Artisan Finish Archives - Page 2 of 3

Two sides of texture

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 01, 2018· in Artisan Finish, Budget Conscious, Commercial Space, Furniture, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

Wall finishes have come such a long way since DIY sponge kits. Let’s take a look at two approaches to using texture. Recently, Bella’s Café in New Haven underwent major renovations when the original café was expanded by taking over the newly available space next door. Dramatic warm colors were chosen for the multi-layered plaster finish on the walls. The color started with depth , a mesmerizing merlot, followed by a rich carmine, and finished with a cinnamon hue. The plaster is infused with mica powder. The layers alternate from smooth troweling to lacelike texture. Here’s the wall to check out. The banquettes were covered in a deep oxblood color, which prompted the trim color I chose. The excitement came when I spotted these shutters on a fun hunting trip with Rose, the owner. I was tasked with matching the worn colors on new wood needed to hang the shutters. I took a cue from the shutter colors and instead of flat black on the ceiling, it’s a dark gray with a definite deep blue green cast. Take a breather from these highly charged color choices, and see the ship lapped wall opposite the banquettes has a textured salt […]
Read More

A Little Goes A Long Way!

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 01, 2018· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Brick White Wash, Budget Conscious, Ceiling, Childrens, Fireplace, Headboards, Scrollwork, Trompe L'oeil·

One of the biggest misconceptions that people make about decorative painting is that it’s only something for mansions. That artists like myself are only interested in big, lengthy (read expensive) projects in high end properties. I’d like to use this newsletter to illustrate just how wrong that notion is. Many of these are smaller scaled design solutions that took only a day or two to complete. This first example is a simple, glazed finish for this kitchen in Darien, Connecticut. I didn’t want to compete with the gorgeous jaw-dropping countertops, so the glaze served as a perfect transition from the intricate patterning found in the stone. The grey has just a hint of plum that matches the same overtone in the cabinetry. Next, the windows flanking the fireplace in scenic Seymour, CT framed a view too pretty to block with window treatments. Instead, I used the lovely flowered branches and bird motifs found in the sofa fabric to marry the walls to the rest of the room. And when it comes to window treatments, simple panels soar to the next level with the addition of a painted border. Both of these designs were driven from the fabric patterns. The focal […]
Read More

Tying up loose ends

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 31, 2018· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Dogs, Furniture, Textured Finishes, Trees·

Some months, my newsletters seem to write themselves. It’s a project that has its start to finish completely falling within the calendar days of that month. I write my story, share my pictures and out it goes to you. Easy Peasy. And then there are those projects that have a life of their own, the last piece taking its time to fall into place. I made promises to share the end shots with you, so enjoy. My April 2018 newsletter (you can read it at https://www.leichsenringstudios.com/fit-for-a-queen-a-royal-powder-room-indeed/) was about one of my favorite powder rooms is in Stamford, CT and was completely muraled ,including the ceiling. My client asked if I knew someone who could take care of the final detail that needed to be dealt with: changing the existing casement window into one made of stained glass. Yes, I did know someone whose work would be a perfect match to my own. Enter Michael Skrtic. An extraordinary stained glass designer and maker. You can check out his work at www.theglasssource.com. I drew the scene in the window area that would have been painted had there been no window. I also saved my palette so Michael could see […]
Read More

The Glow of Gold

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 31, 2017· in Artisan Finish, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Birds, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf·

I’ve got to admit, this powder room is going to be a tough act to top! Simply put, I loved every part of it, from the planning to the last bird. Oh, the birds! But I’m rushing ahead of myself. My client, to whom I’m truly grateful for this painting experience, made the initial choice for the room. She had an inspiration picture that she had filed away several years ago, knowing this was her vision for this powder room. It showed a gold leafed wall with traditional chinoiserie painted on top of it. First, I made two gold leaf samples for her. One was very formal, and as close to perfect as the human hand can make it. The second, done on a brick red bole, the rich color that is behind the gold leaf and adds to his great depth of color, had some irregularities, leaving some of the seams about a sixteenth of an inch exposed here and there. Actually harder to do creating the irregularities, but well worth the effort. It gave a gentle sense of aging to the gold. Gold leaf is actually incredibly thin pieces of gold that are attached to a tacky sized […]
Read More

Trending Tissue Finishes

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 04, 2017· in Artisan Finish, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Headboards·

As much as painting murals is my favorite work, I have to admit that that every so often, I have an opportunity to create one of my favorite finishes, glazed tissue with raised stencils. And I love it! Hmmmm….you’re wondering. What exactly is that? It’s a dimensional, textured finish. It’s created by first troweling on a stencil in plaster, creating a raised, or embossed, image. Then the surface is covered with tissue paper. The creases and crevices found in the rolled tissue over the stencil is caught by the glaze that is applied as the final layer. Take a walk with me through a recent job. The biggest challenge was narrowing down several possibilities. All of them looked so pretty in the light coming through the shutter, but the test would be which would look best without the benefit of the added light. I’ll be showing you closeups of the winner’s choice in a moment, but this finish was a close contender. This is a plaster finish in the look of linen. I then troweled my favorite fern leaf stencil for an additional layer of depth. This was painted in a muted metallic gold paint and then washed with an […]
Read More

If “Happiness is a Warm Puppy”

by Sharon Leichsenring· July 07, 2017· in Artisan Finish, Dogs, Headboards, Trees·

If Charles M.Schulz is correct that “happiness is a warm puppy”, then these two pet projects are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. First, let me bring you to Wag Central in Stratford, CT, where owner Angela Pantalone has a created a dog care facility like no other that I have ever seen. My part here was small, but I enjoyed being a part of its creation. I was brought to the project by the inimitable Patrick Briel of Tripka Design, (www.tripkadesign.com )whose direction was creating a look somewhere between a cross of the Flintstones and the Jetsons, with equal measures of simplicity and Zen. Patrick designed the two existing structural support columns to become white birch trees. Here’s a look at how they started after being wrapped in sonic tubes and painted white. I then painted the stylized birch design. The smaller branches made of PVC pipe were prepped and painted into my shop. Here’s how the trees stand now, complete with a few winsome cardinal mobiles. You will be amazed at how fantastic this place is. Check it out at www.wagcentralct.com. Plan a visit. You will not be disappointed. The second project was creating a one-of-a-kind […]
Read More

Amazing Mica

by Sharon Leichsenring· May 03, 2016· in Artisan Finish, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Ceiling, Mica, Video·

I met the mineral mica several years ago. Mica infused plasters have been part of my portfolio for many years now. But recently, I got to rediscover Mica in a brand new way. Great big chunks of it! Glittering in amber, champagne, bronze pearl and gold tones. Let me show you my samples for this outrageously gorgeous powder room I just completed. The ceiling sample shimmers with layers of mineral. The wall finish has treasure pockets of mica buried in layers of mica infused plaster set on a metallic background. Here is a close-up of the ceiling with the perfect chandelier. Below is the finished room. I am so psyched about using mica more in the future. Love to know what you think about it. There was another addition to the studio this month. Some of my favorite murals have been made into scarves and women’s top on a new ecommerce site called Shopvida. You can visit my shop by clicking HERE (www.shopvida.com/collections/voices/Sharon-Leichsenring). If I’ve painted something for you and you would like me to add it to my collection-there are several types of scarves and tops-let me know which you prefer. Lastly, for several years in the […]
Read More

Making a Statement

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 06, 2016· in Artisan Finish, Mica, Trompe L'oeil·

I’m not sure when the trend began, but you’ve probably come across that one wall in a room painted a different color. The design term is “accent walls” or “focal walls.” Bold and dramatic and for sure, four walls of it would be too much! I recently heard them referred to as “statement walls”. As I think about it, a lot more goes into designing the perfect statement than just picking a color. I recently had the pleasure of working with the talented Lisa Fero of Trumbull. Check out her work at www.lisaferointeriors.com. Lisa has a great sense of color and her rooms look fresh yet layered with sophistication. My part in this room was to create a textured wall finish that would indeed make a statement. Here’s a picture of the sample Lisa chose. It has several layers of mica infused plaster as well as a smoky beige metallic paint. Here is the carpet, fabric and parts of the room that inspired this artisan finish. And without further ado, here’s the finished wall that definitely makes a statement. Another way to make a statement in a room has nothing to do with singling out one wall and […]
Read More

Powder Room Jewel Boxes

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 06, 2015· in Artisan Finish, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Mica, Murals, Ocean, 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 […]
Read More

Not your grandmother’s cabinets…anymore!

by Sharon Leichsenring· January 06, 2015· in Artisan Finish, Birds, Furniture, Kitchen·

I’m not asked often to redo kitchen cabinets. This recent project was a manageable size, and a great way to show you how effective paint can be in updating a kitchen. Keeping it short and sweet, here’s the finished kitchen. Here’s what it looked like before. These oak cabinets are fairly standard. There was no reason to justify ripping them out, but boy, did they look dated and boring. The granite was going to stay, as well as the floor. My client liked the route that I think is more than just trendy of having a different finish for the island. It’s been around for a few years and I believe it’s going to become a standard. Here’s the sample boards I did, as well as a new color with a lot of punch in its depth for the walls. My portion of the work was soooo easy. Super painter Dino Tetu and company (203-258-9818) dismantled the kitchen, removing all the panels, drawers and doors. These were primed, and then painted. Can’t say it enough: great prep insures a great finished job. There is an artisan feel to the work as the glazing shows some of the irregularities of the […]
Read More