June 1st, 2013

Stencil Showcase Showoff!

The Saint Paul Bed and Breakfast

It’s Showcase season! That time of year when local houses of interest all over the country are transformed by teams of designers and talented artisans for a brief run of walkthroughs by local interior design enthusiasts. Showcase Houses are always so fun to tour, not only because the designers pull out all the stops to impress you, but there is generally a deserving charity involved, and often the chosen homes feature fabulous architecture and features that have seen better days. Artist Crista Maree Bartholomew, based in Minneapolis, MN,  recently became involved in a Showcase project near and dear to her own heart.  A historic building in her hometown, the Frank P. and Anna Shepard House, was in danger of being destroyed. The home is located in the Historic Hill Heritage Preservation District, which is characterized by the largest concentration of nineteenth-century architectural examples in St. Paul, Minnesota. At the last minute, the home was rescued by a couple who planned to convert it into both a private residence and a warm and comforting destination, The Saint Paul Bed & Breakfast.

The home has now been thankfully transformed by various designers for a premier interior design event, the ASID Showcase Home.  This historic 15,000 square foot brick Queen Anne Victorian mansion boasts 22 spaces, including four public suites.  Prior to the renovations, the home included 13 bedrooms, 14 baths and 6 fireplaces! This building has been an icon in St. Paul and Crista was honored to be chosen to work with designers in two separate projects and we are SO THRILLED that in both areas, she incorporated stencil patterns from both Royal Design Studio and Modello® Designs. Let’s take a little tour of our own through Crista’s painted spaces….

Chevron Stencil Pattern on Floor | Royal Design Studio Stencils | Project by Crista Maree

CRAFT ROOM & LAUNDRY FLOOR

Interior designer Kristen Sheikh of Bruit de la Mode, envisioned a fresh, youthful space with a little bit of quirkiness to help inspire creativity. She designed separate “zones”: the Laundry Room, Craft and Sewing space and a special area with access to the roof.  Challenged by the small room with three angled walls, Sheikh embraced the uniqueness of the space and its fantastic window feature. Crista was able to connect the spaces visually (and dramatically!) by stenciling the floor with a bold black and white chevron pattern.

Chevron Pattern Stenciled on Staircase Flooring | Royal Design Studio Stencil | Artist: Crista Maree

She used the large Modern Chevron Wall Stencil from the Allover Modern Stencils Collection in a two-tone finish. The floor is original to the home and was very uneven with wavy boards so when so after completing the bulk of the pattern with the stencil, she cut in to the edges using tape, and finished the work by hand. Now, who wouldn’t love to have a craft room like this?!

Fabulous Chevron Zig Zag Pattern on Flooring | Modern Chevron Wall Stencil by Royal Design Studio | Project by Crista Maree

PARLOR

The Parlor is a comfortable space where guests of the Bed & Breakfast can relax in multiple seating areas near the fireplace.  The designer, Karen Soojian of KSID Studio, LLC, selected a fresh, modern palette of white and off-whites with splashes of aqua to infuse the room with light, while warm cognac and sienna tones retain the elegance and honor the storied history of the home.

Contempo-Trellis-Stencil-on-Feature-Wall

The parlor walls are treated with Crista’s hand-tied Linen Plaster finish, which creates a subtle yet stunning backdrop for the Contempo Trellis Stencil from Royal Design Studio which she stenciled over the plaster in a subtle two-color palette.

Modello-Stencil-on-Ceiling

The gorgeous paneled ceiling becomes even MORE gorgeous with the addition of a large-scale decorative pattern. This is a Modello® Designs masking stencil, designed especially for this special space. It features five colors with metallic influences that coordinate beautifully with the wall stenciling, drapery and up0holstery fabrics.

Stenciled-Walls-and-Ceiling

The seemingly effortless mix of old, historic architecture and contemporary stencil patterns and design details works so beautifully here, it makes me long to see the rest of the house! This ASID Showcase Home will be open to the public in St. Paul, Minnesota, through June 9th, 2013 with The Saint Paul Bed & Breakfast officially opening on August 1, 2013.

You can find more of Crista’s beautiful work on her company website, Crista Maree, as well as her Facebook fan page.  We hope you’ve been inspired by her incredible use of stencils, finishes and color combinations! If you’d like even more inspiration, be sure to stop by our Royal Design Studio/Modello Designs Facebook fan page, Pinterest boards and Twitter stream for daily doses of pattern and design ideas!

 

May 22nd, 2013

Stencil Star: Gracie Reed

In this installment of our Stencil Star™ series, we feature the incredible artist Gracie Reed of Grace Designs Dallas.  Based in Texas, she frequently designs spaces from ceiling to floor and incorporates her love of pattern and color with our wall stencils and stencil masking patterns in many of her design and decorative painting projects.

Gracie Reed

ABOUT GRACIE REED

Grace Designs in Dallas, Texas, offers a wide variety of of exquisite wall, ceiling, cabinetry, and mirror finishes. Gracie has been in business for over 10 years and always stays on the cutting edge of the most original and premier finishes. Gracie researches the latest products on the market and pattern application, antiquing mirrors, cabinetry, and putting a modern twist on antiques are part of her specialties.

Modello-stencil-barrel-ceiling

Our Hearst Castle Stencil Collection for Modello™ Designs is in VERY good hands! A black and gold treatment goes über-glam with both a Hearst Panel Stencil (HearstPan108) and Hearst Allover Stencil (HearstAll100) designs. Gorgeous!

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

Usually, I can determine the pattern design for a project after understanding the client’s taste and viewing the selected areas of the job.  After paying attention to the existing furniture, bed linens, art, flooring, etc., I study Melanie’s stencil patterns and compose the perfect fit.

Japanese-stencil-on-furniture

Sensational furniture piece showcasing Gracie’s flair for balance, color and pattern! On this Japanese cabinet, she used one of our Modello® Designs Exotic East Stencil Panels with a beautiful color scheme.

What are your favorite surfaces to work on and design for?

Applying Italian plasters with Modello® Designs Stencils on ceilings is the ultimate for me! There is no end to the creative possibilities of types of surfaces, product mediums and Melanie’s designs!!!

Modello-stencil-groin-hallway

Shimmery, elegant groin ceilings featuring a wonderful plaster treatment along with Modello® Designs Ornamental Center stencils (OrnCen193).

Modello-stencil-groin-bedroom

 Jaw-dropping ceiling — but isn’t the whole room just lovely?  Green and golds make for a perfect compliment to the room and she used a Modello® Designs Exotic East Corner vinyl stencil (EasCor102) to complete the treatment.

How does stenciling enhance your creative business?

Since starting my business in 2001, I have been constantly exploring every medium in the creative field to extend my sample portfolio for my clients. Every client has a unique design style, so the finishes have to be customized for that project. By using both Royal Design Studio mylar stencils and Modello® Design masking stencils, I can easily produce a “one-of-a-kind” appearance. At least 50% of my projects include stencil applications. They can transform an attractive finish into an exquisite form of art! Many of my retail antiques are adorned with stencil patterns to achieve a distinctive impression. All of my floors and mirrors can only be accomplished by using Modello® Designs Stencils.

Stenciled and Gilded Antique Mirror with Pattern

stenciled-canvas-art

Gracie creates stenciled canvas & mirror artworks as well. She frequently uses custom Modello™ Designs Stencils to fit the surface and style of each of her art and mirror pieces.

We are thrilled to share Gracie’s work with you!  We’re so appreciative of having someone so talented using our stencil patterns so creatively. Be sure to visit Gracie’s website, Grace Designs Dallas, to see more of her incredible work and you can also find her on both Pinterest and Houzz.  Don’t forget that you can pin these pictures for inspiration and follow us on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter, too!

January 22nd, 2013

Stencil Star: Kathy Wear

Our customers are ALWAYS finding new and creative ways to combine decorative paint techniques with ornamental patterns and stencil designs on unique surfaces. We like to applaud these innovative artists in our Stencil Star™ series, which seeks to showcase creative artists worldwide and their inspired work. Today we feature the fun and lively Kathy Wear of Artistic Finishes in Tennessee!

ABOUT KATHY WEAR

Kathy Wear is the owner of Artistic Finishes in Tennessee.  Artistic Finishes specializes in custom wall finishes and hand troweled plasters as well as murals and decorative concrete.  Kathy has won numerous awards over the last 10 years including six awards for Best Faux Finish from the Middle Tennessee Builders Association for her work in the Parade of Homes. She was recently named one of the top three decorative concrete artists in Nashville. Her work has also been published in many local and national  publications and also been featured on Southern Homes and Lifestyles TV.

Fabulous ceiling she stenciled with a custom Modello™ Designs stencil pattern and a great color scheme!

What draws you to Stenciling?

I am drawn to stenciling because I can really customize the work I do for my clients as I try to never do the same finish twice.  My clients love the fact that they have something unique to their home.  Over the past few years I have done many stenciled ceilings and more recently I have done quite a few floors.  Doing a stenciled ceiling or floor can add a very dramatic focal point to a room and turn a plain space into something fabulous.

Kathy creates Custom Commodes™ for her clients which use metallic foils and leaf combined with our Modello™ Designs vinyl stencils!

How does Stenciling enhance your creative business?

What I love about stenciling and using Modello® Designs masking stencils is that I can talk with my clients and designers and get a sense of what they are looking for in the space and then create a drawing and send it to the Modello team. They customize it into a beautiful work of art and I use this to create exactly what my client wants.  The last floor project I completed was a joy to work on!  I worked with Melissa at Modello Designs to do a large custom border stencil on a very irregular shaped alter floor and it fit like a dream.

This stunning faux marble floor was created with a concrete overlay, one of our Modello™ Designs Ornamental Tile vinyl stencil designs (OrnTil180) for the large center element and additional custom designs.

Please share your top Stenciling Tips with us.

My top tips for stenciling are, number one DON’T be intimidated!!  It is not hard to do.  Once you get in the swing of things it progresses very quickly.  If you are using a Modello® Designs masking stencil, be sure to have you measurements correct. If you get these right, your stencil should lay down quite easily.  Any small gaps or errors that may occur can quickly be corrected by a bit of blue tape.  If I don’t personally prepare my substrate, I always roll on a quick coat of Guardz as this way I can be assured that the stencil will pull off quickly and cleanly.  A second pair of hands and eyes  is always helpful when laying the stencil.  So, try it!  My favorite part of all is when I pull the stencil and reveal the beautiful design!

Kathy is no stranger to glam, custom works! You can see her unique treatment above with an Ornamental Stencil border (OrnBor125) around a niche and below with a canvas created with a Modello™ Designs vinyl motif stencil from our Art Deco Collection (DecMot120).

We hope you’ve enjoyed seeing Kathy’s beautiful work and inspiring creativity with both our Royal Design Studio stencils and Modello® Designs masking patterns!  You can find more of her work in her Artistic Finishes website!  If you’d like continued inspiration, don’t forget to visit our Pinterest boards filled with design, pattern and finish ideas and our Facebook fan page for stencil projects and more!


January 10th, 2013

Stencil Star: Heather Sanders

 Another fantastic  Stencil Stars™ showcase! Our latest Stencil Star is Texas-based Heather Sanders of 5th Wall Surface Design, an incredibly talented artist who applies stenciled design patterns in creative ways on various surfaces.  We’re proud to feature her stenciled decorative painting projects! We love to share our customer’s use of our Royal Design Studio mylar wall stencils and Modello™ masking stencils on walls, ceilings, floors and more and are always looking for new artist’s to feature. Don’t be shy…..shoot us an email with YOUR projects and you could see yourself featured here too!

This outstanding feature arch and wall had a little help from a Modello® Designs Eastern Border vinyl stencil (EasBor344) along with handpainted elements and Swarovski crystals! We love the dreamy colors and find this a great way to accent a nice niche!

ABOUT HEATHER SANDERS

Heather has been working in the decorative arts industry for over 10 years now.  She and her partner Sam manage their decorative finish studio, 5th Wall Surface Design.  They enjoy the interaction with their clients almost as much as they love the work they do! Based in Rollingswood, Texas, their company offers a full-range of decorative and stencil finishes.

Stunning Modello™ Designs Marquetry finish using our MarqAll105 pattern — you can see how amazing the results are! You can learn this faux marquetry technique for wood, cork and more with our fab tutorial manual.

What draws you to Stenciling?

I will admit that when I first started in the decorative painting world, I refused to use stencils.  I felt that it was “cheating” in a way.  And I spent hours laboriously hand painting the same scrolls and flowers that I now employ in my stencil work.  At some point, it occurred to me that despite the cost of the stencils, I could save a LOT of money on labor, and also achieve a very clean, exact design.

After our first custom order,  I was hooked!  I also realized that I could add hand painted detail to the stencil work, but not spend hours measuring and making templates.  I love the ease of use and the fact that I can achieve a beautiful “custom” work of art in a matter of hours now with Modello® Designs.

(above) An incredible ceiling that add depth and size with pattern!  A Modello™ Designs Ornamental Center vinyl stencil was used with a wonderful neutral color scheme! (below) A different Modello® ornamental center stencil pattern graces a ceiling with a striking color scheme.  You can see how Heather uses color and pattern expertly to add great interest and dimension to spaces and places that are calling out for attention!

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

There are many factors that influence our pattern choice.  Of course, the customer’s style is first and foremost.  We take into account the scale of the room and area to be embellished.  We also look at repetitive patterns occurring in the drapery, floors, furniture, etc…  I also have certain stencils that have become my “go to” designs when all else fails.

The Large Feathered Damask stencil from the Allover Ethnic Stencils Collection adds fantastic color and pattern to this space. Heather used a “drop shadow” stencil technique to add extra dimension to this look. Find out how to create a drop shadow stencil technique on our website here!

Please share your top Stenciling tip with us.

My favorite method (right now) is to do a base of plaster, because it seals up the stencil and doesn’t bleed like paints and glazes do.  It  adds a beautiful dimension to the design.  It also gives me a raised surface to add hand painted work to, which cuts down on the touch ups.

(above) One of our Modello™ Designs Ornamental Center stencils (OrnCen170) pulls double duty! On the left is a beautiful plastered hood and the right has the design stenciled onto glass. (below) An incredible rusted dome ceiling created with Modern Masters Metal Effects products and our Floral Medallion Stencil Set B.

Heather and Sam of 5th Wall Surface Design are truly creative with patterns on any surface and we always love to see their gorgeous work with our stencil designs!  Do be sure to keep up with them on their Facebook page, 5th Wall Surface Design.  Many thanks to them both for sharing their finishes and projects with both our Royal Design Studio stencils and our Modello vinyl stencil patterns!

Don’t forget to pin these images to your boards for inspiration — and check out our Pinterest collection of design, pattern and finish ideas! You can always catch great new projects in our Facebook page, too!

December 26th, 2012

Contemporary Columns

When I created Modello® Designs back in 2003, my goal was to offer an alternate to our Royal Design Studio traditional mylar stencils for applying customized pattern for both the decorative finishing and design communities. The introduction of these one-time-use vinyl stencils would allow for projects to become more time effective and yet deliver an extraordinary amount of design detail, and offer pattern application to almost any surface. Since then, I’ve enjoyed seeing gorgeous artistry from artists around the world,  but I do have to say that I really pleased to see this stenciled columns project by Suzanne Pratt of Toronto’s Venetian Studios. It got rave reviews when we posted it on our Facebook Page, so thought it would be great to share more pics and go into a little more detail here~

Suzanne worked closely with James in our graphic design department to design a pattern that nicely wrapped the large concrete columns to create an uninterrupted design. Of course, the flexibility and adhesive quality of the Modello® vinyl made for a super easy pattern installation!

The pattern was a custom-made design for Suzanne’s commercial client, Spot Coffee. Suzanne used a coffee-colored plaster finish to enhance the pattern on the concrete columns. Hmmm, wonder where they got their color idea from??

Isn’t this a fantastic and inspired idea for a unique column finish?  Suzanne did a beautiful job of creating an eye-catching and unforgettable surface that warms up this space like a cup of coffee warms my tummy.  Please be sure to visit her Venetian Studios website and check out her Facebook business page.  Don’t forget to pin and share Suzanne’s lovely work as well! Like I said above, it was one of the most popular shares EVER in our Royal Design Studio Facebook fan page.

Even if you don’t have columns to decorate, you can get TONS of ideas for how to use our Modello® masking stencils on all sorts of surfaces. We published 2 volumes of books of our customer images called Modello by Design. Volume 1 is now almost sold out (so, yeah, you should hurry), Modello by Design,Volume 2 is equally awesome (so, yeah, get both :) ).

If you’d like more visual inspiration for more traditional stencil designs and decorating, please visit our Pinterest boards and consider becoming a part of our artistic community boards where tons of great visuals are shared daily! We also have creative project features in our Stencil Ideas blog which showcase our stencil collections and designs. Happy painting!

November 1st, 2012

Fashionable Stencils

I am so pleased to share a fabulously fashionable guest post today from one of my favorite decorative artists, bloggers, and friends, Regina Garay! Regina regularly shares her inspirational take on design and decorative painting and design on her drool-worthy Fauxology blog and Facebook page. How lucky we are that she stops by here today to talk about two of her great passions: fashion and pattern. Design trends are all about fashion, and stencils are all about design, so let’s get Regina’s take on how to translate the latest runway looks into designer-inspired surfaces for a fashionable home using stencils from Royal Design Studio and masking stencils from Modello Designs .

There is a thin line between Stencils and Fashion for me.  When I see a gorgeous mix of pattern and color on designer wear I always think “How can I translate that feel onto a surface with a stencil?”.  My mind is never far from decorative painting, can you tell?  I think that’s a good thing!

Lately, I’ve seen quite a bit of Stencil-licious inpiration and thought to share these with you.  We start off with one of my favorite color combinations, blue & white.  It’s so crisp and makes such a strong graphic statement, too.

I love how the Christian Dior gown above gives wonderful color palette inspiration for a stencil border while the Oscar de la Renta dress below can be used as an idea for a feature wall using a Foliate Allover graphic vinyl stencils from Modello Designs. You can see Ivanka Trump wearing this beauty of the cover of Elle Decor.

A neutral color scheme is also wonderful, as seen below.

For clients who love creams, off-whites or golden taupes, I think the above showcases how the color palette can be used when combined with patterns. The design reminds me a bit of the Donatella Damask stencil, one of my favorites.  It would be lovely on a ceiling! The Balenciaga dress below brings together ebony white, pearls, pewter and bronzes in a sophisticated, elegant way.  The Romanesque Frieze Classic Border stencil would be wonderful here.

Who can forget the glory of color? Sophie Theallet gives an idea on combining bright shades with allover designs. I can easily see the Cordova Allover wall stencil from the Allover Damask collection here.

We wrap up with my favorite “color” — I love to wear black and have used it for both several clients and my own home. Ferragamo shows us the classic pairing of gold and black below.  In my eye, I see a raised singular motif pattern with two-color striations or a little bling on top with metallic foils, shimmers or leaf.

Oscar de la Renta shows us how amazing lighter tones can be over a dark background, above.  I could easily see using the Vase & Pearls Allover stencil for a surface interpretation.  You can see more color combinations and adaptations with this particular fabric in the Terrier and Lobster blog post.  I also love the depth of the Aquilano e Rimondi dress below as photographed by Marcus Tondo for Style.com.  Maybe an ombre finish over a shimmer gray-green background and a custom Modello™ Designs motif vinyl stencil on top?  Yes, please.

I firmly believe patterns can make any surface immensely better.  Imagine the above designs all in solid colors without patterns – it’s the added creativity that makes them that much more special, no?  In addition to actual physical surfaces, you can also stencil designs onto clothing as well to help give a little oomph.  Can’t forget that!  Let me know what you think of these ideas and which one pops out the most to you!  I’d be very curious to know.  Have a wonderful day!

Thanks Regina! What a fabulous mix of color, pattern, design, and ideas here! Maybe YOUR next decorating project is waiting for you in your closet-or better yet-at the mall!

Our guest blogger today was Regina Garay, who writes the informative Fauxology blog and runs the creative SociaComm digital media company.  She is also involved in her family’s decorative finishing business, Garay Artisans and stay up with current fashion AND design trends on her Pinterest page, of course. 

In sunny Tampa, Florida, we come upon a studio giving a new, inspired second life to furniture pieces.  Stiltskin Studios combine creative decorative paint techniques with lively ornamental patterns and stencil designs.  We’re so happy to feature their work for our Stencil Star™ series, which seeks to showcase creative artists and their inspired work.


ABOUT STILTSKIN STUDIOS

Michele and Kenny Hiley of Stiltskin Studios are a husband and wife design team who have both made creativity a priority in their lives. They re-imagined many items for their homes and once their friends laid eyes on the possibilities, a business (along with an Etsy shop) was born! Although they offer a full-service design studio, their passion is to take vintage and antique furniture and transform them to fit into a more modern home. Their name was inspired by the fairy tale Rumplestiltskin because he turned a seemingly worthless object, straw, into Gold.  They like to do the same with cast-aside furniture and uninspired interiors!

Gorgeous dresser transformed with Chalk Paint™ decorative paint in Florence, our Cherry Blossoms stencil and Royal stencil cremes!

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

So many things influence our decision on which stencil to use…sometimes, it’s as simple as using a stencil as a fun accent, such as the Cherry Blossoms we used on a dresser face…other times, it’s to add interest to something that is mundane, like the leaves on a dining table. Often times, we will have a theme in mind…a general direction, such as a Parisian Apartment or a French Chateau feel, that helps guide our decision; other times, we utilize stencils to do something completely unexpected, like a Moroccan inspired tabletop on a French Provincial table.

Frequently, we’ll be painting a piece when out of nowhere, inspiration strikes and suddenly, we decide to incorporate a stencil that was not in the initial design plan. Painting, for us, is a very organic experience. We enjoy the process and stencils are another bespoke element to make each piece truly special.

This lovely and artistic dining room set was painted with Chalk Paint™ and our Small Ribbon Damask stencil on the leaves. We love this inspired idea and so we featured it here on our Stencil Ideas blog.

Please share your top Stenciling tip with us.

A very wise and charming faux painting artist taught me to make sure all the excess paint was removed from my brush before I applied it to the stencil. That seemingly small tip brought us both over from not being huge stencil fans to wanting to stencil everything!

Additionally, there is no substitute for proper tools. They make the job go so much smoother and help ensure perfect results. Cheap tools typically beget cheap looking results!

What would be your “dream” stencil project?

Right now, I’m dreaming about stenciling my kitchen cabinets! We completed the upper cabinets last year (removing the doors to create open shelving) but the lowers are still hideous 1970’s brown laminate. I’m quite excited to have the option to stencil them…we feel the project will be very much representative of us and our style.

Stiltskin upcycled this vintage find with both our Paris Postage Stamp Wall Stencil and Postmark Wall Stencil! Unexpected and beautiful.

How does stenciling enhance your creative business?

My husband and partner, Kenny, has an art degree and is a skilled fine artist; I, on the other hand, can barely paint a straight line. I have much more imagination than skill when it comes to the details of hand painting. Stencils really allow me to create what I’ve imagined. I’m also slightly lazy, so I’ll not make the effort to put a design on the projector, sketch it on the piece, and then hand-paint the intricate design. Stencils alleviate all that work for me. Royal Design Studio stencils really are simple to use, the results are consistent, and I look like a creative genius when it’s all done! Because they are so durable, we can mix it up with different colors and looks using the same stencil. They’ve enabled me to bring my creative vision to life!

So stylish! This hutch was updated with our popular Springtime in Paris lettering stencil, metallic stencil cremes and Chalk Paint™!

We hope you’ve enjoyed the beautiful fairy-tale stylings of Stiltskin Studios.  Do be sure to check their Facebook page and their wonderful blog, too! Please feel free to pin these pics to keep sharing the creative love of pattern and paint!  You can always follow our Pinterest account as well for design and pattern inspiration and keep up with us on Facebook and Instagram, too!

 

September 17th, 2012

Segreto Finishes

We travel to Houston, Texas to meet with Leslie Sinclair of Segreto Finishes.  She heads a large studio team that tackles beautiful decorative paint finishes combined with lovely ornamental patterns and stencil designs.  We’re proud to feature her for our Stencil Star™ series, which seeks to showcase creative artists and feature their inspired work using our Royal Design Studio mylar stencils and Modello Decorative Masking Stencils. 

Leslie Sinclair

ABOUT SEGRETO FINISHES

The world of decorative painting is limitless, ever-changing and richly complex. Finishes for walls, ceilings, floors and cabinetry are crucial to the embodiment of a home’s character. Leslie lives by the philosophy that upon entering a room, your eyes should not draw a distinction to one element or finish but should see the surroundings as a whole. By developing a palette that complements a home’s architecture and design, surroundings are given a new perspective.

Graduating from the University of Texas with a business degree, Leslie left her corporate job in 1995 to start Segreto Finishes, naming the company after her husband’s family. Segreto, which means secret in Italian, rolls up all of Leslie’s passions — architecture, interior design, art, people and business– into her idea of the perfect job. Leslie’s talent for color, bringing innovative products to Houston, hiring and training a quality staff and working with people on their individual needs, built Segreto’ s reputation.

With a staff of 25 artisans, the company has become a premier finish design firm with work featured in numerous publications including Veranda, Traditional Home, House Beautiful, Country French, Elegant Homes, Beautiful Homes and Beautiful Baths, to name a few. Leslie also regularly contributes to Antique Shops and Designers magazine.

Inspired by all aspects of artistic painting, she owns an art gallery, Segreto Studios, and writes a blog, Secrets of Segreto, about interiors, art and finishes. She also wrote her first book Segreto: The Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors, a wonderful reference book for anyone interested in home design.

Our Florentine Damask stencil from our Allover Damask Collection shimmers in this elegant powder bath! The palette, stencil pattern scale and design are perfect.

What draws you to Stenciling?

Stenciling is a great way to give a uniform pattern for a wallpaper look while being able to customize colors to the clients decor.

Here is our Fortuny stencil graces the walls in an allover pattern to create a custom wallppaper effect. Such a lovely fabric finish!

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

The scale of the room, the fabrics, rug, and the clients personal style dictate which patterns I feel will work best in the room.

Our Moorish Trellis stencil adds just the right amount of pattern and interest to an elegant, neutral design.

Please share your top Stenciling tip with us. 

I typically mix Floetrol in the paint when the client wants a more inconsistent look to the pattern.

Our ever-popular Large Entwined Trellis stencil was the choice by Lucas Eilers Design Associates for this lovely powder bath.

How does stenciling enhance your creative business?

It allows me to cost effectively give a multitude of different all over wallpaper looks or ceiling treatments to clients that are custom in color and embellishment to their room. Wallpaper has exact color ways and each run is exactly the same.  With stenciling, no two rooms will ever be just alike giving each client a one of a kind look.

An inspired take on our Kyoto Allover stencil from our Allover Japanese Stencils Collection finds hand-painted elements over the design pattern. The result is a whimsical, artistic finish for a lovely space.

Leslie and her team do extraordinary work but as you can see, they also do neutral very well!  Please do check out the Segreto website to see more of of their projects as well as their Facebook page.  They frequently share their fantastic projects via their Secrets of Segreto blog, too.

Don’t forget to pin these pics and keep sharing the creative love!  Do see more visual inspiration and other creative projects, you can always follow our Pinterest account as well as keep up with us on Facebook and NOW you can also follow Royal Design Studio stencils on Instagram!

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August 10th, 2012

Stencil Star: Jeff Raum

Travel with us today to California to visit with decorative artist, Jeff Raum, who seamlessly incorporates stencil patterns, hand painted artistry and decorative paint finishes.  Jeff  joins our Stencil Stars™ series, where we showcase the inspired use of our Royal Design Studio mylar wall stencils and Modello™ masking stencils on walls, ceilings, floors, and more.  

Jeff Raum

ABOUT JEFF RAUM STUDIOS

When Jeff Raum’s kindergarten teacher wrote a note to his mom saying he had talent and should be encouraged, Jeff had already known his calling.

Achieving a BFA in Commercial Design, he has had several careers in different cities. A medical illustrator in Dayton, Ohio, working in an art studio in Washington DC, an art director of 3-D animated TV commercials and as a Broadway make-up artist in New York City. It wasn’t until he moved to Los Angeles that he began his decorative painting company, Jeff Raum Art, in 1990. He began in murals and 11 years later branched out to include faux finishes.

Some of his commercial clients include Gucci, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Luxor and Macy’s. He has appeared on The Christopher Lowell Show and his work has been published in Better Homes and Gardens and Traditional Home magazines as well as numerous books.

While Jeff actually designs and sells his own line of stencils, he’s been a friend and regular customer of Royal Design Studio and Modello Designs for many years. A man of exceptional and wide ranging talents, we now give you some of his inspiring work….

What a gorgeous Moorish Powder Bath! Our Allover Moorish Trellis wall stencil was glazed on the walls and a Modello Designs Exotic East Center vinyl stencil (EasCen111) was used on the ceiling with custom elements along the wall corners. (below)  This incredible “leather” ceiling was done for a home theater. The Modello Designs stencil pattern used was Carpets & Panels Aladdin A vinyl stencil in a negative weed.

What draws you to Stenciling?

What first drew me to stenciling was the fact I could produce repetitious elements, like moldings and leaves, so much faster than freehand painting. Once I remember painting grape leaves all around a dining room. I noticed as I went, my leaves gradually got larger – trying to cover more ground. With stencils, it helps me not only paint faster, but keeps the scale consistent. With decorative painting and pattern, there are so many different designs – allover, borders and medallions readily available, I’m likely to find something that will fit the project’s needs. So I don’t have to start from scratch or reinvent the wheel.

Another thing I love about stencils is the crisp edge it gives you. I love using stencils in my murals for foreground elements because that crisp edge makes thing pop and appear in sharp focus. Also, I enjoy playing with sloppy textures, sponging, etc. Things can look like a complete mess and then you remove the stencil and viola! I love the juxtaposition of all that texture contained within a crisp outline.

Above is an example of the crisp edges that can be achieved by stenciling. This wall is in a wine tasting room in Mission Viejo, CA. The majority of this is painted freehand, but the grapes and vine are stenciled with the Grape Clusters Fruit stencil. A custom stencil was designed by Royal Design Studio to recreate the iron railing that was on the stairs in the house. (below) Stenciling can also add visual weight to a light fixture while incorporating color and pattern.  The ceiling medallion was first painted on canvas and then installed. It used a modified Modello Designs Ornamental Center stencil (OrnCen 128).

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

When looking for a pattern that will work for a project, I always look at the type of line that appears in the house and try to find a pattern that harmonizes with that. Scrolls are enormously popular in L.A., so I’m often looking for scrolly patterns. Occasionally, I’ll be asked to do a Moorish-style interior and those designs incorporate the angular with the curve. When showing clients my proposals, I will sometimes show the patterns in black and white if the reference is in the wrong color way or tweak the color in Photo Shop. I find more often than not, clients are drawn to color first and then pattern. They will usually choose a design that is not right for their space, but is in the right palette.

An inspired use of our Modello Designs vinyl stencils! Both an Ornamental Panel pattern (OrnPan173) and an Ornamental Center design (OrnCen195) help create a wonderful finish to the panels of a window treatment.

Ceiling stenciling looks even more magnificent surrounded by wood!  (above) This ceiling is in a Calabasas, CA dining room of a movie producer. The stencil designs were done with craft paint and glaze and then an antique glaze was put over the whole surface. The Villa Classic Panel stencil was used for the center while the Villa Border stencil completed the framed design. (below) The powder room cabinet was stenciled using the Micah Classic Panel & Furniture stencil to create the look of inlaid ivory.

How does stenciling enhance your creative business?

Time is money. By using stencils, I’m able to create art much faster than doing everything freehand like I used to when I started out. Stenciling is such a time-saver that I can lower my prices and get to work on bigger projects that the clients might otherwise not be able to afford.

It has really impacted the decorative side of my business. Practically all my faux jobs incorporate some form of template. Sometimes I’m called in to do a simple wash or rag, but when they see the possibilities with stencils – the projects multiply.

Powder Baths are a perfect space to incorporate stencils!  The gorgeous red powder room featured above was created with the Shabby Chateau decorative wall finish and the Floral Fantasy stencils from the Pronto! Collection with Modern Masters Warm Silver metallic paint.  (below)  Framing each of the walls in this powder bath was an inspired choice!  “I used the border off of the Modello Carpets & Panels Chambord B stencil to create the frames on the wall and used Modern Masters Ivy as well as the Antique Bronze metallic paint to tie in with the silk shades.

 

Want to see more?? Take a stroll through his wonderful website and keep up with Jeff’s adventures in artistry on his Facebook page.

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