Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Decorating With Grisaille For Soft Elegant Walls



The elaborately decorated wall holds a special place in my heart. Whether the treatment is a mural, trompe l'oeil painting, faux limestone....you name it I love it. This post is dedicated to a style of wall decor called Grisaille (pronounced "griz eye"). Grisaille is a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome or near-monochrome, usually in shades of grey. This decoration was used especially by 15th-century Flemish painters and in the late 18th century to imitate classical sculpture in wall and ceiling decoration. Today there are muralists who will paint en grisaille or there are wallpaper murals available in this lovely art form as well.

Grisaille is a great option for both traditional and contemporary interiors and is especially lovely in classical settings. I love it..........and hope you do too!



Please enjoy the music while you visit.



Grisaille paintings resemble the drawings, normally in monochrome, that artists from the Renaissance era were trained to produce.

If you want your walls to project a sense of elegance, history and patina, you might want to consider grisaille.

Photo by Pretorius Studio


Murals are painted en grisaille directly onto the walls. This could  be grisaille wallpaper....it's hard to tell in the pictures.


Stunning room with grisaille walls by Howard Slatkin.


Grisaille walls in the main Salon at Villa Ca'Toga Calistoga, CA

darrellsees.com

A beautiful folding screen en grisaille.

chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com

Grisaille offers a fabulous way to put images on walls and ceilings without being over the top or disharmonious. Love the Greek Key!

jeffherrphoto.com

Suzanne Rheinstein

Grisaille offers such a soft elegant look. Plus it has a way of making small areas look larger and large rooms seem more intimate. 

jenningsandgates.bl...

In this dining room the grisaille imagery is of a soft landscape with classical architectural elements.

Many times rooms are entirely adorned in grisaille.


Other times a bit of artwork is all you need.


David Hicks

johnjacobinteriors.com

Designed by Alidad


I think bathrooms are particularly pretty decorated in grisaille.

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Again, sometimes it is hard to tell from the images if the wall treatment is actual painting or a paper mural in the grisaille style. Either way it is a beautiful effect.



Because of the limited contrast, a grisaille backdrop can highlight the rest of the room. 


Grisaille wallpaper is especially pretty over wainscot paneling and a chair rail.


Main Salone at Villa Ca'Toga Calistoga, CA.  Many times grisaille is used to represent statues and other architectural elements.


What an entrance to this bathroom!


Being from Kentucky I love this horse racing inspired grisaille wall.



There are other ways to bring the beauty of grisaille into your interiors. These are gorgeous pillows.


This image and the following one show how a room can greatly benefit from a grisaille panel. They give a room a touch of the technique for those who don't want saturation.



Heart be still...I love this piece.


Grisaille folding screens are also fabulous additions to any old world style interior.

If you are considering a room makeover and love a unique look, grisaille might interest you. Hopefully these images have inspired.






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This blog post was published by
Lisa Farmer