourself with a paint chip and expect to easily find fabric to match...let the fabric do the choosing for you.

Once you have chosen your fabrics, grab a fan deck of paint chips, and choose colors in the space to be painted. You will need to purchase samples, paint swatches on the walls, then watch what happens to the color in the changing light. Phewww!!

Working with Julie's fabrics, we selected a palette of blue and gold to be used on the walls and the ceilings in both spaces. Julie had a vision of an all-over damask pattern in her dining room. She knew she wanted some texture and not an extremely formal feeling. Based upon this and other factors (flooring, lighting hardware, adjoining rooms), we created four wall sample boards for Julie to choose from. Sample boards are just what they sound like...samples of techniques and colorways on 1' x 2' hardboard.

After living with the sample boards for a week or so, Julie was having a difficult time making a decision. She loved 2 boards...so we reworked the technique and color, creating 2 more boards to choose from.

Two more decisions would follow the final choice for the dining room walls: the actual all-over damask pattern and the finish for the coffered ceiling and medallion stencil. Our next post will show Julie's choices and the step-by-step process of an all-over damask.

Until then, get inspired and go paint a room!

Susan and Tracey

FWS

That 70's Bath

2010-04-27T16:49:00.007-04:00

Back to Sally's apartment in NYC!! We were puzzled with what to do to this tiny 5' x 7' guest bath. One wall is mirrored with an open fluorescent-tube fixture; the remaining 3 walls painted white. Black and white tile covers the lower half. Overall, it had a very 70's feel about it. The challenge again was to update the surfaces without a demo.

Before

Sally had considered leaving the walls white, and hanging large art prints. Or possibly...dare we say it?..wallpapering the space. Well, you can guess what we had to say about that!! We tossed some ideas around and came up with a great design...a custom, all-over art stencil...funky, yet with a deco feel that would work with the existing tile

First, we started with a slate grey Lusterstone plaster. Lusterstone has a beautiful shimmer when it is burnished. We also did the ceiling in a very pale silvery-grey.

Lusterstone was applied first to the wall and ceiling.

Next we transferred the art onto contact paper, then installed the paper.

Installed stencil

Using an exacto blade, we very, very, carefully cut and removed the negative areas.

Cut stencil

We then applied another coat of the plaster in a much deeper grey Lusterstone.

Applied a 2nd coat of product

Finally, we removed the contact stencil and...

...Ta daa!!

Please note the infinity effect of the pattern in the mirror...this, of course, was by design ;-).

The pattern wraps PERFECTLY around the room!

One bathroom down, one more to go. We'll post the 2nd bath soon, along with final photos of the apartment...new stainless appliances and backsplash in the refurbished kitchen, and decorating updates in both bathrooms. Until then, we're back in CT, busy with other jobs.

Susan and Tracey

FWS

A Lesson In Faux Bois

2010-04-21T19:51:00.009-04:00

Faux Bois Marquetry

Faux Bois is the practice of imitating woodgrain on a wood or non-wood surface by applying layers of paint in order to increase that surface's aesthetic appeal. Historically, Faux Bois dates back to the ancient Egyptians over three thousand years ago. Graining was especially common in the 18th and 19th centuries, as people were keen on imitating expensive hard-woods by applying layers of glaze or paint on less expensive soft-woods.

Step 1 and 2

Steps 1 and 2 were completed by the painting contractors. All the picture-panelled moulding was primed, then basecoated. The base coat is visible in the photo on the trimwork around the window.

2 passes of glaze

After the entire space was prepped for us, we applied 2 passes of a mixture of glaze and stains on all the trim. The first pass of glaze was tinted dark brown; the 2nd pass was tinted a reddish-brown. Each layer is applied with a pad, using specially bristled brushes to manipulate the glaze, creating a very soft grain, similar to cherrywood. Because of the scope of this job, we had to work in a 'production' mode...although intricate grains and knots are commonly incorporated into the finish, this would have been time and cost prohibitive.

Create inlaid panel

Once all the trim was finished, we applied the same technique to the inset panels. To create more visual interest, we decided to treat them as inlaid marquetry panels. Each panel was taped off, then glazed with the same 2 layer process in different directions to add depth and dimension.

Apply the second pass

Ta daa!

Finally, applying 2 coats of satin polyurethane completes the illusion, and protects the finish.

Oh...and we did three coffered ceilings, 2 of which were cathedral. Twenty feet high...on a scissor lift!

And, that is today's lesson in Faux Bois!!

Susan and Tracey

FWS

An Irish Club Extreme Makeover

2010-03-25T10:19:00.005-04:00

Photo courtesy of the Gaelic American Club

This past Spring 2009, the Gaelic-American Club in Fairfield, CT broke ground, and began a huge expansion of their club building. When the building and decorating committees asked us if we would be willing to give them some creative input for the interior, we were happy to help.

Photo courtesy of the Gaelic American Club

Susan and her family have been members for YEARS, and as a result, FWS has been involved in many artistic and cultural projects: festival logos, programs, signs, set designs for many plays-even an 8 foot Celtic cross.

Memorial Day Parade Float

"Buds of Ballybunion" Set and Mural

2004 Fairfield County Irish Festival Logo

The Club was enlarging the original pub space of a combined bar and dining room/lounge into 3 separate areas. The new space would boast a lounge, alderwood bar room and dining room. Each new area would flow into and be visible from the next. It was very important for the entire pub to have a cohesive design.

Lounge Area Photo courtesy of Gaelic American Club

The first step was providing the decorating committee with a design board to give them a concept of design and a color direction to work with. This included a color palette for the walls and ceilings of the 3 spaces, fabric choices for window treatments and upholstery, as well as some carpentry solutions.

Because accoustic panels would be neccessary on the vaulted ceilings, we suggested installing coffered 'beams' to integrate the panels into the over-all Irish pub feeling.

Now, armed with a clearer vision, fabrics and colors were selected and tested...again...and again...and again. New furniture and window treatments were ordered. Existing pieces were reupholstered or cleaned. The decorating committee was proceeding along quite nicely...until the panelling was installed. The new bar room had been finished in knotty alderwood...the bar itself and the panelling. Very fitting for an Irish pub.

The lounge area

Then it came time to install the wood panelling throughout the dining room and lounge. Continuing with the alderwood was no longer in the budget. The builders opted to create the panelling with MDF, pine and primed moulding, with the intention of staining to match the alderwood. Good intentions, but disastrous results: MDF and primed wood cannot be successfully stained. It was a mess!

The decorating committee called us back in. Their vision was wood panelling, not painted, colonial wainscoting. Was it possible to create a finish that would mimic the alderwood on the panelling and the coffered ceiling beams? Our answer was obvious. Faux bois.

Faux what??? Faux bois is fake wood... a trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) technique, created with layers of paint, stain, glaze and a little brush magic. The result is a beautiful, warm, wood finish that would fool any eye...and tie the bar, lounge and dining room together seamlessly. Wood beams and panelling in an Irish pub.

Our next post will show, step-by-step, our process of creating faux bois at the GAC. In the meantime, let's have a pint...Slainte!!

Susan and Tracey

FWS

So, what's up with that kitchen?!

2010-01-16T16:45:00.006-05:00

Yeah, what IS up with that kitchen?!!

To begin with, the cabinets were 70's white melamine with 70's white hardware. The flooring was an out-of-date 70's almond tile with a very scary grout situation going on. The walls were in a 70's state of disrepair. And the counter and backsplash were...just bad. Get the picture? Well, actually, you SEE the picture.

Sally had already shopped for new, stainless-steel appliances. She had also decided that she was not interested in a complete demo of the kitchen. The first design decision would be how to refinish each surface, then the colors would be selected. During our inital brain-storming, we just happened upon this beautiful glass tile at Tile America for her backsplash. The colors were an exact match to Sally's new LR and DR color palette...the rich chocolates and blues would continue in the kitchen. That was easy!!

We decided it was not necessary to replace the cabinets. And because they are a melamine finish, we opted to NOT refinish them; any finish over melamine (which is a plastic) can be compromised with normal wear and tear. Adding new brushed-chrome hardware would instantly update them.

The next surface was the old tile floor. Without a demo, we could install over the old tile: a) stick 'n peel tile, b) new, ceramic tile, c) floating laminate flooring. Or, d) install Skimstone concrete, as we had done in Sally's CT powder room. This decision was easy...Skimstone. Although the process of prep and installation would have to take place over 5 days, the end result would be a high-end polished concrete floor. And...how gorgeous would a chocolate concrete floor be?! !

The first step in floor prep is cleaning.

Vacuum, mop and wash down with TSP (a super-duper cleaner/degreaser). We then backfilled the entire floor with a tile patch compound; this eliminated the grout lines. We did a second coat to ensure the grout lines would not 'ghost' thru the concrete.

Once the floor was dry, the skimstone concrete was mixed and trowelled on. It's a 3 coat process-applying each coat thinner to backfill and smooth out.

The final step is to apply the sealer which gives it a beautiful polished stone look. We also applied a custom blue lusterstone finish to the walls.

Ta Daa!!

During this process, there was a good amount of 'watching concrete dry'. And, obviously, the kitchen was off limits...so we kept busy with several other projects in Sally's apartment (hint: two 70's style bathrooms). We'll save those project details for a later post. And by that time, we will also be able to update the final

'Ta Daa' photo with the new appliances, backsplash tile and the new cabinet hardware installed.

For now, however, we will end this post by sharing a view from Sally's balcony overlooking the East River. This is what traffic looks like after several glasses of Merlot...

To be continued...

Susan and Tracey

FWS

"Start At The Beginning..."

2010-01-07T12:28:00.009-05:00

Well, sort of! Decorative finishes are not new to us. We have been creating finishes for walls, ceilings, floors, counters, furniture, set designs and anything else we can get our hands on, for almost a decade. We begin each project...as we like to say...at the beginning.

Blogging, however, IS new to us. How do we begin? At the VERY beginning of Finished With Style? Now, that's just silly.

So, we will begin with one of our first and fave clients...Sally. We have been working with Sally forever.

When we first met Sally, she had been in her new CT home for 1 year. We began by 'styling' her living spaces, then selecting a wall color and painting her kitchen. This lead to creating a Lusterstone countertop backsplash with a custom stencilled accent.

Next up was creating a faux granite finish on a dining room buffet.

Wall colors were then chosen for her living and dining room. After that, Jadecor was installed in the foyer...

...and holographic foils in the powder room.

Sally then purchased a 'pied-a-terre' in NYC, on the East Side, as a home away from home. A designer was hired, colors chosen and furniture ordered. Included with the design plans were wall finishes. We travelled to NYC and installed Lusterstone and Jadecor in the new living and dining rooms.

Back to CT. Sally loved the Jadecor in both of her spaces so much, she wanted more. We continued the Jadecor in her foyer to the entire entrance as well as the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Next, a Skimstone concrete floor was installed in her powder room.

Then, Sally took a break...places to go, things to do...and we were busy with other clients.

Recently, Sally called us regarding her kitchen in NYC. What could we do to a 70's style galley kitchen that would not involve a major demo? Back to NYC we went. Sally's kitchen had very few redeeming qualities cosmetically...bad 'visual' bones.

The before...yikes!!

But, the substrate is good overall. It was obvious to us that we could refinish the existing surfaces. We developed a plan and timeline and have begun the project. We will keep you up-to-date with our progress in future posts.

Back to the beginning...our goal is to provide you with a weekly blog that is filled with artistic inspiration for all surfaces. We will bring you through the entire process of many of our projects from beginning to end; discussing everything from inspiration, design, color and concepts to the products chosen and why. We will also include any challenges that we encounter and, of course, the final Ta Daa!!

Please be a bit patient while we muddle through this new blogging world. We hope that you will enjoy following the process and become inspired to create a space Finished With Style!

See you soon!

Susan and Tracey

FWS