Speechless In Westport

Sometimes, there are just no words.

This a rental property 911 emergency call.

Another 'yikes' kitchen...

...we love a challenge.

Updates soon.

Inspiration: Found

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

 

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