Going With the FAUX
Maryland Artists Utilize Decorative Wall Finishing Techniques to Create Beautiful Homes, One Room at a Time
By Tracy Mitchell Griggs
The desire to decorate our dwellings is as ancient as paintings of animals on cave walls and one need only look back in history to find its roots. Through the centuries, the creative impulse to embellish our spaces has not diminished.
Faux finishing, also known as decorative painting, is a two-thousand-year-old art form. "Faux means to fool the eye or to change the appearance of something and when ‘the real thing’ became cost prohibitive, artists, and faux finishers were commissioned to paint ‘fakes,’” explains faux artisan and entrepreneur Charlotte Nichols, co-owner of Design Ala Carte, a new design center and showroom based in Annapolis.
Classic examples are marble, stone, precious metals, wood and fabric. “What appears to be real marble in the Louvre Museum was actually faux-painted to create the illusion of marble,” says Nichols. “Throughout history, traditional Old World faux finishes have been a well-respected art form.”
Decorative Artisan Vs. Faux Painter
So is it art or craft?
Kimberly Majerowicz, owner of Towson based Heavenly Interiors, says that homeowners looking to hire an artist to create custom wall treatments should understand the difference between a faux painter and a decorative artisan. “If you’ve ever attempted to create a faux finish on your walls, you have practiced being a faux painter,” says Majerowicz. “Anyone can be a faux painter using techniques like sponge painting, rag rolling, or glazing. A decorative artisan is something very different, however.”
Majerowicz says decorative artists are defined by their extensive training, possibly including an apprenticeship with Master artisans, extensive product knowledge, and the ability to complete a wide variety of complex finishes on different mediums including furniture, medallions, ceilings, walls, floors, concrete, mirrors, and glass.
Kyndl Walston of Kyndall Walston Decorative Painting in Baltimore agrees adding, “The word ‘faux’ gets tossed around and used inappropriately all the time. People use the word faux for any sort of decorative painting, but they are mistaken!” For her, decorative painting/artistry includes, but is in no way limited to faux finishing and also includes techniques like murals, ornamental design, textured plaster, Venetian plaster, and stenciling. It can also include metal leaf and mixed media applications. “Some decorative artists even add mosaics to their work,” says Walston.
Hiring a Pro
If you’ve decided to hire a decorative artisan, Majerowicz offers a few pointers. “The artist must have the ability to manage the entire process from start to finish,” she says. “Homeowners should look for someone who has their own business, has at least five to seven years of experience, and can provide an extensive portfolio with lots of finishes from which to choose.”
According to Majerowicz, the initial consultation is usually offered at no charge. Most professional artists will bring a portfolio of different finishes to review. “If the artist has a decent portfolio, it should be easy to narrow in on a few choices, she says. “If you should decide on a finish but want to make changes such as color or design, request a sample for your décor.”
Expect to be charged at least $65 per sample. “It may take the artist many hours or even days to create a custom sample and the artist will want to be paid for their time,” she says.
According to Walston and Majerowicz, taking measurements is the second step in the design process, once finishes have been selected. Typically, pricing is based on the square footage of the room and finishes may range from $3 per square foot up to $35 or more per square foot depending on the complexity. “A rule of thumb is $3 per pass,” says Majerowicz. “If the finish you choose has 7 layers, or processes, then you can expect to pay $21 per square foot.”
In many cases, if the homeowner is painting multiple rooms, expect to receive a 10 to 15 percent discount on the entire pricing for the project. A word to the wise: quality is everything when it comes to getting an exceptional finish. In the world of decorative painting, you really do get what you pay for. As Majerowicz says, “Artists with experience who can deliver are worth every penny.”
Finishes and Trends
Faux painting can work in any room in the home, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Majerowicz likes to take different areas of each room and highlight some element of the architecture, complimenting it with faux painting. In one room, she may paint only the ceiling; in another, she may highlight decorative molding. “My philosophy is that every home should have one special, jaw-dropping room,” says Majerowicz.
What are some of the choices available to the homeowner?
“In this region, homeowners have historically leaned toward a conservative look,” says Majerowicz. If you are willing to break out of the ‘traditional’ mold, however, there are many wonderful choices to explore in the decorative artistry field. Artists’ creations can make feel as if you are in an Old World Villa in Venice, Italy, or a Parisian Café’ in Leon, France.
“What I am seeing is custom homes being built in a more Old World in style. It is not uncommon to see stone fireplaces, iron balusters, French Country accoutrements and timeless décor,” says Majerowicz. If this describes your style you may want to consider finishes such as sandstone, limestone, and crackle wall finishes, Pompeii or Italian designs embedded in plaster or luster stone to resemble pressed leather.” However, if your tastes are more on the transitional or modern side you may favor Venetian plasters, marble or metallic finishes.
Walston adds, “As far as popular finishes go, I'm doing a lot of textured plaster projects. The rustic Italian look is very appealing to my clients who have new homes but want to add a bit of "age" to new drywall.”
In addition to reproducing the look of expensive materials, faux finishes create moods and illusions. Flat surfaces, such as walls and ceilings, appear to have depth, movement and dimension. "Old" can become "new"—and "new" can be aged and distressed to look "old," says Walston. “The possibilities really are endless.”
Fine Art and the Fifth Wall
Decorative painting is elevated to fine art when it comes to adding murals and tromp l’oeil to an interior wall or ceiling.
Artist Shawn McRaney, owner of Baltimore-based Paint the Sky Murals, specializes in the creation of custom murals for residential and commercial interiors. “Murals are a great way to add drama to a room,” says McRaney. “The work I create for clients is highly personal and usually has a sentimental significance to the homeowner.”
McRaney is currently doing a job for a client who is an accomplished amateur musician and wanted his music room to resemble the Cavern, a club in England where the Beatles got their start. The project includes recreating the brick interior and a vaulted ceiling.
“My solution was to rely on a one-point perspective and come out from the wall and feather the design out on the ceiling. The challenge has also been in making the bricks look old,” said McRaney. “Most of the residential work I do takes anywhere from 2 to 12 months, depending on the number of rooms.”
McRaney says that murals work in any room but rooms with a lot of windows, and high ceilings scream for something unique. Ceilings tend to be a neglected place for decorative inspiration.
“In the trade, the ceiling is referred to as the fifth wall,” says Lauren Ames of Chestertown, MD based Ames Interiors. “Large rooms with cathedral ceilings and entrances and foyers with tall walls really demand some kind of treatment,” she says.
The designer advises adding a dark color to a tall ceiling to create a more intimate feel. “White, the most frequently used ceiling color, will make a low ceiling room appear closer and conversely increases the appearance of distance when walls are higher,” Ames notes. “Another idea is to tint a room’s wall shade with white paint [as a ceiling color]—it’s a subtle way of softening the look of any room.”
Decorative Artisan Resources
Heavenly Home Interiors
Towson, 443.927.6825
Kyndl Walston Decorative Painting
Baltimore, 410.433.6336
Off the Wall Painting
Odenton, 443.867.8197
Paint the Sky Murals
Baltimore, 443.416.0813
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