Fresh faux finish

Southern Living, Apr 2000 by Jernigan, Sarah

A subtle painted paneling treatment was used to create a room embraced in sophisticated elegance.

Historic houses reflect beautiful architectural elements-high ceilings, handcarved moldings, and wonderfully creaky hardwood floors. But even if these details are intact, some older houses still need a little extra character. Jane and Peter Kreitzer of Charleston, South Carolina, added fresh sophistication to their 1840s row house with a faux painting technique. The home had lovely features but needed something special to enhance its good bones. By painting "paneling" on the walls of their living room, they gave the space the depth it needed.

"Most of these homes already have crafted paneling," Jane says. "We knew the cost of installing custom wood panels, so we decided to do it ourselves-so to speak." The optical illusion solved their problem while also creating interest and a foundation for their artwork and furnishings. As a seasoned faux artist and interior designer, Jane knew she and Peter could complete the project themselves. She found a book of paint treatments that featured the paneling technique, with instructions explaining the process. Unfortunately, the book left out critical information.

"They neglected to provide dimensions of standard paneling or even how to determine dimensions," Jane says. Undeterred, she knocked on a friend's door whose home featured the custom panels she wished to emulate. "Peter and I traced and measured his paneling," she says. "The look was exactly what we wanted. We simply applied the proportions of each panel to our room." The base coat determined the background color and the panel face. Once they picked this color, the Kreitzers chose a variety of compatible selections from the same paint card for shading. This provided all the varying shadow tones needed to create the illusion of a three-dimensional panel.

After the base coat had dried for a week, the couple worked on the tedious part of the project-sketching out the design. Jane's experience was valuable when determining proportions. "This isn't a project for a novice," she points out. "But if you enjoy painting and understand light and shadows, it really is fun."

Before actually sketching the panels onto the bare walls, they made preliminary drawings on paper. A guestroom wall upstairs received a trial run. "When we finished a couple of sample panels, we were so pleased. Then we realized something wasn't right," Jane says. "Our panels were recessed instead of raised because we got the bevel angles backwards."

Once the kinks were sorted out, they sketched the design on the real surface, starting with focal points-the space above the mantel and the wall between the windows. Then tW. process of taping specific areas began. "We were armed with a lot of masking tape," Jane remembers. After marking the large shadow lines, they painted and allowed them to dry overnight. The process continued with different shadows until completed.

Like any trompe l'oeil application, the finished product looks just like wood paneling. Jane feels the completed project was worthwhile, even though the process was tedious and took every weekend for a month. The paint treatment tested her instinct as a designer and fine-tuned her skills as a faux artist. The reward is not only a captivating living room, but a business card for style. The illusion speaks for itself. "We've had friends say, 'You've got such pretty paneling,' and then realize it's just paint," says Jane. Paint applied with a lot of patience. Sarah Jernigan

For another example of trompe l'oeil, see "Niche or Not?" on page 192.

FRESH FAUX FINISH

Pages 172-174: Interior design by Jane Kreitzer, Interior Design, Greensboro, North Carolina, (336) 282-5732; paint is available from Martin Senour (M), paint card #45, color: Sweet Molasses; fabrics on reupholstered furniture are available from Baker Furniture Company (M), (616) 361-7321, www.bakerfurniture.com.