Answer…YES! Yes, it is and in a new and better way! Gone are the looks of the 90’s where you would have a stencil and create a border around a room or a door opening. Or the look of the sponge stamped on a wall. You all remember that look, right? I know I had it in my house growing up when I was kid (sorry for calling you Mom!)
The faux finish of today looks so much more modern and updated then the faux finish of the past. Whatever you dream up can be created through techniques such as color washing, rag rolling, stripes, linen weave, staining, plaster effects, metal looks or patinas, crackled weathered looks and even stenciled looks. You can achieve looks of venetian plaster, stamped concrete, stained concrete, tin tile, and wallpaper for example.
Faux finish isn’t just for the walls either. Faux finish techniques can be used on cabinets, ceilings, and even floors too! Faux finishing fireplaces and kitchen hood vents have become popular more recently. Finishing fireplaces and hood vents in a venetian plaster look and faux concrete have been quite popular looks.
I am currently working on a project where we plan to use faux finishing techniques in a few different areas of the house. This took us on our first field trip to Brush and Trowel in Portland, OR. Their showroom is geared towards the DIY’er or professional that want to do the faux finish treatment their selves with product to purchase OR they have several samples of various techniques for designers like myself who can come in with clients and get a great idea of looks that can be created. Samples are made in house by the owner and are available for check out! They also have several large sized samples to get a real feel for some of the looks that can be achieved. We went in knowing what professional we were going to be using for our project, but because they work so closely with several artists, they have several names that can be recommended to the walk-in client.
Following this appointment, we made an appointment with Karen from Bravura. I wasn’t prepared enough for the joy this appointment would bring me! Karen and her husband are the artists who will be seeing my project through, so obviously that was our next step. They are a husband-and-wife team who work closely together to make their clients visions become reality.
Karen and her husband Shaun have a showroom that is by appointment only as it is connected to their home. When my client and I were greeted by Karen at her front door, we were not prepared for what we were going to see. As you can imagine, every surface of their house had been faux finished, from the kitchen cabinets to tile look on the floor, walls with a touch of glitter, and fireplace adorned in layers of plaster using a stencil to create a look of textured wallpaper. We were awe struck with the custom look of this house.
After drooling over the look of this house we began our meeting in the showroom attached to their home. Similar to Brush and Trowel, they had several samples of techniques from sizes that could be checked out to large samples to help get an idea of the overall look of the finish. Samples were adorned on sliding walls that layered over one another for a very effect use of a small showroom. Every detail in this space was so thoroughly thought through from the sliding display walls, to the office space, table for clients to sit at and even the stools were adorned with a stamp of their brand. This space was an oasis to any creative individual in this industry!
Follow me on my social media for updates on this project with Karen and Shaun because you know there will be pictures to come! Perhaps even another blog post on the progress of this project!
