What if you Are Tired of Your Mural, but Still Love your Decorative Finish?

A client from the North Shore of Chicago recently had a problem with the decorative finishing in her living room. The problem was two-fold: she was tired of her fifteen-year old trompe l’oeil mural, but still loved the strie texture and softly mottled glazed finish on her walls. She was also looking to change the color of the wall from a blueish green to a yellowish green. The main challenges were to make the mural completely disappear, including its painterly texture, and recreate the strie texture in the surrounding walls.

Wall with Trompe L’oeil Mural

Restored Texture and Decorative Finish in New Color

Room Displaying the New Wall Color and Recreated Strie Texture

A strie finish is a traditional finish that is generally created by dragging a brush, a comb or steel wool through a glaze, thereby creating a vertical or horizontal pattern (sometime both). In this case, the strie pattern was created not by dragging a comb through a glaze, but the basecoat instead, which made for a very subtle texture. In order to prevent the finish from closing back on itself, we had to thicken the basecoat with an additive. To complete the finish, we softly mottled a white glaze over the wall surfaces. The overall effect was subtle and beautiful, as shown in the after pictures. The old look of her living room was faithfully recreated, with the modifications the client had requested.

Matching a decorative finish can be daunting task, especially old finishes. The original paints are no longer to be found, even if they were still usable. Additionally, the technology of paint has greatly evolved, which means that today’s products do not perform the same way. In our painting and decorating company, we are committed to using our knowledge and skill to meet the challenges of projects such as these.

Mario Guertin

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In the past I may have mentioned how important it is to include you pets when you are remodeling. I have shared with you some clever sleeping accommodations for your companion dog or cat.  Today I want to share some ideas and storage solutions for your companion’s food and water.

Many times when we are designing a new kitchen space for a client the question of pet food storage and bowls comes up.  Our dogs and cats are an integral part of our lives and thus, we want to make sure to accommodate them whenever and wherever possible when designing a new space, especially the kitchen area.

The following are some stylish and practical solutions to make your life, as well as that of your companion, easy and stress free.

The storage of your pet’s food and treats deserves a stylish solution.  Think about creating your own containers that can be displayed in your kitchen or pantry area.

Ordinary canisters can be painted and decorated using stencils and appliqués to bring character and color to your room.  There are many easy, basic computer software programs that allow you to add a personal touch.

If you are not planning new cabinetry, there are several unique and stylish solutions for your companion’s food and water bowls. A simple wooden stool can be converted into a portable food/water station.

Just cut out holes for bowls and paint the stool in a room coordinating color and you have a custom solution for your pet.  Consider adding your companions name to the tray or select bowls that match your dishes.  There are wonderful glass and porcelain bowls that can be found in local thrift stores and antique malls.

A pair of small children’s chairs is an inexpensive flea market find.

Cutouts for bowls, some custom lettering – maybe even a fun, bright paint color can turn a $40 investment into something your pet will love.  Consider that larger dogs prefer bowls that are raised up off the floor 6” – 12” and you are also providing them a more comfortable eating solution.

Perhaps you are tight on space.  This solution provides not only bowls for water and food but also storage for toys, leashes, etc.

This solution utilizes a standard bench, available at many retailers and cuts openings for your own bowls.  However at 16” – 18” in height, this solution is best for taller dogs.

Even the most mundane item can become a unique and stylish feeding station.

Here an old Coca-Cola crate has been turned into a great solution for this little guy.  You could do the same with an old suitcase, providing cutouts in the lid and some stylish bowls.

Finally, this small chest of drawers became a complete feeding and food storage solution.

With a bit of carpentry skills, the top is hinged to provide storage for treats and food.  The middle drawer can hold leash, collar and toys.  The bottom drawer has been modified to incorporate a solid panel containing bowls.  This can easily be closed when needed.  This way you can recycle a piece of furniture and provide great function at the same time.

But what if you are redesigning your kitchen, butler’s pantry or mudroom and including new cabinetry?  Then you have a few additional options for your pets feeding and food storage.

We often specify a recycling center pullout to hold treats and dry food.

Many have lids and handles for convenience.

As for built-in food and water bowls consider an area at the end of an island or corner of the kitchen, built into the base for a convenient height and fun style.

The lower toe kick area also is a great and inconspicuous area for feeding.

In this case, we customized a stainless insert into a drawer built into the base.  There is even a lidded area for treats and food storage.   When not in use, the drawer slides conveniently back into hiding.

Our companions are an everyday part of our lives.  When designing your kitchen, pantry or mudroom area, please give consideration to their needs.  With a little planning and creativity, you can have stylish and beautiful solutions that are practical and functional as well.

We have tried something different this month and would like your feedback if subjects like these were interesting. Please let me know.

Best,

Michael A. Menn AIA, CGR, CAPS, CGP

Michael Menn Ltd.

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Spring evokes feelings of awakening and renewal, beauty and even simplification. Every spring we speak of Spring Cleaning and removing clutter from our lives. We want to see clearly out our windows at the fresh new foliage, toss open those windows to welcome the new season. When we open our world to others, we want to be proud of our space, which we hope is uncluttered, orderly and beautiful.

Interior Design is often equated to beauty. Ancient Roman Architecture equated beauty to order. We also relate order to efficiency. And efficiency requires simplification.

As an interior designer, my goal is to help our clients to simplify their lives and in turn, produce spatial balance, organization and beauty. This is done by creating balance in color, texture, weight of furniture and architectural elements, as well as guaranteeing the client has enough storage, lighting, electrical outlets and space to perform daily tasks. Today, I’ll address organization and simplification.

Less clutter helps to simplify life, create efficiency and a calm existence. For example, in a bathroom, we like to install pullout shelves on the bottom of vanities for easy access to all items such as cleaning products; we can install an outlet inside the cabinetry so that chargeable items such as electric toothbrushes can be stored out of sight. Less clutter can also be created by dedicating space for all necessary items. For example, build one or more shower niches that can hold all bath products that everyone uses. We create efficiency by making sure a GFCI outlet is within arm’s reach for effortless use by each inhabitant. Finally, guarantee there is enough light for reading, applying makeup, shaving and reading medicine bottles. Add dimmers so that nighttime lighting is less harsh on your eyes on those midnight trips to the bathroom.

These are just a select number of ideas for making order within a space.

We love collaborating with Design/Builders such as Michael Menn Ltd. to create functional, safe living and work environments that reflect the clients’ lifestyle using quality products and workmanship.  The experts ensure that the new design is to code, that correct materials for the project are installed accurately and will perform effectively within the lifestyle environment of the client. What better way to start off your Spring, knowing that your project is in the right hands!

About the author:

Kristin Taghon of Cadmium Interiors

Kristin Taghon is one of the co-principals and owners of Cadmium Interiors, LLC at their new design studio at 612 W Wrightwood, Chicago, IL. She and her business partner, Jasmin Marie come from a background of fine art and have held jobs in project management, retail furniture and lighting design. We approach each project as a composition of functionality and beauty. We aim to design a space that reflects our client and pushes the boundaries to include moments of luxury for a truly unique and beautiful space.

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