Interior Alchemy

Add a touch of luxury to your home.

2011-03-17T20:19:00.000-04:00

This Console I gilded in a broken leaf technique. It was then aged and varnished. There are a number of colours you can use, copper, silver and several golds.

A different method was used here. Foil is applied over size in a similar way to gold leafing. This foil was silver, which was the glazed to his warm antique gold colour. Turned a box-store vanity into a custom piece.

At last, pictures of the up-dated Fireplace

2010-10-10T21:19:00.000-04:00

So, I finally got around to posting some pictures of the fireplace I talked about in my last post. It truly is a transformation and shows even the ugliest fireplace can become the focal point of a room. Whether your style is traditional or modern, we can give you the fireplace of your dreams. Stay tuned, there are more fireplace makeovers to come!

The original fireplace. We had to beef up the hearth, tile over the brick and build out he mantle to accommodate the columns

Tiled, with all the wood trim added, awaiting the columns

The finished fireplace. Faux mahogany, with plaster capitals, gilded and antiqued.

Custom Fireplace

2010-03-26T17:57:00.000-04:00

Fireplaces are the focal point in a room for most people. My client wanted me to re-design her, fairly standard, brick fireplace to be more in keeping with her Tuscan themed house.
So, we decided to beef up the mantle and use columns either side. Finding the columns was no easy task. We were looking for tapered belly columns and no-one has these as standard. Luckily, I was able to find a talented carpenter/cabinet maker, Ryan Baird who would manufacture these for us. Next we needed capitals and decided on Corinthian. I was able to find these at The Decorators Supply Corp. They do lots of different sizes and types and although they are made of plaster, it's no problem as I will be Faux Finishing the whole thing. We were spoiled for choice but finally picked a style and we love them!
My client picked out fabulous granite tiles for the hearth, that look almost like leather panels.
The tiles are installed and the mantle has been built. On Monday we go to measure for the columns. I am so excited, I can't wait to see this come together!
Do you ever get an idea and then can't find what you want? It takes work, but with a bit of imagination
and determination, anything is possible.
Stay tuned for photos of the finished product.

Photo Wall

2010-01-14T22:15:00.011-05:00

I love Photo Walls. They are so smart and such a great way to display family photos or any other subject you'd like. Finding the right frames and then arranging them on the wall is pretty tricky and can get very expensive. I've discovered a great Company that takes all the pain out of it and for a very reasonable price. You get 10 frames, mats and access for a year to images, if you have none of your own, or you can upload your own. You can preview the placement before doing anything to your wall and then use a template to hang the pictures. It's foolproof! Check out The Picture Wall Company and start imagining the possibilities.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall

2009-12-18T20:25:00.000-05:00

I saw this mirror in a Pottery Barn catalog and really loved it, however, apart from being too expensive, it was way too big for my little apartment. THEN, I found some mirrors at Walmart on sale! They were actually meant to hold candles but as soon as I saw them, I knew they'd be perfect.
One piece of plywood, some molding, glue, stain and upholstery tacks later, voila, my version of the Pottery Barn mirror! It cost me $30. If you'd like the directions to make one yourself, just contact me here and I'd be happy to send them.