Michelle's Design Works

Bling in the Powder Room

How fun is it to have a glitzy powder room? I love taking a small room like that and making it big and dramatic.

Here’s a peek into a lovely townhome I recently worked in. The view was fantastic, looking out onto the Ohio River. The view of the powder room, however was not very inspiring. But, we took care of that.

My client now has a powder room full of glitz and glamour, with lots of sparkle imbedded in the plaster.

Rich, warm bronze, plums and browns in the finish. It’s hard to get good photos of small, dark rooms like this one. Here’s a close-up:

I even added a faux finish to the ceiling using bronze lusterstone and glaze. Much more interesting than a plain, white ceiling to look at.

Fireplace Fix-up

Many great rooms have huge fireplaces that are the focal point of the room. Sometimes however, the fireplace doesn’t have a lot of architectural features to help it gain the attention it deserves. My client Laura, had a beautiful, 2-story fireplace that she was struggling with. Decorative moldings and color-blocking had been added, but the style just didn’t go with the rest of the home. It was too contemporary for the Tuscan feel of the furnishings and decor.

 

I forgot to take a photo of the complete “before”, but the section below the mantle gives you an idea of what it looked like. At this point, I had already painted out the wall above the mantle with a golden color to match the wall color and was adding an applique below the mantle.

The bottom half of the fireplace was painted Royal Taupe and the moldings and appliqué were gold foiled. Then, a faux stone plaster was applied and stained with several coats.

 

Additional stain was added in the grooves around the molding for a more distressed look.

Finally, a different stone faux finish was applied to the upper half of the fireplace.

Golden glaze was brushed over the stone finish to tie into the wall color.

The homeowner is still on the lookout for a piece of art to hang above the mantle, but wow, what a change. The “after” now has a Tuscan look, which completely ties in with the rest of the home’s decor.

If you want your home to reflect you and your style, contact me (mbergman@fuse.net or (859) 356-2248) to create custom decorative paint techniques that will make your home beautiful and comfortable for the way you live.

Elegant linen finish

Sometimes the more subtle faux finishes can be the most elegant. A linen finish can be the perfect, understated background for beautiful artwork and furniture in a room. You don't always need your walls to say "WOW!", you need them to say "wow" in a more hushed tone. This elegant dining room is the perfect example.

 

The walls were already painted a beautiful basecoat color - Distant Thunder by Porter. I've added a glaze of a shade darker over the base and did a linen stria technique. Because the room was rather large, the walls were divided into panels and the paint technique was added to alternating panels. This makes it a two-day process, but the results are much more controlled. 

  

This is the look after the first day's work was completed. 

 

When everything was completed, and the furniture is back in place, the room has a calm, rich feel. Now the walls whisper "wow", and everything else in the room can take center stage. Perfect for a lovely dinner party!