Book - Create Your Own Designer Decor

 

In this new home, the formal fireplace with green marble surround was a big selling feature. But as the BEFORE picture illustrates, the view on each side of that "feature" made the scene "underwhelming". I won't say that Gallery Glass is the key to all "bad view" problems, but this window treatment was effective at bringing the eye back into the room so that it could focus on the peaceful mood that the decorator was trying to create. It's the kind of window that you do LAST, instead of FIRST. Why? Because you have to consider the coloring of the furnishings before you can select the colors for the flowers. This design style of this set of windows is Art Nouveau. The floral motifs that are not abstract, but exactly realistic either--which makes it easier to coordinate colors. For instance, there aren't very many blue flowers in nature, but it worked well in this color scheme.

Not every room in the house has a great view. Or maybe you and the family are the ones who don't want to BE the view! Who doesn't want PRIVACY and LIGHT? Gallery Glass can give you an elegant neutral window treatment without a lot of expense. Did you know that a Gallery Glass window only costs about $2 per square foot of glass? As if that wasn't enough, look at the visual impact of the clear textures and leading. It's stunning and you can do it yourself in one weekend.
Nine foot ceiling made the room seem smaller. To carry your eye around the room and push back the walls, a stencils was applied at the chair rail. More height below the rail was achieved by taping and sponging faux marble planks.

Master Bedroom Sitting and Sleeping Areas - coordinated with Gallery Glass. Windows were designed to coordinate with the Art Deco Style doors on the wooden screen. The Vertical Technique was used. Walls were ragged with  Mushroom color glaze thinned with water for a subtle finish. To visually lower the ceiling and make the area appear larger, white ceiling was covered with textured wall paper, basecoated with off white and antiqued with Mushroom Decorator Glaze. Area surrounding Fake Fireplace was covered with textured wallpaper and the same treatment as the ceilng. In the sleeping area, the walls and ceiling were ragged with Mushroom Glaze. White tray was sponged with cloudlike technique in Buckskin, Taioca, New Gold Leaf, Mushroom and Bark Brown. Dark trim around the tray under the crown molding is textured wall border basecoated with off white wall paint and finished with Faux Leather colors and technique.

Scenic windows are easy to paint using the Modular Method. Wicker wall mirror and plant cache pot have Petal Porcelain Roses tinted with Decorator Glaze. Natural placement of handpainted Dogwood designs on duvet cover and pillows in Deep Mauve and Italian Sage coordinate with the Tiffanesque windows design. Motifs were arranged in a circle with a natural flow --as was the Table Topper. Small chest has handpainted with the One Stroke Technique.

White kitchens are so easy to accessorize. Tea for Two was stenciled on white wall border and scallops were trimmed before application. You could outline scallops and paint a white border before stenciling for the same effect. Plaster Jug was simply antiqued with Nantucket Blue. Gallery Glass Window design was made from enlarged shapes of the Morning Glory Stencil which graces the stove top trim, placement, and watering can. The patterns for the suncatchers on the Gallery Glass Tea Jar were traced fhrough the stencil. Another large jar becomes a pastry keeper with a Window Color checkerboard. NOTE: Sorry, but the photo shoot ran very long the day we photographed this home and it was dark outside by the time we reached the kitchen. The flowers are blue Morning Glories, leaves are green  and the background is Crystal Clear applied in a bumpy texture.)

Faux Marble Blocks and wrought iron stenciling give a plain white bathroom a continental look. Petal Porcelain stiffens silk ivy leaves to coordinate a variety of containers into faux wrought iron accessories-even a vanity chair. Cherub planter is faux bronze. Table and perfume tray pick up the emeralg green in their nalachite combed finish. The Gallery Glass Window was done with the Modular Method. Ivy shapes are enlarged from a tracing of the stencil. Off white walls were taped winto 12"x24" block with 1/4" tape and ragged with dark value of Mushroom Glaze. Lower level of ceiling was ragged all over with the same mixture. White tray was sponged in Cloudlike method with Tapioca and very softly blended Nantucket Blue. Wrought Iron effect is stenciled with Black Glaze. Ivy leaves are stenciled randomly with Malachite Green. Fleur-de-Lis accents are New Gold Leaf.   

Living Room - What do you do with a window in the corner? Make it match the glue chip beveled front door! The plaster bust and Greek Planter were antiqued with Mushroom Glace and the gold candlestick was antiqued with Liquid Chalk. The plaster column looks dramatic enough to have come from an old theater and contrasts beautifully to the moss terra cotta pot.