Blog - Page 5 of 10 - Leichsenring Studios

Rooms with a View

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 03, 2015· in Clouds, Dining Room, Kitchen, Murals, Places, Powder Room, Staircase, Stairwell·

The 21st interior design celebration, Rooms with a View, took place in Southport recently. Conceived as a brilliant church fundraiser under the auspices of the famed Albert Hadley (designer for the Kennedy White House, the Rockefellers, Astors and Gettys to name a few notable clients), each year the show embraces traditional and cutting edge design. Each of the twelve invited designers is given a space of 5′ x 8′ to create a vignette. They have a week to”build” their room, which comes quite simply with three walls and wiring for electricity. Then, the magic is on display for the weekend. This year was personally exciting to yours truly because the design team, Tracy Dwyer and Patrick Briel, from Westport’s Parc Monceau had asked me to paint a floor cloth that would be used in their vignette, The.Diving.Room. Too cool for words, I assure you. First, take a look at the room’s view. My rippling water over sand design painted on a canvas floor cloth is easily seen through the Lucite coffee table. Here is another view of the room. Here is the rug by itself. If you’ve never been to Rooms with a View, plan to next year. I’ll […]
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Coffered Ceilings on Property Brothers job

Thankful for the Side Dishes

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 17, 2015· in Artwork, Brick White Wash, Ceiling, Fireplace, Kitchen, Lettering, Signs·

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and once I got this title in my head, I couldn’t let the metaphor go. Certainly it is the turkey that is the centerpiece of the traditional celebration, but it is those side dishes that add the flavors and creativity. And so it is with my own portfolio. Yes, mural painting is the foundation of my work, but this month was a perfect example of those “side dishes” that don’t come around all that often, but when they do, what a treat! The first project was a brick wall in a red palette that was just completely unacceptable for the marvelous kitchen renovation. My client thought a simple whitewashing would tone the color down. I have her permission to show you her thought to see how it might look. It was ingenious. She used chalk, and literally colored the bricks to check out the effect. Not good. The result was dirty pink and coral tones. Below is the sample I created once the background had been painted. And here’s how lovely it looked when completed. Very believable and custom matched to her granite, flooring and cabinetry. I’ve also been doing quite a few canvas commissions. […]
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They had me at Krakens!

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 04, 2015· in Dining Room, Furniture, Ocean, Property Brothers, Trees·

I love a good challenge. It keeps me on my toes and thinking out of the box. I recently completed two projects that did exactly that. The first was a mural for a dining room. My client made it clear that she and her husband wanted something that truly captured their tastes and personalities. She mentioned mermaids, schooners and kraken. She had me at kraken. This was going to be fun. Kraken indeed! Norwegian mythological sea creatures. Here are a few of my initial sketches. Take a look at the finished painting. Each porthole is 5 ½’ in diameter. Keeping the budget in mind, simple trompe l’oeil planks completed the composition. Below is a closeup of the mermaid porthole. They might not be your cup of tea, but it was exactly what my client had envisioned. They are intriguing, these krakens, are they not? This month also brought the opportunity to be the decorative painter for a one-of-a-kind desk. The Twin Root Desk was designed by the brilliant Patrick Briel of Tripka Design. Imposing and utterly massive, it commands its office. And here you can see the two-tiered desk from another vantage point. Here is a […]
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Trees For All Seasons

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 04, 2015· in Artwork, Staircase, Stairwell, Trees·

I just completed this project for one of my favorite clients. We have from an artist’s perspective, the perfect relationship. She’s very visual and we approach each scenario as a team. I love her input. Her home has a charming walkway to the front door, terraces of rounded brick steps. It’s beautiful for guests. However, family members generally come into the house from the garage and enter climbing up a most boring staircase. Climbing the stairs may be good aerobically but the view! It can’t get more boring than this. If one could see through the back door’s window to the right, one would be rewarded with a gorgeous sylvan vista. So a solution was born. A canvas of a good size (30″ by 40″) depicting the missing view. The transom window mimics those found in the home. I drew this sketch and we were on our way. I had to shift the perspective a little and drew it as it would be seen from a “worm’s eye’s view”, the opposite from looking downward like in a bird’s eye’s view. It may not be something the viewer is aware of, but it trick’s the mind to accepting it as more […]
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A Tale of Two Projects

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 06, 2015· in Artwork, Floor, Powder Room·

One of the best parts of my schedule is the wide scope of work that comes my way. Here are two projects that illustrate my point. The first is an elegant and sophisticated powder room. My part in it was quite small, a painted floor cloth. The cloth, a mere 27″ x 3″, was the perfect solution for the space. More importantly, it provided a vehicle to tie the palette of the room together. Here’s a picture of the cloth, the wallpaper and the fabric trims for the window treatment. Kudos to Linda Brencher Interiors of Branford for t the design found in this lovely powder room. The Anna French wallpaper in a light apple green sets the perfect crispness for every detail. Take a look at the floor cloth. This powder room is a busy place, so the protective topcoat will keep it looking like new for years. Here’s the finished project. The nightstand refitted as a vanity base with a new marble top and vessel sink is brilliant. The second project called for an entirely different direction. My client commissioned me to create a 24″ by 36″ painted canvas as a birthday gift for her husband. The […]
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Keeping Grounded

by Sharon Leichsenring· July 03, 2015· in Floor, Kitchen, Murals·

I admit, One of the best things about being a decorative artist is I surely am never bored. The variety and scope of the challenge is constantly a surprise. This recent project is one that kept me grounded, both literally and philosophically. Literally, it entailed having the floors of the kitchen and breakfast area sanded to remove the existing work. Here is what I first encountered. Not only was the work dated-it involved some sponging with grout lines I think to simulate blocks- but the alternate layers of paint were separating and peeling. Enter Dino of Deckworks (203-258-9818) in Trumbull. The floors were sanded, primed and painted to provide me with a perfect canvas. Before I show you the process, take a look at how sweet these floors look now! The adjoining breakfast area… The palette was derived from the beautiful palette the countertops and existing cabinets provided. I thought a contemporary trellis design would play counterpoint to the square areas we were trying to marry-a basically square kitchen area with a step down to a long rectangular breakfast area. The house which is almost 100 years old has elegant and traditional lines. Keeping the design simple with just […]
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Into the Woods… Yet Again

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 06, 2015· in Artwork, Columns, Commercial Space, Murals, Trees·

Few projects have touched a special place in my heart as the ongoing “Woods” painting at Fairfield Woods Middle School. Here is what things looked like when I saw the newly renovated lobby. My drawing was approved by the PTSA and in spring of 2013 I painted the center column and was invited back last year to paint the adjacent wall. It left the opposite wall looking quite needy and this spring, I came back to complete the matching wall. This is what the proposal looked like. This is what the lobby looks like today. What makes this project so remarkable is that in the two years since I started, there is not a mark on any of the work. No chips, no scratches and indeed, no graffiti. I deliberately do the work during school hours as I love the energy the feedback from the kids gives to me. Principal Dr. Rosato is always at the helm when at dismissal, some 925 students flood through that hallway, past me painting on my ladder. It is an awesome rush! On a serious note, though the graphic elements of trees is obvious in a school called for generations “The Woods”, I know […]
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The Fifth Wall… Forget Me Not

by Sharon Leichsenring· May 03, 2015· in Ceiling, Clouds, Dome, Mica, Trees, Trompe L'oeil·

Thank you so much to each and every one of you that send me your choice of your favorite powder room. I loved the feedback. It was so much fun compiling that last newsletter, I thought, let’s do it again. So here we go. Ceilings are often referred to as the “fifth wall”. And way too often, they are simply ignored. There are so many solutions that there is no excuse not to consider that ceiling the next time you are looking up at the expanse of flat ceiling white paint. If you’ve got crown molding already (or are considering it), make it pop with anything but white. Here’s my answer to adding color and a few simple stripes for a simple solution. Below is an area of mica infused plaster that reflects the chandelier’s light. A border and shadow give dimension. A ceiling treatment does not have to utilize the entire ceiling. Here are two trompe l’oeil medallions that add focus but are modest in dimension. I see many master bedrooms that have very deep trays, with the sides being three to four feet. This design incorporated the entire space. And then there are situations where I am so […]
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Powder Room Jewel Boxes

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 06, 2015· in Artisan Finish, Mica, Murals, Ocean, Powder Room, Trees, Trompe L'oeil·

Every decorative artist has a favorite place to play with paint and plaster. For me, it’s powder rooms. There’s absolutely no limit to the possibilities. They are self-contained little worlds that can relate to the rest of the home or they can shine with their own personality. Here’s one of my recent favorites. Love the boldness of the red walls. Here it is blocked out in a solid color. Now, take a look with a metal gold on the center ornament plus dynamic shadows and highlights. Here is another acanthus inspired panel. Plaster with infused mica is another route. Don’t you love the way the light dances on this single color application? Another choice is to use the plaster as an allover embossed damask stencil. A lighter shade of the plaster dazzles as the background. Here is the same finish with the bonus of a painted window with a view from the neighborhood beach. This is a true Jewel Box. The ceiling was painted with metallic gold, as were the doors and woodwork with an added coat of subtle dark brown glaze. The stencil on the band that acts as a chair rail is embossed with the […]
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50 Shades of Blue

by Sharon Leichsenring· March 06, 2015· in Ceiling, Headboards·

I recently finished two small projects that had only two things in common; they are both in the same home and both utilize the color blue as the main theme. The first was a painted background for a massive bed in a guest bedroom. The bed is very dark. And my client wanted to utilize the bedding that you see pictured. The walls were a beige with absolutely no personality, and not nearly strong enough to balance the visual weight of the bed. We were both reluctant to paint the room very dark, but needed something to balance the furniture. I chose a color from Benjamin Moore’s new collection called “Color Stories”. “Sheer bliss” was indeed the perfect blue. I then designed a backdrop for the headboard to tie it all together. Painting was slow going given the texture on the existing walls. Here’s the backdrop completed. Here’s another shot with the bed back in place. Pretty sweet! I had fun using the graphic elements found in the carved headboard to incorporate into my design. And here is a close up of the corner post area. The lovely monochromatic blue palette was perfect for the room. The second […]
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