Ocean-themed Nursery Mural

I think the only thing better than a kid’s room nursery mural project is a nursery mural for a return client!

About 3 years ago, my repeat client Ed reached out to me about doing a mural for his grandson’s room.  This was Ed’s gift to his daughter Kaitlynn and her husband, and it was a joy to work with the entire family.

I was thrilled then when Ed reached back out to have me do another mural for his daughter’s second child! 

For this mural, the only direction Kaitlynn and her husband gave me was that they wanted an ocean scene.  Specifically, they wanted the mural to have a Cape Cod feel, and sent along some inspirational photos.

When we met and looked at the space, we talked about working with the window on the wall and using the basic layout of one of the photos that had the ocean hitting the shore at an angle and off to one side.  This let me “incorporate” the window as much as possible – without it sitting in the middle of the ocean.  I also decided to accentuate the dune grasses and the path leading to the beach – as if you could walk right into the mural from the bedroom!

Once I showed the design, everyone loved it just as it I had everything – so I was on to painting the mural!  I enjoyed painting this, and I was happy with the feeling of the path coming out of the room, and the window feeling balanced in the overall composition.

Most importantly, the whole family also loved it!

Below are shots of the process, and of course the final result

Enjoy!!

Jason

The 21”x15” concept painting

The “blank canvas” wall before the mural

The first stages of drawing the mural and beginning the painting

Getting close!

The final result

Custom Nursery Mural

I thoroughly enjoy doing kids room murals! My clients for this nursery in Newton, MA wanted a sky theme for their new-born son’s room and reached out to me to make it happen. I enjoyed collaborating with the baby’s mother and grandmother – and their interior designer- to come up with this design!

The designer suggested painting the entire room in an ombre of blues – making the ceiling look like the night sky, and the lower walls look like a bright daytime sky. To accentuate this, they asked that I paint the sky with glitter to look like stars.  In terms of the mural, they wanted to limit it to 2 walls so it didn’t look too cluttered. They requested a specific airplane, a rocket, a hot-air ballon and birds (at least one bird needed to be a cardinal).

With this information in hand – I was on to designing and painting my concept boards!   As always, I painted my designs to scale using the actual colors I would use on the walls – so they could see a smaller version of exactly what the mural would look like.  With only a couple of minor changes, they loved my design as it was – so I was on to painting the final mural!

Following are pictures of the final space – now just waiting for the final touches before my client’s new baby boy moves in!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Roman Clay Living Room in Westwood, MA

To finalize their new home addition, my clients in Westwood, MA reached out to me about applying a Roman Clay finish to all of the walls!  Their goal was to create a warm, organic look with an “old world” feel. Roman Clay is the perfect choice to accomplish these goals – so we were on to selecting a color.

With Roman Clay, the lightest colors don’t show much motion at all, while the darker colors can have very dramatic variations in tone and movement.  Since this is a large space and all of the walls would be in the same finish, it was important that our solution have character without being too busy – so we focused on mid-tones to get this perfect balance.

After looking at samples, we settled on a tan color called “Boondocks” – which worked well with the trim and floor colors, while hitting that mid-tone sweet spot!

With the Roman Clay applied to all of the walls, and then with the addition of the homeowner’s final touches – the space has exactly the warm, inviting, old-world feel they were going for!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Metallic Plaster Bathroom

My client Jonathan in Boston reached out to me with the goal of adding depth and a little bit of glitter to his primary bathroom.  He had the idea of using Venetian Plaster with glitter added – but he was quick to change paths when I introduced him to metallic plaster!

Metallic Plaster is applied with a trowel – very similar to Venetian Plaster or Roman Clay – but the material itself has a slightly glittery, metallic shimmer.  This ended up being a perfect match with Jonathan’s vision for the space!

Metallic plaster comes in only the manufacturer colors, but I often use a combination of colors to accomplish the look my clients are looking for.  For this project, Jonathan wanted a mostly off-white color, but with subtle hints of gray to complement the marble countertop.  After we met, I went back to my studio and created 3 sample boards that were variations of 2-color combinations.  This way, I could show Jonathan a range of options – one of which was exactly what he was looking for!

With my sample board approved, I was on to the final project.  To accomplish this look, two smooth coats of the plaster need to be applied – resulting in the motion and depth, but also the shimmer that makes this space come alive!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Ombre With Gold and Silver Leaf

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is creative collaboration with my clients and designer partners – which was the case with this recent project in Boston!  My client Jonathan knew he wanted silver leaf on the tray ceiling of his entry foyer to accent the unique lighting fixture he would be installing – but he wanted it to be even more distinctive. While we were discussing ideas, he asked if it was possible to do an ombre, or fade, from gold leaf to silver leaf.  This is not something I had done (or seen done!), but I was excited to figure out how to make it work.

Silver and gold leaf are extremely thin, square sheets of metal (5”x5”) that are applied by gluing them to the surface.  Because of this, they can’t be blended like I do with paint ombres – but I suggested I create a transition between gold and silver by tearing the leaf sheets into small, irregular pieces and “blend” the gold and silver in this fashion.

As usual, my first step in creating a custom finish is to create a sample board – using actual gold and silver leaf on a piece of foam core board to show exactly what this would look like.  When I showed the board to Jonathan, he was happy with the result – so my next step was the actual project!

The first photo below shows the tray ceiling before any work was done.  The existing light fixture was removed, and we were able to install the gold-and-silver leaf ombre before the final lighting was installed.  The final picture shows the end result, with both the cove lighting around the edges and the chandelier installed!

Enjoy!!

Jason

The tray ceiling before any work

With my gold and silver leaf ombre before the cove lighting and chandelier were installed

The final result!

Custom Feature Wall Decorative Finish

“Custom” and “Collaboration” are two big parts of the decorative wall finishes I create for my clients – and this recent project in Medway, MA is a great example!

My client Christine wanted this wall in her home office to be the primary feature of the room.  It is what you see when you first walk in, and it is also the backdrop for her video calls.  She knew she wanted a texture, and was interested in a somewhat vertical, linear pattern – but still with a loose, organic feel.  She also had some examples of the blue tones she was interested in.  When we met and looked at the space, we looked through colors and chose a few that fit the look she was going for.

With this information in hand, I went back to my studio to brainstorm a solution.  Creating the texture required a specialty tool, so I sent Christine some pictures of options for her to choose from.  With the texture and the colors established, I was on to making a sample board to show her what the finish would look like!   I used a specialty plaster to create the texture, and then used 3 colors in the range we chose to highlight the look of this pattern.

Christine approved the board right away – so I was on to the live project!  Below is a photo of the final result, along with a detail shot showing the texture close-up.  Christine was thrilled with the result – and I hope her clients appreciate her new video back-drop!!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Close-up detail

Faux Marble Bathroom in Boston

Faux painting marble was not an option my client in Boston first considered for her bathroom remodel! In fact, her first choice was to use actual Carrera marble on the walls of this space – until costs and logistical challenges forced her to look for an alternative.  The primary obstacle was that the bathroom is on the 3rd floor of her condo – and the only way to get slabs of marble into the space was to open the exterior wall and bring it in with a crane!

With these challenges, we knew faux painting the marble would be much cheaper – but the big question she had was if the look would be convincing?!

As always, my first step is to paint concept boards – using the actual materials and techniques I would use in the final space.  Using Benjamin Moore paints for durability and gloss, water-based polyurethane for the sheen, I did scale paintings to show how I could make the walls look like marble – and our client was sold!

With my boards approved, we were on to painting the actual walls.  Of course, different samples of marble can all have very different veining – so we asked our client for photos of what she wanted, and used this as our guide for patterning on her walls.

In the end, our client was thrilled with the end look!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Faux Painting Magic!

In addition to creating specialty finishes and murals for walls ceilings, floors and full rooms – I also use the same techniques for specialty painting repairs… making everything from outlets to damage disappear!

In the first example, one of my contractor partners called me to use paint to camouflage outlets throughout a recently renovated kitchen in Boston.  The first photos below show an example of faux wood grain to hide an outlet on the side of a cabinet, while the second shows faux marble to blend an outlet on the waterfall countertop.  The client was thrilled at the clean look – focusing your attention on the beautiful finishes, rather than white outlets!

In the second example, a client of mine loved this fantastic hand-painted faux rug on her dining room floor in Wellesley, but didn’t know what to do to save it from many years of wear and tear.  The original artist painted this in 2003 and is no longer in the area, so my client was happy to learn I could take care of it.  Using my color-matching experience, I was able to mix every one of the 12 colors that were damaged – helping top save this unique treasure!

The last example shows a close-up of a beautiful wood front door in Newton.  When this door was recently re-finished, a portion of the veneer was unfortunately sanded off.  Short of replacing the door, my client was told there was no way to fix this – which is when I got the call! Using only paint and polyurethane, I was able to re-create the look of the wood – keeping this door beautiful for many more years to come.

Enjoy!!

Jason

Wood outlet before

Wood outlet after

Marble outlet before

Marble outlet after

Painted rug before

Painted rug after

Wood damage before

Wood damage after

Galvanized Gold-Look Elevates Ceiling

My clients Ed and Elizabeth in Weston, MA recently reached out to get ideas on how to “elevate” the look of their dining room ceiling.  The ceiling had recently been finished with box trim and gold-speckled wallpaper, but it was lacking the impact they hoped for.  One option was to take down the wallpaper and do a custom finish on the ceiling surfaces – but to save money, we focused on making the box trim the highlight.

Originally painted an off-white, the box trim was a subtle accent.  Instead, we talked about making it gold to transform it to a focal point!  I used gold swatches to determine the color of the chandelier to tie it in with the trim and took this back to my studio to make a sample board. Rather than make a smooth gold finish, I decided to create a “galvanized” gold look to generate even more interest – which Ed and Elizabeth loved!

With my sample bard approved – I was on to the final project.  By applying this special finish on all of the box trim surfaces, it catches light from different angles and effectively creates an elegant glimmer in all lights --- resulting in just the look they were going for! 

Enjoy!!

Jason

The “before” state of the ceiling

And “after”!

Roman Clay !

Roman Clay is one of many specialty products I use to create unique finishes – like these recent projects in Westwood and South Boston!

Created by a company called Portola, Roman Clay is a decorative plaster that creates the final finish of the wall (it comes in the final color and does not get painted!).  Similar to Venetian plaster (another decorative plaster I frequently use), Roman Clay is applied with a trowel and creates a mottled finish that can be very subtle (in light colors) or more dramatic (in darker colors).  By comparison, Roman Clay creates finishes that tends to be a bit softer and more organic than Venetian plaster.

The finish can be completely flat (with no sheen/shine) when left unsealed – or it can have a light sheen that also has variations when sealed with Portola topcoat.

These recent projects are a great illustration of these Roman Clay variations!  In Westwood, MA, we finished a large living room in a color called “Boondocks”, which a meduim/light toned taupe.  This project we left unsealed to give the client the flat, organic feel she was looking for.  With lighter colors, the variation can be subtle, giving the space an overall feel without the finish being a focal point. 

In South Boston, I used a much darker color called “Meritage” and ended up sealing it (which is recommended in areas with any moisture!).  You can see how much more dramatic the variations are with the darker color – as well as the mottled sheen of the topcoat. In this case, I used Roman Clay on the trim and ceiling in addition to the walls!

The construction on both of these projects is still in progress – so I will update photographs when the rooms are complete!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Westwood detail

Westwood detail

Westwood - larger shot of room under construction

Boston powder room

Powder room detail

Powder room - trim and ceiling also done with Roman Clay!

Venetian Plaster Fireplace Surround in Brookline

Venetian Plaster was the perfect fit for this fireplace surround in Brookline!  When my client reached out about this renovation project, he had selected the stone for his surrounding countertops, the wood for the cabinets and the paint for the wall color – but he did not have any answers for the fireplace.  The challenge was to come up with a finish that would be a statement without overwhelming everything else. We needed something unique and interesting, but also something that would work well with all the other colors and patterns. Enter Venetian!

Because Venetian Plaster can be mixed to almost any color – and even applied with multiple colors – it can be extremely flexible.  When we first began discussing the project, nothing had been installed yet -- so to come up with a solution for the fireplace, I met with my client at the facility where he had purchased his stone.  Here we could look at possible colors for my finish together with his stone and the cabinet and wall samples he brought with him. In this meeting, we decided the fireplace should be lighter in color to avoid it from dominating the space, but still have plenty of motion in the finish to create some subtle drama.  This gave me great direction to go back to my studio and create a sample board.  For this finish, I used 2 different colors of Venetian to get both the lighter color, but also the “motion” we were looking for.

To confirm I had hit the mark, we met again at the stone store to look at all of the elements together with my sample board – and it was a hit!

When the construction team was ready for me, I went onsite to apply my Venetian Plaster to the fireplace – and it gave my client exactly the look he was going for!

Unfortunately, the space was still under construction, so I don’t have final pictures (for example, there is a trim ring around the fireplace that is not yet installed) – but these show the Venetian.  From a distance (in the first photo), the motion in the finish is subtle.  As you get closer (second 2 photos), you can really see the almost stone-like quality of the variations in the plaster.  When looking at these close-ups, the finish looks like it is textured – but in the 4th photo (at an angle) – you can see it is smooth!  The sheen also has pretty variation to it, and because there is marble dust in Venetian Plaster, it is cold to the touch – making it very satisfying to run your hand across it!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Standing back, you see the variation in the finish subtly

As you get closer, you really see the beauty!

The finish looks textured, but is actually smooth!

Full Room Magnolia Mural

Back in July, I collaborated with my colleague Joan Kingsbury to create a 1-wall mural of enlarged magnolias for a primary bedroom.  As it turns out, the client loved it so much, they called us back to paint the entire bedroom with one big mural!

The concept started with the linen-look background that Joan created.  To add more interest (and to tie in the fantastic light fixture), the designer and the client wanted to add a floral element – so I suggested using enlarged magnolias as a nod to chinoiserie, but with a modern twist.  The homeowner shared how she liked the tone and sheen of “silver dollar” dried seed pods, so I went with a metallic paint that changes in different light, capturing the shimmer of the pods.

With the first wall being a hit, the challenge was to expand the concept to all of the walls.  My first step in accomplishing this was to draw the layout for each wall (Below is an example of one of these drawings).  The goal was to keep with the same feel as the original mural, while making sure the design throughout room felt balanced.

Once I shared these drawings with the designer and got their blessing, we were on to painting the full-room mural!

The result is a great example of how we can make a space truly custom!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Beautiful Venetian Plaster Finish for a Beautiful Boston Condo

Sometimes more is more – which was the case with the Venetian Plaster we did throughout this beautiful Boston condo! My colleague Joan and I spent almost 3 weeks creating this custom finish on over 2,500 square feet of the condo – which covered the hallways, kitchen, living room and dining room.

Layering 2 colors of Venetian plaster, we produced this look to accomplish the goal of being subtle enough to be the backdrop for all of these rooms, but still unique enough generate interest and depth - elevating the entire space. Working with the designer, we picked shades of taupe and off-white that had just enough warmth to compliment the other colors in the space, while still being neutral enough to make sure the art, furniture and lighting touches really pop. We wanted the walls to be both the hero and the supporting cast!

Using Venetian plaster is what makes the movement of color you see.  We also used a unique approach to the wax which seals Venetian to create a mottling in the shine – which you can see in the last photo below.

The result was a hit!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Limewash Finish Gives Bathroom a Moody Look

When making the many decisions associated with renovating a bathroom, my recent client decided they wanted the walls and ceiling to add to the look with a “moody” feel.  To accomplish this, they decided to go with a limewash finish- which adds depth, motion and character to the walls… which is when I got the call!

This project uses a limewash from Portola Paints in one of their custom colors called “Traveler”. Limewash behaves very differently from “normal” paint, and must be applied in a way that accomplishes the natural “bloom” that happens (this is what creates the motion and character) while avoiding unwanted halos and overlap lines.  It is a tricky product (!), but it ultimately produces a look you can’t get with anything else – and in this case, it is exactly what the client was looking for!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Painted Stripes Add Upscale Look to Office Walls

Sometimes simple, traditional decorative paint finishes – like painted stripes! - are the perfect touch to elevate a room. This was the case with a recent project I worked on with my colleague Joan and one of our interior design partners.

Our client had recently moved to a new condo in Dedham and wanted to personalize the walls beyond the generic white everything was painted when she bought it.  For the office, the goal was to make the space feel rich and elegant.  The furniture (which has not yet arrived) will all be cherry wood – so we wanted something to contrast the color, but feed off of the look of the pieces in the room.

The designer had the vision to use stripes, and to use navy to really get the weight and elegance she wanted.  For the contrast between stripes, we went with just a sheen difference (eggshell and semi-gloss) to make it subtle and classy.

The end result gave the designer and homeowner exactly what they were looking for!

Enjoy!!

Jason

German Schmear Fireplace in Wellesley

When my client Joe first reached out to me about this fireplace, he was considering limewash, whitewash, plaster or German schmear as options to bring the stone more in line with the contemporary look of their remodeled space.  When we met to discuss his goals, Joe explained that he wanted the stone mostly covered in white (with just hints showing) and ideally, he wanted the deep grout lines mellowed out.

I could accomplish the goal of mostly covering the stone with any of the materials being considered – but mellowing the depth of the grout lines led us to going with German schmear as the solution.  German schmear uses actual mortar, giving the option to use it at full-strength to fill the gaps between stones - but it also can be thinly applied to the surfaces to mostly (but not completely) cover them.  After showing Joe some pictures of what a schmear would look like, we were on to creating the final product!

Using a white mortar that we mixed onsite, we started by filling the grout lines with a “pastry bag” approach, and then went back, filling the grout lines more and smearing the mortar over the stones.  As we addressed the stones, we were careful to cover them, while still leaving subtle peak-through areas of the stone underneath.

Below are the before and after photos showing the transformation!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Before the schmear

After!

Schmear detail

Magnolia Mural in Boston Condo

It’s always fun when one project turns into another! In this case, my colleague Joan Kingsbury and I were on a large Venetian Plaster job in a Boston condo when the designer asked us to also create a feature wall for the primary bedroom.

The concept started with a linen-look wallpaper, and the designer asked if we could create a similar look in taupe colors that would complement the tones already in the room.  Joan created a sample board to show how this would look, and they loved this as the background for the mural!

With the background established, we moved on to discuss different subjects for the mural foreground.  The homeowner shared how she liked the tone and sheen of “silver dollar” dried seed pods, while also looking to continue the floral theme created by the light fixture.  We looked at chinoiserie inspirations with their prominent featuring of magnolia trees – and I suggested enlarging this, to show fewer, much larger flowers.  This would keep the design simpler, while also going along with the scale of the light.  To accomplish the look of the silver dollar seed pods, I suggested using a metallic paint to create the sense of translucency and shimmer.  These ideas seemed to fit the bill – so I was on to creating a concept painting on top of Joan’s background board.  Below is the design we presented.

This hit the mark!  With approval on the design, we moved on to creating the final mural.  Joan and I took a break from our Venetian plastering to first create the linen-look background, and then I moved on to paint the mural on top of it.  Due to the metallic paint of the flowers, the reflections make this look different in every light and at each angle.   Below are 3 shots of the final mural.

Enjoy!!

Jason

Commissioned Paintings or Murals?

I recently finished a project for a client in Colorado that falls somewhere between large commissioned oil paintings and wall murals. A long-time interior design partner, Anne Mueller of Briar Design, is now working in both MA and Colorado – and she reached out when she encountered this unique need for one of her Colorado clients!

Anne’s clients Don and Diane are renovating their primary bedroom – and as part of this project, they had two ideas that brought Anne to me.  One was for the barn door they are installing from the bedroom to the bathroom.  To turn this from a large, plain door to a unique centerpiece, they asked that I do a 6’x3’ oil painting that they would then have mounted on the door!  As the subject of this painting, they sent me pictures of the actual view from their home of the continental divide.  The goal was to use this as inspiration, using a loose painting style. 

The second need was to block a large window up high in their vaulted ceiling that let in too much light. Rather than take the window out, they decided to hang a 6.5’x3’ painting – this time of the same view, but with the added drama of a sunset.

 Below are photos of these paintings – both the pictures I took of the un-mounted canvases and also pictures showing them installed.

Enjoy!!

Jason

The 6 foot x3 foot oil painting

And it installed!

The 6.5 foot x 3 foot oil painting

And it installed!

Powder Room Mural

Because powder rooms are often small, they can be the perfect space to do something fun and/or bold with the décor.  That was definitely the case on this recent project, where I did a faux finish and a mural to make this Somerville powder room truly one of a kind!

Unfortunately, water damage in my client Anne’s home destroyed most of the first floor – including this powder room.  Anne had originally created a similar grass look with decals, but with the opportunity to do a complete re-do, she decided to take it up a notch and have the grass hand-painted as a mural.

I started the process by meeting with Anne at her home to look at color options and old photos to help discuss her goals for the mural.  From there, I took my usual first step of creating a scale painting of what the mural would look like.  Once my concept was approved, I was on to the final mural!

Below are pictures showing a sense of the room (which was too small to properly photograph) and a detail of the mural.  To get this look, each blade of grass is painted with 3 to 4 layers of colors!

The sink, toilet and floor are all yet to be installed – but this shot of the room and detail of the mural give a sense of how it will look…

Enjoy!!

Jason

Roman Clay Feature Wall

Roman Clay was the perfect finish to accomplish what designer Julia Snider envisioned for this feature wall in Arlington, MA!

When she called me, Julia already had this fantastic wood-slat fireplace surround installed.  Her goal was to enhance the impact of the surround and elevate the entire wall by using a finish that has some depth and organic variation in color – making the entire wall feel warm, rich and inviting.

When we met, we looked at a few options for material and colors – and landed on the warm neutral of this Roman Clay to complement the wood (without over-powering it!) while also tying in the colors of the furniture in the room.

With the decisions made, I was on to applying the finish. Roman Clay has the consistency of a loose plaster, and is applied with a trowel. After the first coat dries, it is the application of the second coat that makes the motion/variation come to life! The end result was exactly what Julia and the homeowner hoped for!

Enjoy!!

Jason

The full feature wall, with a glimpse of the furniture

Closer up on one side