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

As I alluded to in the New Challenges Post, I’m trading expertises with a past client of mine.  She previously hired us to do a baby nursery (for her cutie-pie son) and this time around, I am helping to pull her living room, dining room and kitchen together.  She is a nutritionist and personal trainer so, in turn, she is helping me become a healthier person and whipping me into shape (and boy, do my muscles hurt).  We are both soooooo happy with our “deal”. 

We just finished doing a Venetian Plaster niche today. This is a Before shot — we had already picked out a new color for the walls (SW Ramie) and a color (SW 6009 Coffee Bean) to accent the soffit area and the niches  — it was all one solid neutral color before.  We framed out the soffit to make it more of a focal point as well as have the niches compliment it all.  The niches will be receiving a nice Coffee Bean Venetian Plaster with a subtle gold wax as well — but that is for another day. 

Here’s the start of the first layer of Venetian Plaster (”VP”).  We painted it in Coffee Bean just to have a nice dark base and I custom tinted the plaster to the perfect shade of red.  We troweled three layers of the VP and then burnished the third layer.  (There’s a lot of work in that last sentence, LOL!)

After we finished burnishing those last three layers, we waxed it with Liberon Medium Oak and burnished it again.  Here are some pics after taking the tape off. 

There are some touch-ups to do and we have to clean and paint in the edges above but you can start to see the effect.  We are tackling the VP niches next and then on to the dining room.  We have a whole world of finishes available for the dining room so we each want to come up with something spectacular.  I’ll keep you all posted, of course!

P.S.  All in all, it was about 9 layers counting from the skim coat (making the walls smooth).  I kept saying “no, just a few more layers — it’ll be over soon!” until she finally said to me “just wait till it’s my turn — they’ll be a few more reps and sets, too!”.  We both had a big laugh at that one (mine was more of a nervous laugh…).  You know, she came up with a great idea: they should turn this concept into a reality show — having people trade services that the other one wants and filming it.  It’d be totally cool to see so many different careers profiled and how much work each entails.  At least, she and I would watch it!

I’m pleased to announce that every month, we are going to be holding a different contest to win a free Benjamin Moore Faux Finishing DIY Workshop.  Here’s how to win our April 2008 Contest:

This month our blog’s name and site changed to Fauxology, easily accessable by going to www.fauxology.com.  The person who recommends our new Fauxology blog and link to the most amount of people via e-mail will win the class!  Please remember to cc: Regina@GarayArtisans.com so I can keep track of the amount of persons you have referred.  At the end of the month, I will announce the winner!  (Hey - try clicking the Fauxology link — you’ll come right back to this page.  It’ll be our version of Groundhog Day!) 

Samples of the finishes taught in the workshops — three per class — will now be available for viewing at the class location, Benjamin Moore’s Ocoee, FL store, and you can also take a peek at our workshop details.  I’ve also worked out a couple of cool things with Ben Moore: there will be a nice product give-away during the classes and students will receive a discount on all products purchased for their home use.  There will also be refreshments and a little food to nosh on during class.  It’s going to be a fun, creative time — I’m so excited! 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Garay Artisans or just e-mail me directly.  I wish you all good luck and look forward to meeting the winner!   

Please note: If you have already signed up for a Benjamin Moore class and you win, you will be reimbursed the course fee.  Additionally, if you would prefer to take the Cabinetry Workshop instead of a Benjamin Moore Workshop, you will receive a credit of $99 towards your chosen Cabinet Workshop.  There is no cash value to this contest outside of the workshops.

Something super cool happened!  Our little Fauxology blog has been accepted by Delightful Blogs.  Delightful Blogs is a great site to find tasty blogs in a variety of subjects — from Activism to Work + Career.  Their tag line says it all: Cutting through the Blog Smog.  Fauxology is currently located under the Design/Decor/Style category. We’ll soon be adding one of these guys to our page:

Please check out their site — there are many blog gems to found there.  I’m honored just to be nestled within their community!

Stumped?? Well, we here at Garay Artisans are excited about it!  We just finished filming our latest (ok, second) DIY YouTube video and it features my brother, Jason, teaching this crocodile skin finish for cabinetry.  Yes…you get to learn this finish gratis! This particular look is usually meant for special “glamour” places such as guest baths and powder rooms. In our cabinet workshops, we teach our two most asked-for finishes in the kitchen: aged cabinets and distressed cabinets.  We try to cover all bases for you, folks!

If you haven’t seen our previous YouTube videos, let me introduce you.  Our first DIY Video: Glazed & Gold Powder Bath (still can’t believe it’s been seen over 2,000 times — for me that’s a lot).  For those interested in knowing more about our company and services: Interview by WFTV-Channel 9 and our Garay Artisans promo.

In case you’d like to take our one-day Cabinet Workshops (where you learn everything from prepwork to HVLP spraying to topcoats), click here.  We have a new special where two-person teams receive a great discount.  We already have a few students signed on — the first class in our new facility is Saturday, May 17th.  Here is what one of our previous students, Cape Cod, MA-based Robin Pierson of Robin’s Nest Interiors had to say about her custom training class:

“It was so helpful - I can’t tell you how excited I am about getting started.   Jason was a great trainer and I felt very comfortable with him and the information he provided.  He was more than happy to answer all of my questions and by the time I left I felt like I had all the information I needed.”

Robin’s website has some great cabinet works as well as a cool decorative window line called Reflections. She truly is a wonderful artisan.

Our cabinet video is currently being edited so it should be up in about…oh, 2 weeks.  (But don’t quote me!) We will keep you posted here!

I thought I’d put up pics of a project we recently finished.  It was previously the theatre room of a well-known basketball player’s home.  However, the new owners wanted to make it into the husband’s in-house office.  Out went the theatre seats, the slanted stage they were on, the media system and the heavy drapes. In came an updated cabinet system much more conducive to holding files than DVDs…and still to come is new flooring, drapes and furniture.  (BTW, this room overlooks a gorgeous golf course.  While we were working, we spied an extremely famous golf player doing his thing — we almost fell off the scaffold!)

This is our first project with the designer, Kim Patiry, and we worked really well with one another.  She’s very talented, great with colors and open to hearing suggestions from the trades she works with.  For this commission, we had to match the new bare wood to the existing woodgrain and continue to add black trim to the right areas. We also added a decorative panel to the cabinetry using Modello OrnPan125 which was slightly altered from its original format.  The ceilings had a four-panel decorative trim added (which we metallicized) and we glazed the exteriors and Venetian-plastered the interiors.  Took almost three weeks…what do you think of the results?

Here’s a Before (left) and After (right)

…and another Before featuring my brother coming up with our cabinetry plan…

  …to the After.

 Until next time!

Hello, Everyone! Well, we had our presentation yesterday with Benjamin Moore at Robb & Stucky and it was a BLAST! We actually had about three times the amount of people that we expected (I sooooooooo ran out of materials, sigh). Thecrowd was spectacular — they were really interested in the subject and really involved with great questions.  My mouth actually dropped open when some came up to me and told me they were very familiar with our website and blog and came to see the presentation because of it. (Wow. I just about hugged them!) The presentation was about the 2008 Color & Finish Trends and I think I must have rehearsed my speech and prepared the visual aids about a million times (my poor husband…I think he now knows more about color than he ever wanted to).  I’ve gotta tell you — doing the in-depth research was fascinating, too.  I never want to stop learning about color.  (A big Thank You! goes out to Kay Bennett and Deborah Kreiger of Robb & Stucky and Tim Langill of Benjamin Moore for organizing this event!)

During the talk, we premiered our new DIY venture with Benjamin Moore’s Village Paint Shop (a really hip and modern Benjamin Moore retail outlet in Ocoee, FL). We will be starting all our faux finishing classes at their store starting in May — you can check out our workshops and updated schedule. We’ve kept the price point at $99 for a 3 - 4 hour class and you will walk out with 3 sample boards with cool finishes. (Seriously. How great is that price?!?  I would take my own class if I wasn’t teaching it already, LOL!) The classes are Metallics, Textures and Venetian Plasters – workshops specifically tailored for homeowners who’d like to tackle their own walls and have guidance in choosing good colors for their home. The audience at the presentation were able to ask questions and see samples as well as receive guidance on which class to take…really wonderful!

Here are my brother (left) and I (right) at other events and workshops:

(Drum Roll) Also premiering in May are our Cabinet Refinishing workshops. My brother, Jason, will be teaching the intense one-day class at our production facility in Groveland, FL (near Clermont).  Students will learn everything from proper organization and prepwork to spraying to final touches…basically, everything you need to transform your kitchen with cabinets you’ll love. Each class will focus on a particular finish — either Aged Cabinetry or Distressed Cabinetry. Be sure to check out the introductory special, a fantastic two-member team rate for the workshop. This is perfect for those husband-and-wife duos who want to come in together or two friends who want to help each other tackle their cabinets. The first class is scheduled for Saturday, May 17th.

Our website has been updated with the aforementioned new workshop schedule, video clips, additional pictures in the Gallery and custom training info. (Thank you, Karen — you rock!) We also freshened up our Services page and have introduced our Canvas Works program. As that program expands, so will that area of the website — we already have a few orders under way and it it so cool to see the finished works. I may one day get around to actually producing some canvas pieces for my own home!

Some canvas finishes we’ve been working on:

Until next time…

Sorry I’ve been gone a bit!  We have a few jobs to get done back to back and…phew, my right arm’s muscles are screaming from the plastering we are doing!  It hurts to type, too!  I’ve also been doing some research on 2008 color trends — a little more in-depth than my previous outing.  Why? Well, if you get the chance to attend - I will be doing a Lunch & Learn presentation tomorrow (Wednesday, March 19th) at Robb & Stucky in Altamonte Springs along with Timothy Langill of Benjamin Moore and The Village Paint Shop.  It starts at 12:30 pm and runs about 45 minutes.  Here are the details:

Are you looking for a fresh update on your home’s design? Robb & Stucky Interior Designer Kay Bennett welcomes Timothy Langill of Benjamin Moore and Regina Garay from Garay Artisans. These experts team-up to provide you with an insightful look into new directions of paints, finishes and papers in chic combinations of colors and textures. Every year, professional color forecasters try to pick the colors that will dominate everything from fashion to car upholstery. Discover the latest trends and learn how these palettes can easily update and refresh your home. Visual samples will include warmer metallic hues, bold and dramatic looks and more grounded tones inspired by global cultures and environmentalism.

Thank you for alwayscoming back to our blog — btw, I’ve got some cool posts coming up, great news, lots of pictures and a few contests on the way.  Hope I see you tomorrow at Robb & Stucky — have a great day!

We’ve just wrapped up Phase I of a project that took, give or take, about a month to complete.  The construction and design of the bachelor pad was being overseen by a couple who were previous clients of mine — and working with them both was a joy. They were great with colors, firm in their vision and yet laid back enough to let us be artists and do what we do best.  It was a collaborative and enjoyable commission…and some of my favorite work came out of it.

Here are some of the areas we did — please keep in mind the home is under construction so there is no furniture and the usual accoutrements.  We are returning in April or May for Phase 2 — after that, I can then get full on pics of the final design.

We’ll start off big.  This is the Grande Foyer and you can see on the left, we have just finished base painting the insets with metallic paint. Everything in the ceiling was white. On the right, is the final product.  Aged metallic insets, woodgraining on the beams and Modello tiles where we did faux wood marquetry.  In Phase 2, we are going to be getting rid of all the white with a combination of warmer colors and some elegant glazing.

The Dining Room walls (you can see the “during” phase of this room on the before pic above) received a deep blue plaster treatment.  All the colors throughout the house “go” with each other…we had a nice palette of rich browns, blues, warm grays and soft whites with some strong “punch” colors in some rooms.  Remember - this is a bachelor pad.

Guest Rooms — two of the three guest rooms received a finish. One had the Waterfall finish (left) and the other horizontal stripes (right).  The Waterfall room (with its own wing located next to the pool) had a Pottery Barn inspiration — the bed and furniture will be up against it and all the incoming colors and textures will remain crisp and fresh with the wall being the burst-of-color focal point.  One of my sister’s faves is the horizontal stripes — plus it has a balcony where you will be able to go out into and see all the beautiful landscaping.

Special Areas - (Left) Some of the door casings were stained wood and we were asked to make those that had non-stained/non-wood doors blend in with them.  Voila!  (Sorry about the glare.)  On the right, these were two windows that were a bit too bare for the owner.  We were asked to come up with something “cool and funky and not blah” for the windows and there we go.

There were more areas but I don’t want to overwhelm you with pics.  I’ll add more as we move on to Phase 2.  Have a great day!

Hello! Well, I’m back from Atlanta and will write an entry on that soon — but first, I wanted to make all of you privy to some changes I’m bringing to the blog. (And by the way, thanks for letting me be such a sap on the A Day to Give Thanks post. Sigh.)

Anyhoo. It all started when I was toying with the idea of adding a bit of structure to the Blah, Blah, Blog — such as adding repeat topic themes and/or monthly items. Then it really started to become a definite idea after my sister gave me a copy of the Blogging for Dummies book. At first, I was highly offended: I was no blogging dummy! Then, as I started to read the book and my feathers started to unruffle, I did realize that yes, I was to be considered a full-on blogging dummy and there was so much more to learn about the blogosphere. (Do you like how I inserted my newfound blog terminology in there? Thought so.) There are so many things to learn and absorb and you know who reaps the benefit of it? That’s right: You do!

I’m still making my way through the book and you will have to forgive some of new things I’m going to experiment with (such as podcasts, moblogging and vlogging, oh my!)…but I think it will be a fun and informative time for all of us. Honestly, you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride — I’m the one who really has the hard work ahead of me. Some of the new changes that will be implemented started in December 2007 include:

1) Faux-cus on the Pros is coming back! This is a part of the blog which features a behind-the-scenes interview with a design industry insider. One person/firm will be featured per month.

2) A bimonthly DIY Finish — complete with pics and instructions. I’ll try to incorporate more videos as my blogging expertise grows. [By the way — and I learned this today through the Merriam-Webster site — bimonthly means every two months and semimonthly means twice every month. It was cool for me to find out the difference — you can just imagine my internal dialogue with myself: “So, is bimonthly twice a month or every two months? Does it mean both? What about biweekly? Or biyearly? What’s the etiquette on that? Hmmmm…”] Basically this means that I should not be receiving any hate mail from any of you if you don’t see a new finish provided twice a month, LOL!

3) A Book-of-the-Month suggestion. I love books and have a large collection of design and pattern books (love that Amazon’s Super Saver Shipping thing). I’ll be putting up some new recommendations soon. If you haven’t seen my previous post on cool books, please check it out.

4) Mailbag - not-so-scheduled look at the Help! requests I receive. I want to post some of the most interesting and unusual questions I get and post the answers for all to see. Please note that since the Message Forum is being overrun by spammers and most people e-mail me directly anyway, we will be deleting that feature off our website by the end of the year.

5) Spotlight on Studios - this is an area where I will spotlight wonderful and creative faux teaching studios around the country. There are so many wonderful teachers out there sharing their creative expertise — I think everyone should get to know them better and take some classes to expand their artistry. I’m moving into more customized classes and feel that this would be a good way to steer all students towards some great local and national locations for workshops.

6) Behind The Faux - this will be a fun and fizzy look at the Garay Artisans crew tackling a project and individual team member profiles. This feature will cover everything from prepping to the final touch-up stages while having a great time seeing the crew interact with one another.

These are some of my ideas to make this a more interesting blog for you to read — and we’ll start if off with a bang in December — why wait til the New Year, right? Let’s get going ASAP! Also, as soon as I can work out some kinks, I’ll be adding more recommended websites in our Links along the right hand side. Of course, there will be other entries in addition to the topics above since I’m shooting to create one of the most enjoyable faux finishing blogs out here in cyberspace. I hope you think so, too. Have a great day!

Title Quote: David Bowie