Faux Finishes & Decorative Painting

Custom designed and hand-painted Faux Finishes & Decorative Painting are crafts that add layered beauty and keep the viewer guessing

They used faux finishes in ancient Pompeii; Renaissance châteaux made recurrent use of them; and we create them for you today - in a nursery room, a shore house, and for your hospitality design. Intriguing and luminous faux and decorative painting make up the largest part of our surface design business. 

Faux and decorative finishes create texture and nuance by replicating the look or feel of other surfaces such as marble, granite, and wood. Techniques include marbelizing, stencilling, strié, sponging, color washing, rag rolling, antiquing, lime washing, wood graining, ombré, verdigris and painting diamonds and stripes. Trompe l’oeil (fool the eye, in French) adds a three dimensional volume value to the decorative panorama, transporting  you to another reality.

 After 30 years in the business of “faking it,” our faux finish craft is honed to replicate all kinds of materials and our decorative surface designs are constantly evolving to reflect current design sensibilities. Recreating surface designs for historical restoration projects makes our hearts beat a little faster and have been some of our most prized commissions.

 We love carrying forth these timeless and classic decorative painting methods to realize your visions.

We look forward to collaborating with you! 508-655-1942 or arteriors@arteriors.net

Faux Finishes & Decorative Painting Gallery:

A rich vibrant palette is used in layered hand-painted decorative finishes for the faux finish custom glazes on fireplace, panelling, and wall, Boston, MA residence	Layered hand-painted glazes in custom-mixed shades of azalea, hibiscus and rose for traditional faux finishes on panelling, Boston, MA residence
Traditional faux finish on walls and panelling to create driftwood effect, Cape Cod, MA	Faux finish painting on stacked PVC pipes to conjure bygone ship masts, hospitality design for  multiuse lobby, Boston East, Boston, MA, Interior design: Amy Margolis Design
“Northern Lights” sky mural painting with midnight blue ombre faux finish and ground mica infused in hand-painted decorative finishes	Combed faux paint finishes on bookcase shelf wall murals to convey ocean edges, Interior Design: Ann Mullin
Copper verdigris faux finish door and metallic paint decorative finishes for restaurant interior, Fiorella’s Cucina, Concord, MA	Custom stencilled and hand-painted damask decorative finish with metallic paint in pearl on Victoria + Albert Tub, Back Bay, Boston, MA
Faux finish paint in metallic bronze, industrial chic decorative finishes for commercial interior design, Aramark Corp., Philadelphia, PA	A variety of traditional decorative paint finishes for townhouse interior, custom glazed faux finishes, faux marble wainscoting, hand-painted antique gold metallic paint on picture frame moldings, Back Bay residence, Boston, MA
Decorative painting with faux bronze metallic paint finish and faux painting to create oxidized effect for main bath walls	Traditional faux finish glaze on fuchsia painted walls with hand-painted and stencilled botanical garland of leaves, fruit, and ribbon for a library, Sudbury, MA
Contemporary wall art with decorative paint finish of hand-painted chevron stripes, Interior Design: Liz Caan Interiors	Decorative paint finishes in wall mural art with ombre faux finishes in keeping with the watery mood of this pool room
Detail of faux finishes to create wave effect combining decorative finishes of venetian plaster and metallic wax glaze, Golden Paintworks Featured Artist Series, Summer 2020	Faux finish painting of “steel” and “blue marbles,” detail of hand-painted and stencilled mixed-media paint and metallic decorative finishes, tutorial for Golden Paintworks Featured Artist Series, Summer 2020
Gilded color for faux finish walls in a loose checkerboard paint finish in silver and pearl, custom and hand-painted for condominium foyer, Boston, MA	Hand-painted faux finishes in a combed and gridded soft checkerboard decorative iridescent grass green
Detail, custom surface pattern design in mixed-media faux finish with stencilling, layering and combed glass bead gel, tutorial for Golden Paintworks Featured Artist Series, Summer 2020	Faux metallic paint finish and trompe l’oeil effect seams and rivets, decorative paint finishes tutorial for Golden Paintworks Featured Artist Series, Summer 2020
Decorative and faux paint glaze over hand-painted saturated, softly rich apricot and peach hues, decorative paint to highlight family heirloom white dress and complement original gumwood moldings	Hand-painted faux finish walls in basketweave “linen,” ragged and combed decorative painting
Faux finish painting of terra-cotta washed walls, rose gold metallic faux painting on panels, nut-brown dragged decorative painting on moldings, custom hospitality design for contemporary Italian restaurant in converted fire station, Fiorella’s Cucina, Concord, MA	Metallic Bronze Paint Finish on Door, The Loft Signature Suite,  Commonwealth Hotel, Boston MA, Dash Design
Custom Acorn Stencil Pattern in Gold on a Mottled Gray Paint Finish Accents Circus Posters in Eclectic Living Room	Faux metallic painted finish medallion design for hall and staircase walls, stencilled and hand-painted
Faux finish painting to weather and distress industrial wooden shutters from the Atlantic Coast, hand-painted faux wood graining texture finish for hospitality design, Hilton Garden Inn, Providence, RI	Detail, faux finish of light wood graining with distressed aspect, faux bois patterning and shading of kitchen cabinets
Hand-painted traditional faux tortoiseshell finish painting on coffered ceiling, with gold architectural finishes	Custom hand-painted art nouveau-style decorative painting on folding screen with gilding faux finishes and stencilled design

Faux Finishes

I can’t believe that it’s paint!
That’s amazing!
How did you do that?!

These are common responses to our faux finishes. Arteriors’ faux painting is celebrated for expertise in a craft that has everyone guessing, if not completely fooled! Not only are they beautiful, painted faux finishes also add a bit of entertainment. This kind of work is best when it appears as if by magic. Although the actual project may have taken less than a week to complete, each faux finish takes years of practice to perfect. And after 25 years in the business of “faking it”, our faux finishes appear effortless. They are timeless and classic and we are proud to carry the tradition forward.

• Faux Tortoise Shell
• Faux Bois (Wood Grain)
• Faux Marble
• Faux Stone

Our clients in this category include:

• Park Plaza Office Bldg, Boston, MA
• Potpourri Designs, CT and MA
• Stella Maris Church, Beverly, MA
• Bellissimo Grande Hotel, N. Stonington, CT
• Hyatt Regency Hotel, Boston, MA

Trompe l’oeil painting

With this technique, the artist is also creating an artifice of three dimensions and volume. These Illusionistic paintings virtually transport one into another reality. Done by a master painter’s hand they are wonderful works of art in their own right. Arteriors excels at this type of artistry.

There is a long history of castles, villas and chateaus being decorated with trompe l’oeil (translated from the French it means, “fool the eye”) painting. Recessed paneling, plaster moldings and balconies created where none exist can be seen on both interiors and exteriors of buildings dating back to the Renaissance.

Much of trompe l’oeil painting relies on mastery of faux finishing. Some of our best and most challenging projects have been of this genre. Quintessential examples of our work in this area are of sky seen through glass conservatory mullions, and Italian Renaissance paintings, appearing as if on the walls of an upper balcony, with scenes of the classic architecture and sky beyond.

Our clients in this category include:

• El Meson Restaurant, Puerto Rico
• Stoddard’s Restaurant, Boston, MA
• Atasca Restaurant, Cambridge, MA
• Bellissimo Grande Hotel, N. Stonington, CT

Decorative Painting

The larger category of our work is called decorative paint finishes and includes a multitude of techniques for interior design styles such as Contemporary, Modern, Industrial Chic, Rustic Chic, Eclectic, Transitional, Traditional, Glamorous, and Baroque.

Whether our client is a homeowner or designer, Arteriors provides our clients a clear path to successful results. Our work is a piece of the design puzzle. By listening carefully, we produce decorative paint finishes that are an exact fit.

Decorative Painting Techniques Include:

• Ombré
• Color Washing
• Glazing
• Distressed Finish
• Patina Wash
• Chinoiserie
• Strié
• Woven Finish
• Stencil Work
• Wide Stripes
• Chevron Stripes
• Green Finishes
• Suede Finish
• High Gloss or Wet Look
• Damask
• Custom ‘Wallpaper’ using all-over Stenciling

Clients in this category include:

• Toscano’s Restaurant, Cambridge, MA
• Atasca Restaurant, Cambridge, MA
• Potpourri Design, CT and MA
• Biagio Restaurant, Waltham
• Mel’s Commonwealth Café, Wayland, MA
• The Ritz Hotel, Boston, MA

Recreating surface designs for historically sensitive interiors are projects that make our hearts beat a little faster and have been some of our most prized commissions.

Have an Art Deco stenciled and gold leaf ceiling that needs to be re-produced? We’re on it.
An 140 year old church that needs 1,000 square feet of faux marble? We’ve got your back.

Our clients invariably become repeat clients because of our professionalism, strong work ethic and invaluable results.

Services include:

• Period design and research.
• Onsite mockup and samples.
• Research and knowledge of proper preparation.
• Specify substrates.
• Restoration of surface design.

Our clients in this category include:

• Stella Maris Catholic Church, Beverly, MA,
• Congregation Sons of Israel, Peabody, MA
• St. Benedict Parish, Somerville, MA
• Bank of America, Brookline, MA
• Residences in the Back Bay and Louisburg Square, Boston, MA