Hand-Painted Faux Mahogany — Dining Room
As you can see in the photo on the left, the dining room ceiling beams were in very poor condition. The beautiful mahogany beams had suffered extensive water damage, and unfortunately, the original wood could no longer be traditionally refinished.
Rather than lose the look and character of the mahogany, I restored the beams using decorative wood-graining techniques. The surfaces were thoroughly cleaned, sanded, primed, and then sanded extensively again to create a smooth foundation for the decorative finish.
After applying the base coat, I hand-painted each beam with a warm, glowing faux-mahogany finish, recreating the depth, grain, color variations, and richness of natural mahogany.
The finished beams once again have the appearance and warmth of beautifully finished mahogany, while preserving an important architectural feature of the dining room.
High-Polished Venetian Plaster — Master Suite
For this master suite, I created a rich, deep-red, high-polished Venetian plaster finish using traditional Italian Grassello lime plaster.
I applied three coats of plaster, building the color, movement, and depth through each layer. The final surface was then hand-burnished, compressing and polishing the plaster to develop its natural high-gloss finish and the subtle variations that give authentic Venetian plaster its distinctive depth.
Once the finish was completely polished, I applied a protective wax, which enhanced the richness of the deep-red color and provided additional protection to the finished surface.
The result is a dramatic, elegant wall finish with a deep, almost mirror-like sheen created through the plaster itself rather than simply applying a glossy paint or clear topcoat.
Hand-Painted Malachite — Billiards Room
The owner asked if I could paint the columns on the fireplace mantel to match her beautiful malachite chess set. I told her I would love to—malachite is one of my favorite decorative painting techniques.
Creating convincing faux malachite is a very detailed and time-consuming process. Each layer is painted by hand to recreate the distinctive movement, banding, color variations, and depth found in the natural stone.
Using the chess set as my reference, I carefully developed the colors and patterns so the columns would complement the original malachite pieces in the room.
It takes patience, but the finished effect is worth it. As you can see, the painted columns have the rich color, movement, and depth that make malachite such a beautiful and distinctive stone.
Hand-Applied Patina Metal Roof — Pool House
The pool house originally had a typical metal roof, but the owners wanted something that would better complement the character and history of the property. I was asked to transform the roof with a decorative patina finish that would give it the aged appearance of naturally weathered metal.
At approximately 2,000 square feet, this was a substantial surface to finish by hand. I applied the patina across the entire roof, carefully developing variations in color and tone so the finished surface would have a natural, aged appearance rather than looking uniformly painted.
The project took approximately a week to complete, working outside in the August sun.
The finished roof completely changed the appearance of the pool house, giving the metal a beautiful aged patina that looks as though it has developed naturally over time and allowing the building to blend much more appropriately with the historic character of the property.