Subtle Harmonies

Enjoying the lighter, cleaner look of Stephen Sills, featured in the June, 2012 Elle Decor. Sills was requested by the client to "freshen up" the apartment, toning down the rather rich palette. Sills designed the living room's decorative wall treatments, a stencil repeated in various forms throughout.

The terra-cotta mirror frames and fireplace were painted and washed to add an instant softness. 

The striped wallpaper offers a nice contrast, framing the view into the living room.

Sills often renders the walls with interesting treatments. One of my favorites is the subtle vertical striations below. Doing this with wallpaper would just not work, unless the wallpaper was completely custom created, with each panel slightly different.

 

What wall treatments do you prefer these days?

[1-4, 5-6]

Walls: A Must!

I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Seriously.

Walls: The Best of Decorative Treatments, Florence De Dampierre's new book, is that good. It is not just for designers and painters, but should become a staple in the library of anyone who is interested in design, whether in their own home or elsewhere.

Any book that starts off with the villa of Livia's garden frescoes gets my attention immediately. (They are even more spectacular in person and can be viewed at the Museo Nazionale Romano in Rome.) 

Ms. De Dampierre takes us on a tour of the best of decorated walls throughout history. From the simplest of decors...

to intricate and detailed frescoes, the book's beautiful photography transports you into each room.

There is a fair amount of attention given to stenciling and trompe l'oeil, both of which are skillfully done by many decorative artists today.

Gilding and painted patterns combine here in a spectacular manner.

Wallpapers are also covered, from the flocked...

to the sublime, hand-painted landscape version by the Zuber company. 

Of course,  you can also view Toile de Jouy, tapestries, murals and wood panels.

One of the rooms in the Pavlovsk Palace in Russia. Check out that marble!

As a decorative painter, it makes my heart sing to see a book totally devoted to its beauty. 

Thank you, Florence!

The best part is that today's artisans and artists are just as devoted to their craft. If you would like to view some fantastic work by these talented folks, visit Regina Garay's Fauxology blog this week to see some pretty darn cool powder rooms.

Beautiful photography by Tim Street-Porter and Pieter Estersohn.

[via]