Faux Finishing and Decorative Painting is forever progressing with ones preference. The techniques that we are using today go as far back as the Egyptian and roman empires.  The products used to create the techniques today have become user friendly, environmentally safe and non toxic.  Technology and computers, has opened the door to faux finishing and decorative painting to be applied to the ornamentation of walls furniture and accessories that adds to the architectural design.

Faux finishing and decorative painting has gained favor among the architects and designers.  It can be cost effective to most decorative placements.  It allows the Architect Designer and client to choose the colors and techniques that will create a personalized custom finish.  It is then the artist’s position to bring those choices together and present them on sample boards to the trio.

The preference today with my experience is lime based and marble dust plasters, metallic plasters, murals, painted furniture and accessories.

Lime based and marble dust plasters are widely known as Venetian plasters and they are trolled on in layers to create depth.  These plasters can be polished with a troll or a buffer to reveal all the layers of the plaster.  The more they are polished or buffed the higher the sheen will become. It is due to the lime and marble dust.  The plaster will stay cool to the touch, because of it natural properties.  These plasters can be used in any room and can be tinted to any color palette.

Metallic plasters are relatively new on the market.  They are trolled on in layers to create depth and can be highly polished with each thin layer.  The metallic chips that are though out the plaster catch the light to create a beautiful finish that seems to move through the room.  This finish is favored in dinning rooms, powder rooms master bedroom and baths, to create the dramatic.  This plaster can also be tinted in any color palette.

Murals can enhance any room, such as vestibules, staircases, dinning rooms, bedrooms and kitchens.

Striking marbles and granites are in demand today, and can also be painted. This technique is done by creating a rendering from a piece of marble, which can be executed on columns, fireplaces, and floors, are just some examples. This can give the architect and designer a chance to customize the client’s home.

Hand painted furniture in exotic woods with cartouches; tromp L’oeil, possibly landscapes or seascapes.  Available, to the artists, are waxes that finish the finish and make the subject matter luminous.  These fine finishes can be executed in the client’s home, or in the artist’s studio.  The finishes are beautiful yet durable.  Furniture can be a way of fashioning air looms for the next generations.

As a faux finisher and Decorative artist for the passed thirteen years, one thing is certain, faux finishing and decorative painting is here to stay.  As technology grows, so will the products and techniques.  Let your imagination grow with you, to create a custom environment to reflect your good taste.

Kathleen Decorative and Faux Finishes
Kathleen A. Sakry