Finding Inspiration

 

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

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

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

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?!

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..."

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