The Bachelor’s Pad

Here are some photos from a job I did a few years ago.  This was to be a new home for a newly single man.  I would describe his style as modern and contemporary. My first meeting for this project was to see the place, meet the Interior Designer and give some ideas for a bathroom.  I ended up getting the original bathroom, in addition to painting the foyer, an accent wall master bedroom and master bathroom.  The homeowner really liked my ideas. 

The original bathroom had a grey tiled shower and white cabinets.  We went with a plum brown strie over light grey.  After completing the walls, I recommended doing grey storm clouds on the ceiling.  It really added to the room.

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The next project was the foyer.  He really liked my sample of a striped Luster Stone.  For some reason, this reminds me of a tuxedo.  I’m not sure why, it just gives me the feel of manly elegance.  What a great statement to make when you first enter his home.

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On to the next wall.  For his accent wall, which is actually the backside of his kitchen.  He had stated that he really likes the look of slate.  So, my response to that was “let’s go pick out a piece of slate to duplicate”.  This turned into our first shopping trip of many to come.  We selected a piece of slate, so off to my studio to replicate it.  (Now, I’m really wishing I kept that piece of slate to show the comparison.)  The sample turned out awesome.  It was a four layer process with textures and blending colors on the wall.  I think it turned out really nice and really compliments the colors throughout the house.

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I can’t remember if the master bedroom or master bathroom came next.  I think it was the master bedroom.

After working there awhile on the other rooms, I really felt like I was getting to know his taste and personality.  He had just had is master bedroom painted, but I felt it was really missing something.  I came up with the idea of colorblocking on the headboard wall.  From there, he added his idea of incorporating “the perfect rectangle”.  This is something he is very interested in, so he gave me the measurements for “the perfect rectangle”.   To date, I think this wall has the most dramatic impact of any room I’ve done.  It really draws you into the room (I guess that’s probably not a bad thing for as single guy).

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The master bathroom ended up requiring a little trust on his part.  As you may have notices there is a theme going of blues and greys.  The master bathroom was no exception.  We decided we were going to go with a textured finish with a color wash over it.  The base was a light tan and he wanted a blue color wash on top.  I had suggested adding both blue and brown for the color wash.  He didn’t like the idea of the brown, so I did as he requested.  Unfortunately, when I started, we decided it looked like a dead persons flesh… not a very pretty sight I know.  Here is where the trust came into play.  I suggested once again adding some brown and blue blending them as I go.  (Of course, with the guarantee it would be redone if he didn’t like it.)  Lucky for me, he really liked it and I was able to finish the room.

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After all the work of painting and decorating was done, it was time for him to move in and have a party.  As a housewarming gift, I decided to paint him yet one more thing.  I created this piece of artwork to go in his master bathroom.

This project really was a learning experience for me.  It was my first job that started as one room and turned into several rooms.  I was also able to assist in a lot of the decorating and shopping.  Not only did I have fun working on this project, I also gained a new friend. 

Yet another reason I love my job.

Foil sample boards...

The kids are back to school after their five day weekend. They got two days off because school was cancelled due to extreme cold and Monday off for Martin Luther King Day. Now that they are in school, I've got a chance to post my samples I made using my foils.

These first two are for a frame design to go around a 30' long mirror at a Salon I'm bidding on. They are very similar, the only difference is the second one doesn't have a color wash over the gold foiled design. The base is a copper metallic paint. Then I added some Van dyke brown, turquoise and gold.

I'm not a photographer and it's hard to get a good picture of anything metallic... at least for me.

This next one is my first attempt at matching our inspiration piece from 2008 Salon. I did this without my picture of the original with me. I can see now that there is more black showing than the original had and I need to add more of the magenta and blue to it. Back to the studio to work on this one. I also want to give the drip lines a little more color, so they don't look so washed out. Yep, the drips are part of the design. This has a black base with gold foil over it. Then a magenta and blue colorwash. Finally, the drips are added. This one gets messy, thank goodness for dropcloths. I like how this one is looking!

This last one isn't photographing the way I'd like it too. It looks pretty cool in person. It has an off white base coat. Next, I applied the clear halographic foil. I cut/tore the foil and placed it in sections, letting some pieces overlap to create more depth and interest. Finally, I added a turquise colorwash over the entire thing. I think this would be a cool look in a small bathroom (Joyce, your bathroom off the front door comes to mind). It would also look pretty cool on a ceiling.

Actually, I think I'm going to add some of the clear halographic foil to my basement ceiling. It has a stone texture to it and this will add a little umph (is that a word) to it, yet be subtle. It really looks cool when the light hits it, rainbow colors. Pictures of that will be coming soon.

Until next time....

Foil sample ideas...

Today, my plan is to play around and make some samples with my foils (I say play, because it really doesn't feel like work when I'm in the studio). I've got a couple ideas I want to work on.

First one is a sample for a job I'm bidding on. I need to create a frame to go around a 30' long mirror. My idea is to do a copper textured finish with a gold foil stencil.

Second one is for my very dear friend, Joyce. We saw this painting at the 2008 Salon.

Painting by: Lauren Childs

We decided that something like this would look awesome above her fireplace.


And finally, I want to create a sample with my clear halographic foil. I saw a picture of a finish in Gary Lord's book "It's Faux Easy with Gary Lord".

So, down to the studio I go. I'll post pictures of the completed samples.

The "Outhouse" project

This has got to be my favorite project I've done. My parents live in a log cabin, the one I grew up in. Off the kitchen is this little half bath. I think from the time I started painting I was telling them they should let me paint it to look like an outhouse. Finally, a couple years ago they gave me the go ahead. I wood grained the walls (except the existing log wall), wood grained the door and built a wood bench around the toilet. I also wood grained the cabinet and replaced the doors for a more rustic look.



I started by patching and prepping the walls. My mom had already removed the wallpaper that was there.

Once the base coat was dry, I taped of the sections for each board and wood grained them. I let them dry, then taped of and did the next section.

Once the walls were wood grained to look like boards, I added the shading between the boards. I also added some knot holes and nails at the top and bottom of each board.

I followed the same technique for the doors, but also added the "Z" cross boards on the front and back of the door.

I love the way this door turned out. It sure shows how a little shading and highlights can give it dimension. Would you have guessed it's a flat door?

Once I got started, my dad said he wanted a mouse hole too. So, I added a little mouse hole and a mouse... actually, it's a little bigger than I'd like, so it's more of a cute little rat. I'm very happy with the way the room turned out, it fits in perfectly with their rustic decor.

Recently, I was there to paint the kitchen walls outside the bathroom to look like stone. I'll post more on that later.