Decorative Painting
Glaze, pigment and brush, worked in layers over a prepared ground.
Illusion, built in layers.
Decorative painting is the trade that predates the products. Before there was a porcelain tile that looked like marble or a laminate that looked like oak, there was a painter who could make a flat surface read as either one. The techniques have not changed much since.
How it’s Made.
Everything is built on a ground. The ground is prepared and sealed, the layout is drawn, and colour goes on in thin passes that are allowed to dry between coats. Depth comes from the number of layers, not from the pigment.
Most of it happens in place over days. Some projects are painted in the studio and installed.
The Techniques
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Thin translucent layers over a ground, built up for depth and age on a flat wall.
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Marble painted in layers and veined by hand, for surfaces that cannot carry stone or for a stone that is no longer quarried.
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Also called faux bois. Painted grain, so a flat door reads as quartersawn oak.
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Painted architecture, moulding, panel or view, built to hold at conversational distance rather than from across the room.
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Hand-painted motifs, on panel or directly onto plaster.
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Age put on deliberately. Either to match a room that already has some, or to take the newness off millwork.
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A controlled network of fine cracks, the kind that appears in old paint and old porcelain.
Request a Sample
We understand the importance of having a physical sample to make informed decisions. Simply fill out the form below, specifying the sample colors and finishes you’d like to explore, and a member of the Studio C team will be in touch to assist you.