Faux Bronze Door

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The entrance to this Mediterranean style residence in San Francisco is actually wooden. George faux bronzed the with artist oils. The dummy steel straps are true steel, the rust is faux!

Decorative Finishes

Decorative finishes are rendered directly on the substrates of walls, ceilings, and trims in acrylics or oils to create the appearance of exquisite and costly materials. Decorative finishes and trompe l'oeil painted effects can be simple patinas or complex painted illusions, apparent fine woods, or the subtle visual depth of marble and stone.

Decorative Painting

Winchester Mystery House

a historic landmark in San Jose, CA

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Antique Chandelier Ceiling medallion for the antique chandelier in Winchester Mystery House, CA, painted and gilded to harmonize with the North Dining Room color palette. Artist oils and acrylics, 23K gold leaf on plaster substrate.

North Dining Room Before North Dining Room, before framing to meet modern building codes and installing wall substrates.

North Dining Room After North Dining Room after project completion. Art for Design gilded the picture and dado rails, glazed the lincrusta wainscot and picture rail band, and mahogany wood-grained the doors and trims and baseboard. The lincrustas, installed by others, were glazed and patinaed within the design color palette.

North Dining Room East Side East side of the completed North Dining Room. Note the wainscot lincrusta glazing and faux mahogany wood graining.

Antique Chandelier Ceiling medallion for the antique chandelier in Winchester Mystery House, CA, painted and gilded to harmonize with the North Dining Room color palette. Artist oils and acrylics, 23K gold leaf on plaster substrate.

North Dining Room Before North Dining Room, before framing to meet modern building codes and installing wall substrates.

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Decorative Effects

A New York interior designer contacted Art for Design to inquire, “Do you do Venetian Plaster?”

While George majored in sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art and was familiar with Bas Relief work, he’d not had the opportunity to try Venetian Plaster. The designer had a complete palette, and working together with George, came up with a warm yellow tone for the plaster walls in a sitting room in a residence in Los Altos Hills, CA.

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In Process, Four Layers of Plaster Applied

The Completed Walls and Furnished Room

A Detailed View of Adjoining Squares

In Process, Four Layers of Plaster Applied

The Completed Walls and Furnished Room

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Faux Shipwreck Beams Project

A client in San Rafael, CA, enjoyed sailing and scuba diving. As his new residence was under construction, he thought to add shipwreck beams to the living room overlooking the bay. George created the shipwreck beam with 3 layers of resin and plasters over a substrate of 3/4” plywood cladding the engineered steel beam that supports the roof and ceiling. Acrylic art media were used in sculpting and rendering.

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Shipwreck Beams

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True brass spads and steel bolts with nuts were added and antiqued to create the illusion of shipwreck beams.

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Detail of Knots and Faux Rust

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The Rust and Verdigris are Faux

Faux Marble

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Faux Marble Fireplace Mantel

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FAUX MARBLE FIREPLACE MANTEL AND SURROUND

Oils on prepared rigid substrate

Ladies' Parlor, McDonald Mansion, Santa Rosa, CA

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Faux Marble Fireplace Mantel Detail

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Detail

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Faux Verde Grande Fireplace

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This apparent Faux Verde Grande fireplace in a restaurant dining room in Santa Barbara is actually wood. Art for Design primed the substrate, then painted and glazed the surfaces using artist oils.

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Faux Marble Fantasy

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This white and red faux marble is a fantasy marble rendered in oils on a plaster fireplace surround for a client who loves this particular red color. It harmonizes with the grand salon decor and becomes the center of an otherwise bland room.

Faux Stone

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Faux Trims

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Faux Pietra Griegia trims work very well with the Venetian plaster walls and ceiling. The substrates were installed and then painted and sanded eleven times to create the depth and inclusions found in limestone.

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French Limestone Fireplace and Wall

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FRENCH LIMESTONE FIREPLACE AND WALL

Acrylics on plaster

Tuscan Limestone Acrylics on Substrate

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Limestone Faux on Foyer

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Limestone faux on foyer concrete block wall, San Francisco. The tone of the glazed wall picks up the credenza and mirror frame nicely, creating a pleasant space.

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Wall Before, In Progress, Detail

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Wall Before, Work In Progress, Detail

Wood Graining

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Panel With Faux Oak Wood Graining A small section of panel with faux oak wood graining, hidden for over a century, was uncovered during reconstruction. Using the discovered graining as a guide, George Shadow grained all of the restored trims to match the style. The doors, windows, and trims throughout the two-story residence were oak-grained.

Dining Room Two Pocket Doors McDonald Mansion, Santa Rosa, CA. The two dining room pocket doors are 10’ x 10’. Over primed substrate, Art for Design grained the antique cherry effect using a three-pass method to create the trompe l’oeil depth seen in natural wood grain.

Butler's Pantry Panel Swing Door NATURAL OAK-GRAINED BUTLER'S PANTRY PANEL SWING DOOR McDonald Mansion, Santa Rosa, CA

Natural Maple Grained Panel Door NATURAL MAPLE/BIRD'S EYE MAPLE-GRAINED PANEL DOOR McDonald Mansion, Santa Rosa, CA

Cherry Grained Elevator Panel Door CHERRY-GRAINED ELEVATOR PANEL DOOR McDonald Mansion, Santa Rosa, CA

Natural Maple Grained Glass Door NATURAL MAPLE-GRAINED CARVED GLASS PANEL DOOR McDonald Mansion, Santa Rosa, CA

English Walnut Grained Ceiling ENGLISH WALNUT-GRAINED CEILING BEAMS, CROWN, AND TRIM McDonald Mansion, Santa Rosa, CA

Kitchen Entry Swing Door Panel In a Santa Barbara residence, the kitchen entry swing door panel was matchbook-grained. The materials were oils and varnishes, and the tone matched the existing gumwood interior trim.

Office Bookcases Bookcases in an office in San Francisco were base-coated and grained with a three-pass antiqued cherry wood effect. The three-pass method using oils and varnishes allowed for increased depth and the trompe l’oeil effects of the heart grain and pith. In this image, graining has started on the sides, shelf rails, and stiles.

Back of Bookcases In this image, the backs of the bookcases have been grained. The warmth of natural cherry fills the office space, although the grained shelving is not installed.

The Thomas Fallon House The Thomas Fallon House, built in 1855 in San Jose, was restored.

Panel With Faux Oak Wood Graining A small section of panel with faux oak wood graining, hidden for over a century, was uncovered during reconstruction. Using the discovered graining as a guide, George Shadow grained all of the restored trims to match the style. The doors, windows, and trims throughout the two-story residence were oak-grained.

Dining Room Two Pocket Doors McDonald Mansion, Santa Rosa, CA. The two dining room pocket doors are 10’ x 10’. Over primed substrate, Art for Design grained the antique cherry effect using a three-pass method to create the trompe l’oeil depth seen in natural wood grain.

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