Textured Finishes Archives - Leichsenring Studios

Mixing a custom color of the lusterstone

Be Still My Heart!

by Sharon Leichsenring· March 31, 2023· in Artisan Finish, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Ceiling, Mica, Textured Finishes·

There are some days when I believe the universe is more than ready to co-operate and send a project my way where I know that I will enjoy every single minute from concept to execution. And make a client’s dream come true? Probably mixing metaphors here, but that’s the frosting on the cake. So, the starting place. A spacious master bath, with great bones, beautiful fixtures, a floor that sends my imagination spinning and a client looking to get rid of her boring blue walls and she says the words. The key to my heart in secret code: I want you to make magic. Make it wow! Well, ok then. Let’s go. Here’s what the view looks like. I’ve reduced the color to black and white. Color will distract. We discussed ornament and the design is simply just pouring off my pencil. Drawing on the room’s photo makes it easy to visualize. We both agree Lusterstone, a luscious plaster infused with mica, will make the most of the light fixtures. I played with several color mixtures, dabbing my floor sample to see what color would sing out and keeping in mind it is studded with silvery blue glass inserts. Here are […]
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One Serving of Magic

by Sharon Leichsenring· July 01, 2022· in Artisan Finish, Furniture, Mica, Textured Finishes·

I’m not exactly sure when it happened. The day I officially believed, that perhaps, if I closed my eyes and wished as hard as I could, I could make paint magic. How arrogant and ridiculous! Years of honing my skills and working in the studio hours on end searching for the perfect, well, whatever, and I was willing to just give credit to “magic”. Like it just happened? The possibility may have crept in the day my talented designer friend Arianna Thill (actdesignct.com) posted this on Instagram. ”Fairy dust”. Indeed. If it’s on IG, it must be true. It tickled my fancy and so appealed to my ego. Have I mentioned, artists spend entirely too much time talking to themselves. Out loud sometimes. But there it was and soon enough comes my current client, she who owns this 100 plus year old buffet. It’s been in the family for generations and is in terrific shape. We’ll call her Miss C. She’s been receiving my newsletter (yes, the very same one you’re reading now) for several years and had been contemplating when she would have an opportunity to have me create something for her and her husband. Know that I am sending […]
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It seems I have painted a lot of furniture

by Sharon Leichsenring· July 01, 2021· in Budget Conscious, Chinoisierie, Fretwork, Furniture, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf, Lettering, Murals, Scrollwork, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

When I’ve been asked, do I “do” furniture, I mostly think, a little, now and then. But as samples started for yet another piece, I realized, I “do” quite a bit of furniture.Sometimes it’s truly a cost effective method to transform an existing piece to fit into perhaps new or recently redesigned surroundings. Sometimes it’s to add that all important dash of whimsy or elegance-both staples in my repertoire- to a new or old piece.So here we go…A coffee table was treated to a tissue finish for texture and bold zebra striped graphics A very traditional piece got an art deco uplift in black and metallic gold, brush applied. Another traditional piece got star treatment with stried plaster, tissue, metallic paint and glaze with razor sharp accents in black enamel This bathroom vanity had wicker painted in trompe l’oeil. You can see my source inspiration on the printed paper on the lower shelf. It looks so real. These two pieces were lovely when first purchased but the wood finish no longer fit the space. Painted in a deep burgundy, depth added with black wax and just the slightest tough of pewter metallic wax for accent. The buffet pictured here is […]
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When you are not afraid of color

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 01, 2021· in Artisan Finish, Ceiling, Furniture, Murals, Textured Finishes·

When the designer says this client is not afraid of color, I must admit, my heart beats a little faster. A lot faster. And from the very start, we were looking at color. Great, saturated choices. There would be a focal wall, very contemporary and the ceiling which benefitted from an opportunity of just thinking outside the box. Dyane ( Dyane Prezioso Interiors of Huntington, CT) had chosen the anchor color of Aegean Teal. It’s Benjamin Moore’s color of the year. Incidentally, I loved it so much, I recently repainted my own family room with it. And the simple method that makes it work? The walls and all the trim are the same color, with just a sheen difference; matte for the walls and satin for the trim. The effect is a warm, sexy cocoon of color. Perfect for this master bedroom. Here’s the sample we used as a starting point And the fun begins. I was looking at all the stirring sticks I had used to make the colors for my sample. Some were matte, some metallic for vibrancy. They were laying on my worktable drying and I had an inspiration. I cut off pieces and lined them up. Shot […]
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Looking Back at Looking Up

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 01, 2020· in Artisan Finish, Ceiling, Clouds, Commercial Space, Floral, Fretwork, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf, Lettering, Mica, Murals, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

OK, I’m not proud to admit it but there is a really bad outcome when two of my personality traits collide. I easily admit to being a bit technically challenged. Less easy to admit is that when there is a task at hand that I really don’t want to do, especially something requiring computer skills, I dig my heels in and become a first class procrastinator. And now I’m dealing with the fallout. I had to get rid of my beloved laptop because I kept accumulating photos way past the point of storage capacity. So I have a new laptop with tons more storage and I’m creating clutter and chaos. No way to avoid it. I’ve been cleaning up my mess. There was a silver lining. While sorting through hundreds ( OK, thousands) of old photos, I came across ceiling projects that for the most part, I don’t think I’ve ever posted. There might be a few that have showed up on my Instagram feed, but the fun was the older projects, done before I started this newsletter. And forgive the quality of a few of the older photographs. Just saying. I didn’t have an Iphone 11 back in the […]
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My New Favorite Bathroom

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 01, 2020· in Artisan Finish, Ceiling, Mica, Textured Finishes·

Can I have a favorite project? And without sounding shallow, can I have more than one? Hmmm…if I were being honest, my favorite projects generally have one thing in common. They involve murals, whether it be on one focal wall or be still my heart, when the chance comes to envelope the entire room. That being said, my newest project has no mural. But what it does have is the most exciting combination of a super color palette and textures. I’m a green person. When I first saw the vanity and granite countertop my client had chosen, it was love at first sight! The vibrant jungle colors caught in the Rainforest granite paired with the richness of the reclaimed wood of the vanity. The hammered copper sinks were perfect. Here’s a closeup of the granite. I was delighted to go with my client to choose the rest of the tile for the shower and floor. Even more so that she trusted my instinct for a dark green ceiling color. The feeling of a jungle canopy, but clean and contemporary. The walls needed a texture to hold up their end of the balance. It’s a simple finish, proof that in some […]
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Love Letters to Lusterstone

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 03, 2019· in Artisan Finish, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Ceiling, Property Brothers, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

My love affair with LusterStone plaster started in the early 2000s. I had left my first career as a commercial sign painter behind and was starting to be comfortable defining myself as a decorative artist. I wasn’t ready to lead with the word muralist yet at that point. So, some glazing and stenciling, ornament detailing. Sure. Small murals to get my feet wet. But I never considered myself a plasterer. A superbly rebuilt right thumb shied away from heavy plasters. A definite No! to the tedious labor of burnishing Venetian plaster. And then came the phone call from Janie Ellis, friend and mentor, founder of Anything But Plain in Houston. “I’ve got this new stuff you absolutely have to try. And I’m sending some to you.” To know Janie is to know that ” uh, I don’t think so” is not going to be a possibility for an answer. So my containers came, and it was love at first sight. LusterStone, a product of Faux Effects International, is a luscious, creamy plaster infused with mica that produces a shimmer when troweled smoothly. In its early days there was a more limited palette but now it sports fifty color choices. I […]
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Painting Furniture 101, the rules

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 03, 2019· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Fretwork, Furniture, Headboards, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

From where I sit, there is only one rule to painting furniture: have fun with it. Believe in the power of color, indulge in your whimsical nature and do not be afraid to desecrate a “real” wood finish. First case in point, my own dream project. This idea had been living in my “have to get this done someday ” part of my mind for such a long time. I could almost see it finished, but I admit, I was intimidated by the time I was going to have to put into this cabinet. I’d envisioned my own interpretation of a MacKenzie Childs creation, filled with patterns, stripes and detail. Did I say detail? The plan kept getting more involved. The starting point-two innocent resin bumblebees, given to me by my cousin Nancy as a thank you for helping her on a fireplace redo. Actually, she gave me four, so I still have another project calling me. But I digress. The bees in turn, called for a bee and thistle motif. I couldn’t find a scroll pattern I liked, so I designed my own. Recently, the designers at MacKenzie Childs have added other color palettes, particularly to their black and […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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