Wall Pattern Painting in Queens

It's nuts that it is mid-June and I am just getting around to posting about these wall patterns I painted for a client back in early April.  Of course I could never have done this myself - I had the help of two seriously amazing friends who for some reason like me enough to spend three days stenciling, taping, painting, peeling and touching up hexagonal wall patterns with me.

Hugest thanks to Will and Ri

So, this was a LOT of work.  Firstly I designed the patterns in line with a hexagon motif that repeats throughout the clients' home.  Then I had to think a lot about how to get those designs off paper and onto the wall.  I considered ordering custom stencils, making my own large-scale adhesive stencils, snapping chalk guide lines onto the wall and drawing the pattern using those, and finally settled on making a small stencil of a repeating unit that we could move and trace along the wall.

First we traced, then we taped...

Then we painted...

And we stencilled while we taped and we taped while we painted.  All the while we talked about the meaning of life and how Fergie really likes to spell things in her songs.  And Will kept saying "le doy" and Ri was worried he'd start saying it all the time, for real.  Then the paint was dry and we peeled off the tape.

The next day we worked to touch up what we lovingly termed "the poop stains."  And the messy edges - why doesn't painter's tape ever work the way it should??

On the second day we also got down to it with the pattern for a wall in the foyer.  Same process...

We stencilled and we taped...

Then we covered everything up and Will donned a pair of disposable slippers and face mask and created a dusty, golden storm in the foyer.  When the paint was dry we peeled off the tape...

Of course some touch ups were needed, which we did on the third day, but after that - voilà - the super dramatic entrance that the home owners were after.

Stay tuned for a future post showing progress shots of the entire project!

Park Slope Brownstone Project - Progress Shots

Well, I have not blogged in a really long time.  It has been an insanely busy few months and I'm excited to have a minute to get back on the blog and share some of what's been keeping me occupied.  I've been working in collaboration with Sarah Coleman Interior Design on the interiors of a brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  This space has absolutely beautiful architectural detail, and we've begun to source furnishings and decorative accessories to make the space feel more finished and welcoming for the family who lives there.  

Here I'm sharing some progress photos of the first phase of the project: the parlour.  These spaces are meant to be where the adults of the house can unwind and entertain.  We've divided this long space into a drinks area and a tv/lounge area.  Still awaiting some upholstery pieces to flesh out the seating areas, plus the all-important window treatments, but I think we're really on our way to a gorgeous finished space!

Just look at the difference!  How amazing is the George cocktail table from Oly Studio?  Sarah and I both had our eye on that piece and were excited to have the chance to use it in this project.  It's such a great counterpoint to the traditional styling of the sofa.  The table on the right-hand side of the far end of the room will eventually be moved downstairs to serve as a bistro table, and this beautiful, mammoth cabinet that the homeowners already had will move to that spot and serve as a bar cabinet:

And here's one final progress shot of the fireplace.  We added some height with this great carved bone mirror and étagère from Ballard Designs.

Stay tuned for more shots of the space with in all its finished glory, as well as updates on the progress of the next stages of the project: dining room and family room.