Monday, June 1, 2015

Decorating With Faux Finishes And Old World Textures


If you love the look of the aged-plaster walls, marble, stone and wood grain found in European homes, try recreating the dimension, depth, beauty and drama on your own walls with faux painting. Faux is a French word for artificial or imitation and faux finishing techniques will give the appearance of a material such as stone, metal, or wood, and architectural style aesthetic to your walls.

Faux finishing has been used as decorative arts as far back as cave paintings, the tombs of Ancient Egypt, and plaster and stucco dwelling of Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago. 

Today faux has taken on an artistry in itself. With faux finish techniques from distressing, graining, and layering on a variety of colors to add depth and to age your walls, there are truly no limitations as to the look that one can create. Faux finishes and textures are perfect for interiors that want to bring an aged patina to their interiors. These finishes have a shine quality and movement that speaks of old world finishes, and yet are very functional for today's decor. 

There are so many techniques and varieties available that there is one suitable for just about every home and home owner. I have used several techniques in my own home, as you will see below, and have loved the results.




Have you bought wonderful furniture and accessories only to have you room still appear nondescript? Don't be discouraged....... it’s all about paint and faux finishes. By adding just some of these techniques, you’re going to love the way your home looks

via Pinterest

Re-create that aged patina with nothing more than paint and transform your home's surfaces into visually stunning decor by using a few simple faux painting techniques.

Kimberly Wohlfarth,Artist

Ceilings are usually not given much thought and often overlooked. You too can have a ceiling like this one, hand plastered with a hand painted ceiling medallion.


You too can add charm and distinction to your bare walls. Use faux painting as a way of bringing an old world art technique to your space. It's a great way to decorate your home uniquely and inexpensively while adding a level of visual texture.


Look at he visual impact of patina on the walls of this room. Simply gorgeous!


Faux surface painting definitely puts some "wow" on your walls.

Savena Doychinov, CKD/Design Studio Intern

Decorating magazines and home tours are filled with colorful faux finishing ideas. The walls and ceiling of this bath are lovely. 


Consider a faux finishing technique called marbleizing which helps create the variegated look of veins in marble and beauty of the varied colors with just a paint brush, feather, and the right paint. Architectural details in your home such as columns, corbels, and other details can be given a transformation.


My favorite things about faux painted surfaces are the depth and dimension they brings to an otherwise flat space.


It your look leans towards exotic, faux painting in a tortoise shell design could be just what you need to put your room over the top!


An old clawfoot tub is the perfect place to try your hand at faux painting techniques. If you have always wanted a copper tub, here is your chance.


This is the tub in one of my baths that I marbleized in green and then gilded the rim and legs.


You can have the feel of aged and weathered plaster if you learn the right faux finish technique.


More beautiful plaster work. Plaster is one of the most popular faux painting techniques.


These two pictures are of a hall in my home that I did in faux limestone finish.  It was time consuming but worth the work. I get many compliments on these walls.




Using a combination of paint and glazes you can create a range of different textures, from linen to marble. The main tools used for these faux finish techniques are quite basic: paint roller, painters tape, painting combs, sponges, brushes, even steel wool – depending on the style and texture you want.

Artstar Custom Paintworks

Your ceiling or 5th wall as it is referred to by designers, is one of the best places to apply faux finish techniques.Transform a boring white painted ceiling, then paint (or like in this case faux finish) the remaining walls a color to complement that finish.



marbleized the woodwork in one area of my home in soft creamy marble with subtle veins. This Christmas picture is the only one I have taken of the result. It is much prettier than it shows up here.


Homes just aren’t a box with white walls anymore. You need to get some color and texture in your world and faux painting will provide you the opportunity to take your home from nice to fabulous.


Consider a faux finish like this for your range hood.


Why limit yourself to a boring white color by default that looks identical from room to room when you can enjoy an old world textural wall. These finishes give a room warmth and character.


Over the years faux finishers have developed many styles and techniques to duplicate the look of such finishes as aged plaster, marble, limestone, wood and distressed paint. These finishes can be recreated in days and sometimes even hours by a finisher. Or learn to do it yourself!

Tony Duquette

You can even learn to paint your walls in faux malachite.........

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and agate, which is a popular new trend.

This ceiling has a cracked leather finish.

If you have a dome or tray ceiling  you are not doing justice to a wonderful architectural feature by just paining it. They look stunning when decorated with faux paint techniques. It's like they were made for each other!

source unknown

Four walls too much for you? Try faux painting just a portion for interest and color.

via pinterest

Faux finishing is designed to update your home and add value and design appeal .This wall is fabulous done in plaster over metallic paint.



Think you can’t learn to paint professional looking walls yourself? You couldn’t be more wrong. It’s so easy. There are many tutorials that will teach you how to break the limits of ordinary wall paint and learn how to make your room a canvas on which to produce a distinctive look that is sure to create an impression upon all your visitors.



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This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer


Thursday, May 28, 2015

Decorating With Murals And Frescoes.......Elegantly Painted Walls


I simply adore a beautiful hand painted wall whether it be in the form of a mural, fresco, or faux technique. I like the thought of making your wall a piece of fine art and the wonderful muted colors that add an ancient classical appeal.

 Many people ask 'what is the difference between a mural and a fresco?' To the layman, a fresco and mural is the same thing –  artwork done on the wall! But here is a difference.....it is the technique. 

A fresco is a  painting executed upon freshly laid, or wet lime plaster. The painting literally becomes a permanent part of the wall through the process of applying pigments, usually made of ground stone or sand, onto the wet plaster. The colors, which are made by grinding dry-powder pigments in pure water, dry and set with the plaster and become bound to the wall. Although time consuming and messy, the use of raw pigments creates a wonderful texture which looks softer and more translucent than any other paint effect.
The Sistine chapel ceiling, renowned fresco work created by Michelangelo, is the most well known fresco in the world.

The word mural originates from the Latin word murus or "wall". A mural is artwork executed directly on a wall. It is quick to paint and details can be added or removed at any time. The materials are easy to find and relatively cheap. Murals are mostly painted in oils, tempera or polymer colors.Usually it is either applied directly onto the surface, or painted on a canvas which is then fixed or cemented onto the wall. More rarely, a mural is painted onto panels that become part of the wall. 

I have gathered some images of beautiful examples that may help you decide on a style if you are considering hiring a muralist....... but I am not an expert at telling the difference between fresco paintings and murals especially as they appear in pictures. So please, all you experts, these images are for you to enjoy, not for me to be tested on.



Are you thinking of beautifying the wall of your home with some interesting art work?


The first mural designers were prehistoric cavemen who decorated their caves with a wide variety of paintings depicting hunts and other aspects of daily life. It's natural to want decorated walls. I can see my cave now!

The frescoes are by Pietro Longhi (1702-85).Sagredo Palace in Venice.

The fresco technique has been employed since antiquity and is closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting. Roman frescoes were the primary method of interior decoration.

via pinterest....source unknown

Throughout classical antiquity , the Renaissance and Baroque eras and for centuries afterward, fresco was the traditional medium for murals. That said, from the 16th-century onwards, mural painters also used oil on canvas which was then fixed to the wall surface.

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Murals were among the most popular types of art in all classical civilizations, including those of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome. Public murals were also a popular form of early Christian art.


The soft muted colors of classical murals create fabulous backdrops for your antique furnishings.


A mural is any large painting on a wall. However a primary characteristic of a fresco is that the paintings, though often done in parts, are generally related by a common thread that tells a story.


These painted Italian panel murals are another form of mural painting.


No matter if they are ornate.......


....... or simplistic, a well executed mural ages your interiors.

Via Pinterest



While I am all behind small, do it yourself projects, mural painting should be left to the professional (unless you yourself are very artistic). I have seen too many horrible attempts that ruin instead of enhance a space. That being said, a bath is a good place to try your hand at painting a mural. 

Frescoes by Johann Wenzel Bergl, Austria

The word fresco is derived from the Italian word for fresh.
The painting must be completed within an 8 hour time period, and changes cannot be made after completing the task.

via pinterest

Add style to a room and show off special interests with a mural or decorative wall scene.


The major benefit of frescoes over murals is that it is possible to remove the artwork from the wall or ceiling and convey it to another location – especially if you plan to relocate or remodel your home.

spreadartculture.com

I like the pastoral nature of this mural.........but without the actual nature. No critters allowed.




Murals can cover the entire wall or be done in sections or panels.


Fresco paintings actually become a part of the wall, which makes very old paintings like this in an historic apartment in Venice, Italy, easy to restore in comparison to murals.


Designer Ferragamo's dining room fresco portrays Diana and her hunting party.


Framing murals gives your room the look of an art gallery.



The art of fresco largely died out as new colored pigments were developed and the use of canvas became widespread.


The perfect mural for this lovely room. The scene through the window actually becomes part of the painting.

source unknown

A fabulous mural painted on the underside of a beautiful stairway.

via pinterest

I love this mural and wish I knew who to credit it to.


A child's room is another lovely place to attempt your own mural painting. Stick to soft themes and muted colors for best results.

Pascal Amblard painting wall mural

There are many qualified muralist for hire today that can create magic in your home.


Every once in a while, a trend emerges but certain classical themes will always be a constant.


Oh what a good mural and faux finished ceiling can do for a small space. Now imagine this bath with just painted walls. It would look so much smaller.


I love this whimsical mural that still keeps it classical and elegant.


Rhea Thierstein


And don't forget the impact of a mural or fresco used on your outdoor entertaining area.  Isn't his glorious?


You might also like my blog featuring primitive colonial murals!




Click here to see the previous post


This blog post was published by Lisa Farmer

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