Faux finished cabinets are finding a welcome home in today's kitchens. From the most timeworn distressed looks to high-end lacquered finishes, a decorative painter can add just the right touch from his artist's pallet to create the exact design and style most appropriate for your dream kitchen.

As we all know so very well, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It's our source of comfort and joy. Whether we're preparing a meal for our loved ones or just hanging out with our friends, the kitchen is the place everyone loves to be the best. And these days, the makeup of our kitchen environs is getting the attention it deserves.

Older kitchens are being remodeled and expanded. The kitchens in new homes are bigger than ever and are more accessible, too. Everything that goes into making a perfect space is being included -- professional cooking equipment, granite countertops, sophisticated lighting, and especially important is stunningly beautiful cabinetry.

Giving the kitchen a particular feel can be easily achieved through decorative painting on the cabinets -- whether the look is farmhouse French, Swedish country, or even slick contemporary.

A sophisticated and experienced faux finisher has at his command many finishes and materials that can fit the needs of the interior designer, homebuilder and homeowner. He is able to provide information on the best colors and most suitable techniques, plus bring unique artistic insights to the job.

Some of the faux effects that are popular in kitchens these days include one or a combination of the following:

Pricing for the finishes depends upon the level of complexity and the material used to get that “just right” look. If your kitchen cabinetry is freshly painted, then a simple dry-brushed finish may be all you need, and is usually inexpensive. However, the more steps that are involved in a process, the more the price goes up. A knowledgeable faux finisher can work within your budget while giving you the best possible look to complete your dreams.

I encourage you to contact an experienced professional faux finisher for a free consultation when you are ready to begin your kitchen project.

Discuss your ideas with a faux finish expert -- look at colors, styles, techniques and samples. Then develop the perfect combination for your dream kitchen.

Ask detailed questions, get references, ask to see photos, and if possible go to a kitchen the faux finisher has completed to check out his quality and level of competence.

Make your heart of the home as perfect as you deserve.

Source: Article City

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While Grandma’s quilts showed off a sample of her pretty bits of fabric and her skill with many different fancy needle stitches – imagine what she could have done with a pot of glaze and a sponge. That’s right. As artistic and skilled as Grandma was she probably would be right at home with faux finish paints, too.

There are so many options available to today’s homeowner when it comes to choosing alternatives to traditional flat paint. There’s absolutely no reason to hang onto that boring tried-and-true white (or taupe, taupe, taupe) painted in every room throughout your home.

Explore the alternatives. Look in magazines for rooms that appeal to you. Architectural Digest, Southern Accents, Veranda and others all regularly feature homes that have faux finishes on everything from walls to furniture. Designers love to change the feel of a space with color and textures, painted faux finishes are an easy first step in that direction. You can do the same thing, too.

Faux finishes can be applied to almost any surface. From walls, ceilings, cabinetry in the kitchen and bath, floors, to all types of solid furniture as well. Styles of finishes can be extremely simple and subtle, to way, way over-the-top fantasy finishes, depending on your personal taste and pocketbook.

For your walls, here’s something to think about -- a faux wall finish can provide a striking and seamless alternative to wallpaper. Seamless. No peeling or splitting. Just a beautiful hand-painted unique finish individually crafted for you alone.

A skilled faux finish artist can create a look just for you that the wallpaper manufacturers would love to copy and mass-market. Some of the more popular looks for walls include:

On columns, trim, doors, crown molding, fireplaces and art niches there are a number of cool faux finishes that can enhance the architecture of any room. Classic looks feature:

Antique or distressed faux finishes are wonderful choices on cabinetry and furniture. Adding a few worn edges and some crackled paint to those dated, tired kitchen cabinets can give them a fresh new “old” look. Think Provence.

It’s easy to expand your options. Change your mind about what’s acceptable for your sweet home space. Play a little with something fresh and new. Remember, changing the dynamics of your home is easy with the assistance of a skilled and experienced faux finish artist.

Always go to a pro who has a track record and samples and customers who love to tell you about the artist’s work that was created just for them. Then let him create a special room just for you.

He can guide you to faux finishes and colors that will be appropriate to your style, your furnishings, and your pocketbook. Consult with a trained professional artist and get the best look for your home today.

Oh. And keep in mind, if you are tired of that old chest-of-drawers and thinking about tossing it out, maybe all it needs a good old-fashioned antiquing. A dab of glaze here, another dab there. Just right.

Grandma would approve, no doubt.

Source: Article City

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Oh yes, it’s the tiniest room in our home – and the one that all our guests see, eventually. It holds such potential allure and such realized dread. We want that critical bit of real estate to make a good impression, we want it to be original, we want it to be sexy even – but how? Easy! Let your imagination run free! Be wildly creative! Be daring! A fantasy faux finish is perfect for grabbing everyone’s attention and setting the tone and attitude when those special guests enter that necessary little room.

So many options, so little space! Great, do something unexpected. Faux finishes can be simple and stately, subtly underdone, just a whisper on the wall. But in a powder room, why bother with tried and true when luxurious and exotic is so much more fun? Go ahead and make a statement with the wall treatment. Make your friends and family gasp for the first time in a very long time. It’ll be fun for them and for especially for you.

Ever heard of Venetian Plasters? They are spectacularly rich polished plasters that originated in ancient Rome and migrated to the finest homes in Venice in the 15th century. Those Italians are always painting on their walls and Sistine ceilings.

The original uniquely colored and textured finishes were made with ground lime and marble powders. These days they are acrylic or latex products and are much simpler and versatile to work with for today’s artisans.

And the looks are astonishing. Most commonly, Venetian Plasters are used to produce a polished stone–like look. But with a little creativity on the part of the artist troweling on this plaster, a whole new type of look is possible. The addition of spectacular metallic waxes, plus pearl and iridescent glazes can bring an entire new dimension and surprise to the time-honored beauty of Venetian Plaster.

Did I mention colors for these lustrous plasters? Think inky black, deep chocolate, sapphire blue, blazing crimson, spiritual turquoise. Let your imagination run free -- there are no limitations at all. Any color can be translated into this wondrous medium. Then watch as those metallic (such as: copper, gold, bronze, or pewter) waxes get applied and mysteriously alter the finish in a dynamic new way. The depth of color and variation will astound you and your guests!

Multi-layering of plaster colors is another way to create drama. Applications of two compatible or better still, two contrasting colors can result in something that is truly unique. A tiny dab of brilliant green and a hint of luminous pearl in the sapphire blue and suddenly you have a faux lapis lazuli on your walls.

Even if you opt for the stately single color look of these beautiful plasters without any further embellishments, you won’t go wrong. A highly polished, sealed and waxed plaster finish will stand the test of time and be a wonder to behold. And a huge practical benefit is that the durability and sturdiness of the plaster is perfect for a powder room (or a damp bathroom.)

Challenge a faux finisher to create a finish uniquely attuned to your style. Let your specially chosen artist shine while creating something fresh and new that will elicit awe and joy from everyone who sees it. Even the most staid of traditional interiors has room to a bit more flexible in furnishing that special little room our guests spend but the briefest of moments in. So be inspired and splash some color on those walls.

Source: Article City

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