An Italian groin vault ceiling... in America

How can one pass up a week in a Tuscan villa? Located just inside of Umbria, an hour from Florence, this to-die-for villa was all you'd expect it to be. (Villa pics coming later.) With the villa serving as our base, we roamed the surrounding areas and just soaked it all in.

While traveling through Arezzo (east of Florence), we fell in love with these groin vaulted ceilings in a non-descript deli. We walked in for lunch, looked up and that was it! So typical of Italy- there is such beauty at every turn.

Arezzo, Italy groin vault ceiling

A few years ago, my SO opened a boutique/cafe that was based on our passion of Italian design. We blew up our video frames of the dome ceiling that we loved in Arezzo to see the pattern and attempted to re-create those designs.

I started out with m-a-n-y sample boards to figure out the finishes; here is one of the final boards- I think I finally figured it out!

Sample board

The groin vault domes (formed by the intersection of two or more barrel vaults) began with a custom engineered metal frame.

Drywall was affixed to the metal frame and the entire ceiling, especially the many seams, was smoothed, filled, sanded, followed by filling and sanding and filling and sanding. The plasterer (Thanks, Dan!) did an AWESOME job.

 

This is how the ceiling was when we received it. Gulp!

I first primed twice and basecoated twice before even thinking of the finish layers. Then I began applying the three plaster layers, using a custom mix for each layer. The first layer was ochre and lapis blue; the second and third layers were more of what you see- the whites and lapis blues.

Then we painted the designs, some freehand and some with a few specific designs cut in mylar to be consistent on site, trying to stay as close to the original ceiling design as possible.

Once the painting was complete, we added a layer of glaze to “knock back” and age the finish.

We only had 2 weeks to take the ceiling from the raw drywall and seams state to completion.

Still adding! These are the electrical guys for the chandelier installation.

Here we are at work...

The ceiling is 25 feet up there!

Adding details

Here is the beautiful Isola Bella groin vault ceiling, ready for the chandelier to be installed!

 

We're done! Just waiting for  the chandelier.

 

Closeup view of groin vault  seam

Go For the Gold... As In Gold Leaf

An elegant addition to any décor is to add the touch of gold or silver leaf to furniture or accessories. Whether accenting the special molding on a table or gilding a picture frame, the gold surface adds a special opulence and shimmer that cannot be replicated with metallic paint. When held up to the light, the sheet of gold leaf is so thin that it is semi-transparent. As a result, gilding should be done in a draft free environment. Any drafts of air will cause the leaf to literally blow away.

My own gilded table

My own renovated and gilded frame

Darnell Demilune Commode by Amy Howard in House Beautiful

Silver leaf table legs

There are two methods of gilding: oil gilding and water gilding. Oil gilding uses an oil size upon which, once it dries to a slight stickiness or “tack”, the gold leaf is gently laid on the surface and carefully pressed. Water gilding is a highly specialized craft used for applying gold on frames and furniture.

Create a screen like this with the fabulous stencils that are available now. An online search will bring up many stencil companies, such as Royal Design Studio or Cutting Edge Stencils.

Gilded screen Photographer: Erik Johnson

These arches were gilded with an oil size using Dutch (composite) leaf and sealed with Liberon wax.

Isola Bella gilded arches

Please join me again for Part two on gilding. I’ll explain the various types of gold leaf and offer reliable sources for supplies, books  and instruction. If you'd like any other facets of gold leaf gilding to be covered, please let me know.

A glossy ceiling? Really?

One of the widely followed home design maxims is to avoid the glossy ceiling. Flat paint it is! And most of the time, the ceiling is white (a totally different subject).

I would like to differ.  I love the shiny ceiling! The way it reflects the room and makes is seem more spacious. It amplifies the available light and gives the ceiling a much lighter feel.  The glossy effect can have a full range of finishes, from the imperfect to the mirror-smooth.

apartmenttherapy.com

However, it does need to be pointed out that a high gloss finish will highlight any flaws in the surface. If absolute perfection is important to you, then either go flat or first have a plasterer / finisher skimcoat the ceiling so that it's smooth. Then the painter (you?) can roll on the finish coats.

I happen to believe that the imperfect ceiling surface adds character! If you don’t mind a little waviness or imperfections, then a high gloss paint, a metallic paint, metallic leaf or Venetian plaster can add a beautiful shimmer to lift the room.

 

Elle Decor Photograph by Eric Piasecki

Elle Decor Photograph by Eric Piasecki

If you're going to use paint for as smooth a finish as possible, you should use a foam or short-napped roller and try to keep a wet edge. Coarse naps leave texture, and a dry edge can leave visible lap marks. If you use a metallic paint or metallic glaze, try the microfiber rollers for metallic paint. And add a paint “extender” for additional “open time” that allows you to roll on the paint with more ease and slows down the drying time.

These glossy ceilings are to die for:

Metropolitan Home, Larry Laslo Designs

Veranda magazine Photograph by Peter Vitale

Silver leaf ceiling: John Saladino- Style by Saladino

Trompe L'oeil Class for DPAP members

[caption id="attachment_150" align="aligncenter" width="234" caption="Trompe L'Oeil class sample"][/caption]

The Trompe L'Oeil Moldings Class comes to the Midwest with Marlow DeMars from the Decorative Painting Apprenticeship Program, DPAP, teaching.

On Saturday, April 10, 2010, Marlow will be teaching the art and mechanics of striping here at our studio!

This is a free workshop for DPAP paid members. Marlow will teach how to mix colors, (grisaille), and how to stripe on several types of moldings. The sample board you take home will contain a variety of moldings that can be used in many interior painted schemes.
A $25 materials fee is required for this workshop (for brushes, paint and boards).

DPAP, a non-profit pending program, was started in March of 2007 with the mission of providing real-world experiences for decorative painting artisans, as well as creating enduring art in public spaces consistent with the goals of public restoration programs. DPAP finds public buildings in need of repair and restoration, suggests design schemes, gathers professionals to teach classes on-site, and recruits students to execute the designs. Marlow DeMars , of Ingalls DeMars Painting in Connecticut, is a co-founder as well as being responsible for creating design schemes and presentation materials.

Please visit http://dpap.org/ for further information on joining DPAP!

Trompe l'oeil is definitely both an art and a science. Join this master to learn it!

Damask in glass and gold tiles

I LOVE this!
These glass and 24 carat gold mosaic tiles are arranged in a damask pattern that is fabulous!
Carlo Dal Bianco's "Damasco Oro Giallo" tiles are seen at the website: http://www.carlodalbianco.it/

Glass tiles are everywhere right now...

[caption id="attachment_144" align="aligncenter" width="223" caption="Gold and glass tiles in damask pattern"][/caption]

This inspired me to create a faux finish for an accent wall with a similar feel. My first step will be to trowel on the "grout" layer using a metallic plaster. Then I'll figure out what medium to use to give the look of glass tiles. A little tricky- I've been trying a lot of things, but it's not quite there yet. The damask pattern will be an oversize one and the "gold" tiles will be created with gold leaf. Pics of the process coming soon...

The Open Studio yesterday at the Lake Erie Screw Factory was

Great!

Around 300 folks strolled through, with the second and third floor studios busy from 2:30 till 9 p.m.! The variety of artists was impressive and the perfect weather added to the high spirits of our guests.

Better late then never, here is a nice article explaining the history of the factory's Open Studio from ClevelandIndependent.com:

 

Our next Open Studio will be in May, 2010.

Open House Announcement

Hope you can join us! 

Get inspired!