Rustic color-washed accent wall

This color-washed finish is evocative of the aged lime-washed exteriors of the Southwest and Mexico. As an accent wall, the color and texture provide a rich setting for the rustic furniture and primitive objects. This color-wash finish consists of two transparent layers of brushed and ragged acrylic glaze.

Soothing green Italian plaster

I created a matte Italian plaster finish for this powder room to provide a backdrop for the different elements. I think it brings it all together and you can't go wrong with these soothing green tones. (From the same home as the interior above.)

Mantle makeover

For many years this mantle had been painted in a generic semi-gloss white paint. We wanted to make it an elegant focal point for this living room and so it was base-coated in medium grey (above) in preparation for a gesso and gilt inspired finish.

---

Detail of the gesso and gilt inspired finish. It was created by dry-brushing and dragging layers of off-white acrylic paint over the grey and then pouncing and fly specking in warmer tones to create depth and aging. The moldings were bronzed using Modern Masters metallic paints. First they were painted a deep charcoal and then shades of gold metallic were applied.

---

The final look is soft and elegant. In my opinion, aged finishes should always look lovingly worn-never harsh and dirty.

---

Wainscot painted in milk paint

In this dining room, we decided to create the feel of solid wainscot panels by painting the lower half of the walls and applied moldings with rich red milk paint from the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company. Milk paint, or casein, has a velvety mineral quality, imparting weight and substance to the surface. I also did French-style hand-painting on the columns. All in all, our paint-work, and a lovely chandelier, transformed this generic space into an elegant and distinctive dining room.

---

Detail of hand-painted columns and softly burnished milk paint.

---

Metallic striped accent wall

I like to use color to organize space and create a sense of presence. This partition wall served to demarcate the kitchen from the living room and was the back-drop for the mirrored cabinet that anchored the dining area. I chose to do wide horizontal stripes in a bronze metallic version of the bay-leaf green walls. The stripes wrapped all the way around the partition wall, creating 360 degrees of interest, and providing a sleek focal point for the dining area. The wall color was a flat (sheen) paint, and the metallic, custom tinted Modern Masters.

---

My client said the "F" word when she saw it--in a good way.

---

Ochre Venetian Plaster

This before & after shows the misconception that stark white walls brighten a room. In my experience, white walls work best in spaces that are flooded with natural light. In shadowy rooms and in artificial light, stark white tends to fall flat. This large study was desperately in need of warmth and richness. Even though it had nice wood details, there were only a few windows on one side of the room and it felt cold and grey. To achieve our goal, I created this matte
Venetian Plaster finish, trowelled-on in layers of sunny ochre. Interior Design: Lynn Stoner

For more on the subject of white interiors, read Rachel Perl's article: Full Spectrum: White, Without Light, Does Not Equal Bright
and check out her amazing blog about color, Hue.

---

Entry with red glazed walls

I love white walls under the right circumstances. I like to say: white by design not by default. However the white walls in this Deer Valley entry felt sterile and almost institutional. So we transformed the space by texturing and glazing the walls a rich red. This finish-with its linen-velvet quality-added warmth and vibrancy to the entry, and served to accentuate the art and furnishings.

---

For this finish we textured the walls with a tinted joint compound mixture that we pounced with masonry brushes-while wet-and then smoothed with a trowel to create a subtle texture. The texture was then based-coated with latex paint in a raspberry red and glazed with a burgundy color. Originally we were hired to do just the alcoves (not pictured) but the client and designer liked the effect so much that they had us carry the finish throughout the hall. Interior Design: Linda Johnson

---