Pool on the roof

Aqueous toned variegated layers of venetian plaster add punch to a contemporary loft.

Mahogany Heartwood Doors

Crotch figure mahogany graining.

Monochrome walls

Photos of basic painting.

Venetian Plaster Warm Neutral

Two tone venetian plaster. Beige over a warm ochre base.

Bathroom Cabinetry

Custom distressed bathroom cabinetry and mirrors.

Faux cement walls

Here are some beautiful photos of one of my more glamorous interiors.
Walls are distressed cement effect venetian plaster.

Photos courtesy of Gallagher Construction.

Color theory: triads

Day

Night

This beautiful blue was chosen to match the accents in the rug. Furniture and window coverings were matched to the soft red and yellow tones, and I wanted to give the room a jolt of excitement. An interesting decorating rule is to use the least dominant color in a textile to provide a sense of unity to a room.
Benjamin Moore's Schooner Blue

Stair risers and trim

Grainy looking 70's mahogany trimmed these oak stair treads. The wood on wood look wasn't consistent with other trim work and drew attention away from the beautiful wood floors.

After

Original State

Kitchen color accents

Corbels, hutch, and pantry door painted to look like salvage to create interest and unity.

Corner fireplace

This quaint corner fireplace was mudded and painted to match the surrounding walls. The cast concrete corbels and hearth seemed to float in space. I used Venetian plaster to create a cement look on the forms of the fireplace to ground it and distinguish it from the surrounding wall space.

Cool neutral

This bath has beautiful bones.
Mixing warms and cools can be unexpectedly jarring.When I changed the wall color from a warm ochre based yellow tone to a cool beige so that the color temperature of the rosy-grey marble and the walls didn't clash, the space became glamorous. Sometimes even small changes make a dramatic difference.
The paint color featured is Benjamin Moore's Hush.

Stucco fireplace wall

In the 1970's many homes featured fireplace walls made from dramatic cast concrete 'lava rocks'.
Texturally obstreperous in contrast to their surroundings, these hearth areas inspire loathing.
The derisively monikered 'Flintstone fireplace' now has an aesthetic solution. Inspired by historic California mission architecture of Monterey, and the soft and irregular textures of hand smoothed adobe and plaster walls that are its characteristics- a revolutionary idea took hold....

Scratch coat- lava rock covered.

Brown coat

Burnished Venetian Plaster

This beautiful dining room is an example of the formality and elegance possible when the product is burnished to a full sheen.

Faux bois beams

Sheet-rocking the beams in this loft made them appear clunky and out of place, so they were treated to blend in with the extensive oak casings that dominate the space.

Cabinets

Creating interest on plain-front cabinets.

Pottery Barn circa 2011

Salvage is in!
Here, a piece of slightly battered contemporary furniture is given the color block remnant construction look.

20's Credenza

A vision appeared to me at random of an old stove out in a corn field in one of those mid-western flyover states.
Bronze and iron Modern Masters metallic paint with patination.

Ceiling sky

Inspired by the drama of coastal sunsets and a previous home owner's cache of left-over paint- this architecturally defined ceiling vignette adds grandeur to a formal dining room.

Faux Bois

This computer desk and matching chair had the right lines--- but was only available in white. Custom hardware and old fashioned vinegar-and-pigment graining glaze give this piece period personality. In the 1920's many homes were embellished with faux bois treatments on their interior trim. It's a classic look I love to reference.

Distressed White

A green based white gives an old world vibe to this bedroom set.

Entry

Door and wall in custom finishes.
Walls are done in a pale gold strie glaze with umber at the wall perimeters to add age and character.
Door is given multiple layers and and aging glazes to look like salvage.

Furniture Re-paint

This ochre entertainment center went from monochrome to magnificent when the architectural details were brought out with a French inspired colorway and allusions to windows to break up the planar surfaces of the doors.