Fauxology: Studying the Visual Magic of Faux Finishing and Interior Design (brought to you by Garay Artisans)

Well, hello! The sibs and I have been working on an out-of-town job.  It’s a lot less glamorous than it sounds — it’s in Ocala, Fl (relatively close to us but too far to drive every day).  It is a beautiful city — full of ranches and just acres and acres of untarnished land.  Ocala is probably most famous for being the “Horse Capital of the World” and the fact that John Travolta lives there nestled in a community with a private airstrip. You want trivial facts? You’ve come to the right blog, folks.

Moving right along. There we were, driving around, and we saw a HUGE ad for Vatican Splendors.  Apparently, gorgeous works of art that have resided in St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums are touring selected cities in the United States.  The exhibit includes artists such as Michelangelo, Bernini (ahhhhh, Bernini - I have a little crush on him since he produced my favorite sculpture of all time: Apollo and Daphne) and Giotto. Some of the “200 works of art and historically significant objects” have never left the Vatican before.  I’m most excited about one of the exhibit rooms called The Painting of the Sistine Chapel.  It has a recreated environment that “takes visitors onto the scaffolding near the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to explore how Michelangelo painted his famous frescoes.”  Vatican Splendors runs through May 11, 2008 at the Florida International Museum in St. Petersburg, Fl.

While my sister and I took a trip to various cities in Italy, it was my husband and I that visited Rome together. We did get to visit St. Peter’s Basilica within the Vatican and here are some of the pictures we took.  The Vatican is treasure-packed with exquisite works of art and some were even born there, meaning they were created expressly for the Popes who commissioned them and/or the buildings they were to be housed in.  You can see why I’m so excited about this exhibit…

On a side note, if you find yourself living and/or visiting New York City, the Center for Architecture recently put out their list of the Top Ten Buildings in New York City.  It’s a great list!

Have a great day!

My mother, a very craft-oriented person, is from Guatemala and my father was an architect with family ties to both Guatemala and Morocco.  They had a whirlwind love affair which ended before I was born.  When I was a teenager, I drew a picture of my dream home only to find out later that it was an exact duplicate of what Moroccans call a riad.  Even now, when I try to rationalize why it is that I truly love/obsess over what I do for a living, I have to come to the conclusion that it runs through my veins; that some traits and interests are just hereditary.

While I was born in Miami Beach, my mom and I moved to Guatemala for a few years when I was young.  I still remember the colors of the fabrics and houses vividly…and climbing mountains and finding women working on different looms and coming upon houses with beautiful pots filled with water and fragrant flower petals. During Christmas, there would be parades down the streets at night with lively music and the most beautiful colored paper lanterns you can imagine.  Even now, after returning and living in the US for most of my life, my lasting impression of Guatemala is color - vibrant and lush and so visually exciting.  Here is a little of what I’m talking about:

I love that next-to-last pic of the little girl — she looks almost like an old black & white photo of my Mom when she was younger.  One of my dreams is to book some time with her and go on a surprise trip back to Guatemala.  I’d love to see her excitement at finding out our destination and exploring one of my home countries as an adult as well.  Wonder what new inspirations are awaiting?

Oh, how I love wallpaper!  I know it’s not kosher for a faux finisher to say that but it’s a not-so-secret crush of mine.  I guess I love wallcoverings in general since they all do battle with The Barren Wastelands (which is what I call most white walls).

Wallpaper is experiencing a renaissance.  Many people really enjoy these designs but hesitate because of the glue/pasting/taking off issue — a speed bump that both paint and most faux finishes do not have.  However, with the right stencil pattern, the design can be painted in and changed easily when a fresh look is desired.  Stencil companies have taken this ball and run with it: you can now find everything from historic patterns to modern linear patterns.  Some great companies offering these designs are The Stencil Library, Royal Design Studio, Henny Donovan Motif, Designer Stencils, Wallovers (what a great name), Stencil Planet or you can conduct a search through Stencil Search — try using the words allover, repeat, damask or wallpaper stencils.

We’ve done a few commissions ourselves.  Here’s two of my faves (coincidentally, both using the same stencil):

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There is a company in Chicago, DesignRed, that does gorgeous historical work — they were recently named the best faux finishers in that area.  Check out their stencil work here.  Beautiful.

Here are some ideas beyond walls, either painted, screened or paper itself, from various books such as Florence Broadhurst, Modern Glamour, Tricia Guild Pattern, Wall to Wall and The Complete Book of Paint.

Until next time!

UPDATE 2/24:  I added a second view of one of our fave commissions and a link to the stencil provider, after the original post went up.  Cheers!

We have been getting A LOT of cabinetry commissions lately — which really does not surprise me in this current housing climate.  In fact, according to AIA Architect, who conducted a Home Trends Design Survey, kitchen and bath projects remain strong as the residential market weakens.  If you are disatisfied with the way your kitchen or bath cabinetry looks — and there is a beautiful, durable and affordable alternative to wrecking the house and starting from scratch, why wouldn’t you explore it?  Plus, it’s great for environmentally-conscious consumers since you are, in essence, recycling what you currently own at the cost of no additional trees.

Here’s a sampling of our most popular finish: bringing in an overall color and lightly glazing the edges and trim.  I also recommend adding crown molding if the cabinetry doesn’t have it — it costs pennies on the dollar and yet adds great re-sale value to your kitchen.

Formica can also be changed (as seen in the laundry room on the left).  On the right, the light pine cabinetry was deepened to a cherry finish…and we didn’t have to sand it all the way to the bare wood and re-stain.

How white cabinetry gets a lot more interesting via the magic of faux bois: woodgraining.  You can see more pics of this project here and here or try another project altogether.

The distressed look is also popular.  Here is a during and after pic — you can see the black peeking through the red.  (Did you see the stripes on the ceiling?)

We are going to be offering two separate Cabinetry Refinishing classes at our studio about once a month.  The first class will be Saturday, May 17 and more details will be forthcoming.  These workshops will be specifically tailored to homeowners who want a change, don’t have a lot to spend but yet don’t mind a little elbow grease.   Each one-day class will teach one specific finish and it will be a jam-packed day: from planning the project to the final topcoat layer — homeowners will also learn how to use an HVLP sprayer for a factory-finished look.

Here is my brother…everytime we get into our spray gear I always tell him with my best Darth Vader voice: “Jason, I am your sister!”

He told me it wasn’t funny anymore after the 100th time I did it.  Doesn’t stop me, though…:)

I took a bit of liberty with the title - a quote from the movie Good Will Hunting in which they are talking about a not-very-popular book the therapist, played by Robin Williams, wrote.  The exchange sometimes reminds me of my blog — although our web stats say it is a very popular area of our website, I sometimes wonder…is anyone out there?

Since I’ve started this blog, it has led me to discover many other ones and the truly amazing, funny and gifted personalities writing them.  So, in honor of the upcoming Bloggies, here are some of my favorites: some seriously popular and some not-so-known gems.  I’m limiting it to the “interior design” theme since I’d give you too much to read if I expanded it into the pop culture, politics, literary and/or other interests.  Here we go!

Crafty Synergy - Patricia, a graphic designer in Texas, provides interviews with different “inspiring artists”.  I find her profiles fun to read and full of great information…it’s so pleasing to discover new creative souls.  Plus, her site’s design is clean and elegant.

Design Amour - This blog is run by Melanie Royals and I consider her a creative genius and an astute businesswoman. The plus? She’s a fantastic writer with so much great information and pics to share.

Design Milk - She mixes personal information with some of the coolest interior design finds.  Plus I hope one day she gets her alpaca, Blanche.

design*sponge - A blog run with the great taste of Grace Bonney.  This blog has over 30,000 dedicated daily readers (holy whats-its!) and deservedly so.

Full Life Now - I discovered this blog after googling for editor Dominique Browning, after the demise of House & Garden.  She and I both shared a love for Ms. Browning’s letter in each month’s magazine.  I kept reading her blog and her wonderful writing, musings and observations keep me coming back.

HomeRejuvenation - run by a Singapore-based design firm.  It showcases the latest home design trends from Asia and beyond.  Super cool.

housemartin - Written by a former textile designer who is opening up shop in Oregon.  The inspiration for the blog was “after a sweet little bird that flits around the nest making things just so.”

It’s (K)not Wood - We love woodgraining and do it all the time on our job sites.  How could we not love a blog that is dedicated to all things faux bois?  I’m surprised every day at the scope and breadth of the things Emilyn Eto and Jonathan Lo find.

Surfaces with Paint-  I love discovering other faux finishers with blogs; it makes my heart beat happily.  Dawn and I have become fast friends and I find that she puts a lot of care and thought into her posts.

The Stencil Library - I love stencils and pattern and I love the folks over in England at The Stencil Library.  Super nice blog having to do with all things “stencil”.

Coming back to the Bloggies, be sure to check out their five nominees for Best Art or Craft Weblog: apartment therapy, angry chicken, Post Secret, Posie gets Cozy and not martha.  Voting is over but the winners will be announced at the Eighth Annual Weblog Awards on Monday, March 10th.

It’s been a blessing to have found this outlet to share my love for faux finishing and anything and everything having to do with the creative design world.  I really do feel like Alice walking around in this wonderland…well, at least an Alice inclined to readily have the tea, eat the cake and dish.  As our motto suggests, our blog is a diary of the visual magic surrounding us — and I hope you find the world I write about as magical as I do.  Cheers!

I’ve noticed that artists usually dabble happily in other creative loves beyond what they do for a living.  The varied interests include music, enjoying the thrill of the dance, some (like my brother) pursue photography and others (like myself) love the art of written word.  One art form that I do appreciate but I cannot do well for the life of me is cooking & baking.  This is why I love watching the Food Network — as totally upside-down as that may be.  It makes me happy to see someone explain what they are doing, watch all the colors put together to make a pleasing presentation, hear them wax rhapsodic over this or that herb…and not feel pressured at all to do something about it.  (Which is what happens…just a teensy bit…if I’m watching the DIY Network or HGTV.  Sometimes it’s just not relaxing.)

One of my favorite artists when it comes to baking is Margaret Braun.  Her cakes are the very definition of visual magic.  She is slightly Tim Burton-tinged with a teaspoon of Lewis Carrol and a generous shake of Gaudi – which totally puts me on a happy high.  I can’t wait for the day I get to bite into one of her cakes, as much as I might flinch at the thought of destroying it!  Her creations burst with rich patterns and beautiful hues and the combination elevates cake decorating to an enriching experience.  (Check out her book: Cakewalk.)  Sometimes I even look at her creations and go “hmmm…that combination may work for So and So Client…”.  Here are some of the pics in her cake gallery — enjoy!

Here is Ms. Braun with one of her cakes (pic courtesy of SoBe Wine & Food Fest).  I wonder what other creative interests she may have…should be interesting, no?

On Valentine’s Day, a new friend of mine, Curtis Heuser, sent out a great quote to all his friends.  It said “Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”  He and I met when I chose his book as our January Book-of-the-Month.  We’ve been writing e-mails back and forth about our respective businesses — wow, I had no idea how much work and emotion goes into creating a book and putting it out into the world — and that quote he sent out shows just what a compassionate person he is.

During the past few years, I’ve had many e-mails sent to me with requests on how to start a faux finishing career, what advice I would offer to make it work, do I think it has a viable future in these times…and for anyone who has made the big leap (into this or any field), I have been there and could probably share a martini and laugh at some battle stories with you.  Owning your own business looks glamorous but it requires a tremendous amount of heart, soul and just plain old long work hours to make it work.  It also requires a team — whether it’s a work force, a partnership of sorts or just a strong support system at home or with friends.  There is no surefire formula but I do believe that whatever setbacks may come, they really are for us to learn from, overcome and somehow find a way around them…but always, always be grateful and appreciate the roads you’ve discovered because of them.

A lot has been said of The Secret, the teachings of Louise Hay, Maharishi, Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson and others, affirmations and/or just nothing-plain-about-it positive thinking.  For me, they each have some very good points to consider.  It has proved invaluable to dream and believe — but also to make solid plans, create a vision board to visualize these goals, maintain a positive attitude and getting off my bum to make it happen.  In the past, I used to hoard all my secrets and not trust other artists.  As the years went by, however, the more confident I became in my abilities, the less selfish I wanted to be with them.  It was as if being a grinch really limited me — as soon as I began being more open to others and give as selflessly as I could, I met more people online, had more artist friends, attracted truly wonderful clients and students, and my website and blog began a steady climb to great numbers.  The crazy part?  I learned so much more from others than I ever could have just hanging on to fear, mistrust and being selfish.

What’s the point of all this?  Empathy.  Helping others selflessly.  Loving and being faithful to yourself.  Reading the signs and trusting in them.  Dreaming, Believing and Doing. Or simply, remembering to be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.  So, I raise a nice glass and wish you a belated Valentine’s Day toast to that greatest of emotions either for yourself, others and/or what you do: Love.

This month’s Mailbag comes courtesy of Kristen from Jacksonville (this is her second appearance — she has great questions!).  Here is what she asked us recently:

I’m thinking about painting my dining room walls black.  I’m starting to see this trend.  What paint would you reccommend? Thanks.

From Regina:  I myself notice a lot of black coming in and according to paint trend predictions, the coloration will lean towards a navy-black color towards the end of the year.

Well, as far as paint manufacturers — my favorites are Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore.com, however, according to Consumer Reports, the Behr line from Home Depot is a great choice.  A black with warm undertones is what you should shoot for — the staff should be able to help steer you in this direction.

Here are some other options:

If you want to do something a little different in black, try a metallic black (actually, a kind of really dark gunmetal gray) that leaves a bit of shimmer.  We did it over a tissue paper finish and it was so cool — it gave an added dimension to the color.

Or, you can forego the walls and do the black on the trim and/or under the chair rail as we did here.

When it came time to tackle my own master bedroom, my husband requested “black somewhere”.  I used Ebony LusterStone as the base and then handpainted bamboo stems and used with variegated gold leaf as the leaves.  LusterStone is a shimmery plaster in which you roll on the first layer and then trowel the rest of the layers (as many as you wish).  Here is a during pic — I haven’t yet finished the room.

Finally, ceilings are also a good area to try black as well.  My master bathroom has a black ceiling (to compliment the black accent wall in the bedroom) and it works quite well.  You can see another ceiling with black as the base here.  I’ve provided a close-up (right pic) of the same area so you can see a bit more of the finish detail.

Barbara Leone, a fantastic designer I work with, also has an interesting idea to consider.  Check out the third picture in the Portfolio section of her company’s website, Leone Interiors.  You can see that the walls have a neutral finish but she has a large piece of art used as a headboard — and it is primarily black.  Great concept!  You can also check the Garay Artisans Gallery for other color and/or finish ideas.

Please note that metallic black is available exclusively through Star Scenic in Orlando and the Ebony LusterStone is available through Faux Effects but I order it through my Sarasota source.  I hope you liked the question this month — thanks Kristen.  If you have a question about faux or design, please send it in.  I’m here to help (and plus you may find it in our blog’s mailbag)!  Have a great day!

I bought this book a while ago because I loved the idea of peeking into the studios of other creative souls.  While perusing through it, I kept thinking “When I have my own studio, it’s going to have this idea, somewhat this look and feel…”  Lo and behold, we have moved into our own studio facilities and I have my own little corner of the world staked out.  While it’s not personalized completely just yet, I created my first client samples there this past Saturday and it was a large slice of heaven.  All the products were organized, I could see colors clearly, I could walk around and just Be.  So, in the spirit of having a small place to call your own creative haven - I chose Where Women Create by Jo Packham as our Book of the Month.

The book is broken down by the artists profiled — 26 in all, including April Cornell, Kitty Bartholomew and the author herself.  The artists are all successful in their own right and each talks about her work, background and their personal view of the world through their own space.  It amazes me the varied surroundings they chose:  Some are boutique-y, some are impeccably clean (wha….? how?!?), some use every nook and cranny, most are extremely colorful but all thoroughly enjoyable.

Here are some faves:

Cool ideas: binders organized by pattern (left) and a creative use for a diswasher (right)

This is the space of Sandra Evertson. I love the “Paris loft” look it has and her fanciful designs.

This room belongs to Dena Fishbein, a product designer.  Love the organization of all the pretty things.

Ahh, one of my all-time faves: MacKenzie-Childs.  Here is Victoria MacKenzie-Childs working on a chair — I enjoy how erratic the scene is since it reminds me of our work within mountains of paint.  Plus, I love, love, love her hair — hmmmm…

Jill Schwartz at work in one of the rooms in her 6,000 square foot artwear and home accessories studio.  I like how it sorta gives the appearance of messy but if you look closely you’ll see it’s quite nicely organized.  I’m totally digging her large desk on casters.

Where Women Create is a book that is soooo worth the purchase price since you can truly find great ideas on how to organize and personalize your own space.  It is chock-full ofbeautiful pictures (you can’t flip a page without seeing something visually pleasing) and you can tell the author truly enjoyed herself in creating this book.  Also (at least for me), reading about the lives of 26 very different women who chose art as a career proved to be very insightful and inspiring.  I hope you yourself are inspired to purchase it — you will not be disappointed!