In our decorative finishes we use a variety of painting techniques and a wide range of media. We use state-of-the-art water based, environmentally friendly materials to create our own optical color formulas.

Is it really "faux?"
"Faux," meaning "false," was a term originally referring to the type of work known as "Trompe l'Oeil" (French for "fool-the-eye"), the painted replication of wood, stone, metal, or other materials and objects. Now, the term "faux finishes" usually refers to a general category including many types of decorative finishing.

Our finishes include:

Glazing and "Broken Color" Techniques
Create subtle or dramatic interest. Atmospheric, translucent layered colors blend harmoniously through the eye of the viewer.

Mineral Finishes
Combined mineral powders are hand-burnished for a luminous satin glow or brushed texture. The sophisticated result is subtle, bold, dramatic.

Faux and Trompe l'Oeil Wood, Stone, and Leather
These painted finishes replicate natural woods, marble, stone, leather, or other materials in areas where installing the actual materials may not be practical.

Gilding
From metallic accents on furniture to entire walls, interior or exterior, historic or contemporary style, gilding can be done in a number of ways and with a great variety of leaf and powder materials.

Murals and Friezes
Whether you are looking for imagery that is whimsical or serious, our imaginative concept development and artistic execution complement your corporate culture or personal design and lifestyle interests.

Textures, Mixed Media, and special effects
Glowing mineral and soft metallic finishes, tinted varnishes, antique patina, embedded motifs, distressing and use of waxes and natural pigments are just a few of the exciting possibilities.

Venetian Plaster for extraordinary surfaces
A hand-troweled finish: matte or burnished, contemporary or antique in style. Modulated color and designs can be incorporated into this remarkable work for an authentic looking fresco or stone-like finish on walls, ceilings, and other surfaces.

About Decorative Finishes Artistic Finishes Murals Venetian Plaster The Metropolitan Collection

What's the Subject? Expand your view beyond the walls.
Whether realistic or "fantasy," a mural will introduce a wider worldview into your daily life. Look out beyond your cook top to a view across the Tuscan countryside. Your foyer landing opens through a painted gate to a pastoral landscape. A child's room becomes a whimsical, dreamy place to inspire imagination.

Our clients love to be involved in the concept development phase, and including their ideas and personal objects in the imagery becomes an essential and enjoyable part of the process.

There is also a place in business settings for murals. A travel agency has requested a mural in their conference room to communicate their concept of international business travel. Owners of an Italian restaurant want to create the ambiance of a quaint fishing village. The possibilities are limitless.

Size and Shape
A mural can be any size. In a tiny room, a two-foot square "window" opens to a distant panorama. On a larger wall, a dramatic scene unfolds across the entire surface. Sometimes a mural will simply consist of a few painted images of plants, books, or other trompe l'oeil subjects. Because murals are always custom designed and painted by commission, unusual sizes or shapes can be created.

High Quality Materials
We use only the finest artist's acrylic paints and high quality canvas. We incorporate a variety of painting and glazing techniques and installation methods in creating our murals. The method we select for installation will depend upon your geographic location and the actual size of the installation.

High Quality Materials

• Painting the mural directly on the wall
• Painting the artwork on canvas
• Painting the artwork on panels
• Digital reproduction of original artwork

Planning to move?
We recommend painting the artwork on a removable material if you think you will be moving or will want to change the location of the artwork.

About Decorative Finishes Artistic Finishes Murals Venetian Plaster The Metropolitan Collection

Venetian Plaster is a high quality, water-based finish for interiors.
"Venetian Plaster" is specially formulated for creating a wide variety of decorative finishes that are suitable for highly contemporary as well as 'old-world' looks. We can create any color, from pastel to highly saturated deep tones. We can apply the material with glass-like smoothness, or we can create textures that resemble rough-cut stone.

Acrylic Encaustic: an ancient process for modern times
The term "Encaustic," actually a painting technique used by the Greeks as early as 5th century BC, refers to the application of melted, pigmented wax to a surface. Using modern Venetian plaster materials, an artist can accomplish similar effects. While mineral powders and waxes can be used for an iridescent high gloss finish, a gloss or a burnished luminous glow can also be achieved without using petroleum wax.

Suitable for corporate, commercial and residential sites
These durable materials and versatile techniques impart a sense of history with modern style and are compatible with traditional, antique and contemporary design settings. A major design publication has recently described this type of finish as one that will continue to evolve and have longevity. Since we first began using these materials in 1993, a wide selection of products has become available, so we will select the perfect product that suits the needs of each project.

A few of the many variations of Venetian Plaster for walls and other surfaces:

Color Sheen, a Single Application
The base color is subtly visible through the translucent, lightly tinted top coat, creating a visual depth of surface not achievable with paint alone.

Antique Wax Sheen with Colored Wax
A neutral or tinted base is the foundation for this type of finish featuring a high-quality tinted paste wax. A wide range of colors with soft sheen is possible using this combination of tinted materials.

Color Harmony, Exceptional Color Depth
Several layers produce a finished surface of blended colors from dramatic deep tones to softly colored neutrals. This finish lends itself very well to polishing, with or without wax.

Metallic Harmony with Highlights
Single or multiple tinted layers establish the base color. The glowing transparent highlights are created with specially pigmented topcoats. This layer can be polished to a soft sheen or buffed to a highly reflective polish.

Matte & Textured, an Earthy Finish
An adobe or fresco style finish is beautifully produced in palettes of earth colors in pale or deep shades. Supplementary materials can also be included to create highly textured surfaces that work well with soft, lighter colors as well as with deep or saturated colors.

Embedded Imagery
Embedded imagery is actually created within the wall finish. This variation on Venetian Plaster can be done in fresco style or it can incorporate ancient motifs, traditional design references, or a contemporary approach.

Call us at (508) 359-5753 or email to discuss projects for your home, your business, or a client project. We look forward to working with you.

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