Beautiful Venetian Plaster Finish for a Beautiful Boston Condo

Sometimes more is more – which was the case with the Venetian Plaster we did throughout this beautiful Boston condo! My colleague Joan and I spent almost 3 weeks creating this custom finish on over 2,500 square feet of the condo – which covered the hallways, kitchen, living room and dining room.

Layering 2 colors of Venetian plaster, we produced this look to accomplish the goal of being subtle enough to be the backdrop for all of these rooms, but still unique enough generate interest and depth - elevating the entire space. Working with the designer, we picked shades of taupe and off-white that had just enough warmth to compliment the other colors in the space, while still being neutral enough to make sure the art, furniture and lighting touches really pop. We wanted the walls to be both the hero and the supporting cast!

Using Venetian plaster is what makes the movement of color you see.  We also used a unique approach to the wax which seals Venetian to create a mottling in the shine – which you can see in the last photo below.

The result was a hit!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Limewash Finish Gives Bathroom a Moody Look

When making the many decisions associated with renovating a bathroom, my recent client decided they wanted the walls and ceiling to add to the look with a “moody” feel.  To accomplish this, they decided to go with a limewash finish- which adds depth, motion and character to the walls… which is when I got the call!

This project uses a limewash from Portola Paints in one of their custom colors called “Traveler”. Limewash behaves very differently from “normal” paint, and must be applied in a way that accomplishes the natural “bloom” that happens (this is what creates the motion and character) while avoiding unwanted halos and overlap lines.  It is a tricky product (!), but it ultimately produces a look you can’t get with anything else – and in this case, it is exactly what the client was looking for!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Painted Stripes Add Upscale Look to Office Walls

Sometimes simple, traditional decorative paint finishes – like painted stripes! - are the perfect touch to elevate a room. This was the case with a recent project I worked on with my colleague Joan and one of our interior design partners.

Our client had recently moved to a new condo in Dedham and wanted to personalize the walls beyond the generic white everything was painted when she bought it.  For the office, the goal was to make the space feel rich and elegant.  The furniture (which has not yet arrived) will all be cherry wood – so we wanted something to contrast the color, but feed off of the look of the pieces in the room.

The designer had the vision to use stripes, and to use navy to really get the weight and elegance she wanted.  For the contrast between stripes, we went with just a sheen difference (eggshell and semi-gloss) to make it subtle and classy.

The end result gave the designer and homeowner exactly what they were looking for!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Mural of Lighthouse Scene for Duxbury Home

Clients of mine are completely renovating their new home in Duxbury and wanted a mural to bring something special, impactful and truly custom to their front foyer – which is when they called me! 

Their idea was to use a photo from the Martha’s Vineyard beach where they were married (see below) as inspiration for the mural, which they wanted painted over a chair rail in a space about 9’ x 4.5’.  When I met with my clients in the home, we talked about exactly what they wanted to see - noting that I did not have to paint it exactly as it was in the picture! With this in mind, they decided to have me enhance the image by increasing the size of the water, getting rid of the ship masts on the right and adding a sailboat with the American flag sail.  I also needed to crop and edit the image to fit the dimensions of the space.

The inspiration photo

As always, my first step was to create a concept painting to show my approach to addressing their requests (below).  I make these paintings to scale (in this case, 9”x18”) using the actual paints I would use on the wall. They loved my concept – so I was on to planning for the final project!

My scale concept painting

Once on-site, I start by transferring my drawing to the wall – and then I paint each element from background to foreground, top to bottom.  Below are pictures of various stages as I painted this mural.

The end result was exactly what they were looking for – giving them something truly special, impactful and custom!

Enjoy!!

Jason

German Schmear Fireplace in Wellesley

When my client Joe first reached out to me about this fireplace, he was considering limewash, whitewash, plaster or German schmear as options to bring the stone more in line with the contemporary look of their remodeled space.  When we met to discuss his goals, Joe explained that he wanted the stone mostly covered in white (with just hints showing) and ideally, he wanted the deep grout lines mellowed out.

I could accomplish the goal of mostly covering the stone with any of the materials being considered – but mellowing the depth of the grout lines led us to going with German schmear as the solution.  German schmear uses actual mortar, giving the option to use it at full-strength to fill the gaps between stones - but it also can be thinly applied to the surfaces to mostly (but not completely) cover them.  After showing Joe some pictures of what a schmear would look like, we were on to creating the final product!

Using a white mortar that we mixed onsite, we started by filling the grout lines with a “pastry bag” approach, and then went back, filling the grout lines more and smearing the mortar over the stones.  As we addressed the stones, we were careful to cover them, while still leaving subtle peak-through areas of the stone underneath.

Below are the before and after photos showing the transformation!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Before the schmear

After!

Schmear detail

Magnolia Mural in Boston Condo

It’s always fun when one project turns into another! In this case, my colleague Joan Kingsbury and I were on a large Venetian Plaster job in a Boston condo when the designer asked us to also create a feature wall for the primary bedroom.

The concept started with a linen-look wallpaper, and the designer asked if we could create a similar look in taupe colors that would complement the tones already in the room.  Joan created a sample board to show how this would look, and they loved this as the background for the mural!

With the background established, we moved on to discuss different subjects for the mural foreground.  The homeowner shared how she liked the tone and sheen of “silver dollar” dried seed pods, while also looking to continue the floral theme created by the light fixture.  We looked at chinoiserie inspirations with their prominent featuring of magnolia trees – and I suggested enlarging this, to show fewer, much larger flowers.  This would keep the design simpler, while also going along with the scale of the light.  To accomplish the look of the silver dollar seed pods, I suggested using a metallic paint to create the sense of translucency and shimmer.  These ideas seemed to fit the bill – so I was on to creating a concept painting on top of Joan’s background board.  Below is the design we presented.

This hit the mark!  With approval on the design, we moved on to creating the final mural.  Joan and I took a break from our Venetian plastering to first create the linen-look background, and then I moved on to paint the mural on top of it.  Due to the metallic paint of the flowers, the reflections make this look different in every light and at each angle.   Below are 3 shots of the final mural.

Enjoy!!

Jason

Commissioned Paintings or Murals?

I recently finished a project for a client in Colorado that falls somewhere between large commissioned oil paintings and wall murals. A long-time interior design partner, Anne Mueller of Briar Design, is now working in both MA and Colorado – and she reached out when she encountered this unique need for one of her Colorado clients!

Anne’s clients Don and Diane are renovating their primary bedroom – and as part of this project, they had two ideas that brought Anne to me.  One was for the barn door they are installing from the bedroom to the bathroom.  To turn this from a large, plain door to a unique centerpiece, they asked that I do a 6’x3’ oil painting that they would then have mounted on the door!  As the subject of this painting, they sent me pictures of the actual view from their home of the continental divide.  The goal was to use this as inspiration, using a loose painting style. 

The second need was to block a large window up high in their vaulted ceiling that let in too much light. Rather than take the window out, they decided to hang a 6.5’x3’ painting – this time of the same view, but with the added drama of a sunset.

 Below are photos of these paintings – both the pictures I took of the un-mounted canvases and also pictures showing them installed.

Enjoy!!

Jason

The 6 foot x3 foot oil painting

And it installed!

The 6.5 foot x 3 foot oil painting

And it installed!

Powder Room Mural

Because powder rooms are often small, they can be the perfect space to do something fun and/or bold with the décor.  That was definitely the case on this recent project, where I did a faux finish and a mural to make this Somerville powder room truly one of a kind!

Unfortunately, water damage in my client Anne’s home destroyed most of the first floor – including this powder room.  Anne had originally created a similar grass look with decals, but with the opportunity to do a complete re-do, she decided to take it up a notch and have the grass hand-painted as a mural.

I started the process by meeting with Anne at her home to look at color options and old photos to help discuss her goals for the mural.  From there, I took my usual first step of creating a scale painting of what the mural would look like.  Once my concept was approved, I was on to the final mural!

Below are pictures showing a sense of the room (which was too small to properly photograph) and a detail of the mural.  To get this look, each blade of grass is painted with 3 to 4 layers of colors!

The sink, toilet and floor are all yet to be installed – but this shot of the room and detail of the mural give a sense of how it will look…

Enjoy!!

Jason

Roman Clay Feature Wall

Roman Clay was the perfect finish to accomplish what designer Julia Snider envisioned for this feature wall in Arlington, MA!

When she called me, Julia already had this fantastic wood-slat fireplace surround installed.  Her goal was to enhance the impact of the surround and elevate the entire wall by using a finish that has some depth and organic variation in color – making the entire wall feel warm, rich and inviting.

When we met, we looked at a few options for material and colors – and landed on the warm neutral of this Roman Clay to complement the wood (without over-powering it!) while also tying in the colors of the furniture in the room.

With the decisions made, I was on to applying the finish. Roman Clay has the consistency of a loose plaster, and is applied with a trowel. After the first coat dries, it is the application of the second coat that makes the motion/variation come to life! The end result was exactly what Julia and the homeowner hoped for!

Enjoy!!

Jason

The full feature wall, with a glimpse of the furniture

Closer up on one side

Faux Finish and Mural Repairs

For most of our projects, we create new and custom finishes and murals tailored to our client’s needs – but sometimes we fix existing finishes and repair old murals.  For this recent project, we actually repaired finishes in 5 different spaces!

One of the most dramatic examples was in this entryway, which had an old finish and mural that was damaged pretty severely from a leak in the roof above.  These before pictures give a good sense of the starting point – and you can imagine how much more was lost when all the loose paint was scraped off (I forgot to take pictures of this stage!).

After prepping the surface (scraping, sealing and priming), the first step was to figure out the many colors used in the background faux finish.  With these colors in hand, we were on to re-creating the finish – which we did by mixing up to 8 different colors together with glaze – making the transition seamless from old areas (areas where the existing finish could be saved) to the new repaired and re-painted areas.

With this complete, I was on to filling in the lost sections of the mural!  These photos came in handy, as many of these elements got scraped off.  For areas that were gone before we arrived, I had to make an educated guess on what mural would have been in that space.

In the end, it was all worth it!  The space looks good as new, and the client was amazed!

Enjoy!!

Jason

BEFORE #1

AFTER #1

BEFORE #2

AFTER #2

Apartment Lobby Murals

When describing what services BlackBeak Studios offers, I always say I do “custom murals and decorative finishes”.  My recent project for an apartment building lobby incorporated both a decorative finish and a mural that was completely custom!

When I first met with Bill the building owner, he explained they were in the process of updating the finishes in the building, and wanted to elevate the lobbies in the process (there are 2 mirror-image lobbies – 1 on either side of the building).  They had already changed the flooring in the lobby to a nice grey tile and replaced the carpet up the stairs with a complementary grey and blue pattern – but the red brick and maroon-painted accents no longer fit the look they wanted.  Additionally, they wanted something dramatic and contemporary for the wall.  The idea was to get rid of the bland/generic feel and create a “wow” feeling when people walked into the space.

To start, I suggested they paint the radiator and stair edges black – a simple fix that had a huge impact.  I then advised them to whitewash the brick – which significantly brightens the space while still maintaining some of the character of the brick.

Finally, for the mural – I suggested using the leaf motif that was already in the stair railings to make a bold pattern while tying into the surrounding details. 

Bill and his team were excited about these ideas and decided to move forward with all of the above… and now they are enjoying the final product!

Enjoy!!

Jason

The lobby before

Leaf detail in railings

Lobby 1 complete

Lobby 2 complete

Playroom Mural in Newton, MA

What’s better than painting a mural in a kids’ space?  Doing it for a repeat customer!! 

My clients Dave and Sarah first reached out to me in 2019 to paint a mural in the nursery for their first child.  That project was a 2-wall mural of an English countryside (with sheep, of course!) for their daughter who was born a few months later.

They then called me back in 2022 to paint another mural – this time a 2-wall forest scene for their soon-to-be-born son!

I loved working with Dave and Sarah on those 2 projects, so I was thrilled to hear back from them on a new mural for their playroom!!  To create this playroom, Dave and Sarah partnered with a company called grOH! Playrooms, who designed both this amazing play space and the mural to go with it.

I typically design the murals I paint, but it was a pleasure to work with the grOH! team to make their vision come to life in this space. 

The pictures below walk you through the room, showing the murals on each wall.

Enjoy!!

Jason

Faux Wood Doors Complete Home Refresh!

Our client Mike recently changed up the exterior colors of his house – going from all tan to a deep brown trim with a gray-green siding – all of which beautifully complements the style of the house!

The one remaining element to address was the back door and the two garage doors – which, like the rest of the house, were all painted the same tan color.  To bring these doors to life, Mike asked that we paint them with a faux wood finish.

The difference was significant!  I didn’t get good photos of the original tan color, but here is a taste, along with the flat base color we used for the faux, and of course the final result!

Enjoy!!

Jason

The original all-tan look

The house painted and the doors painted our base color

Close-up with the wood finish

The 3 doors together

Completing the Look with a Custom Plaster Stove Hood

I thoroughly enjoyed working with interior designer Lola Farra of Willow Design on this Roman Clay stove hood!  Lola was looking for a finish to complement her beautiful design in the rest of the space.  She wanted the (amazing!) tile to be the hero of the space, but still have some interest in the hood.

Lola’s goal was to tie in the colors of the cabinets, while giving the finish a bit of an “old world” feel, making the hood work with both the cabinets and the tile.   We looked at a few finish options, and settled on Roman Clay to accomplish what she was looking for – choosing a 2-color finish that pulled in the cabinet tone.

The end result was exactly what Lola was looking for!  Additional thanks to Lola for the pictures below…

Enjoy!!

Jason

A Mural to Bring the Relaxing Outdoors Inside

My client Mike has a unique and beautiful Craftsman-syle home with a great balcony nook that Mike uses for sitting and relaxing.  As an outdoor enthusiast, Mike was interested in bringing his relaxation nook to the next level by filling it with one of his favorite views from a hiking spot in New Hampshire… which is where a BlackBeak Studios mural entered his plans!

The space is defined by 3 half-walls in a “U”, with a small railing overlooking the lower level on the balcony side.  To make the experience truly immersive, we settled on wrapping the mural across all 3 walls.  Mike had photos of the location he wanted to use – with rocks in the foreground, a lake in the middle-ground and distant pine trees in the background – capped off with reflections of the tress and clouds in the water… and of course a campfire!

As always, I started the process by painting a to-scale version of the mural for Mike to see before I started on his walls.  With his approval of the design, I was on to painting the final mural!

Below are some of the stages of painting this to show the process… leading up to the final product that Mike is sitting and enjoying today!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Before shot of the left wall

Before, right side

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

The final mural!

Wrapped to the left side

Making a Dentist’s Waiting Room look like a Spa with Decorative Painting

Working with interior designer Michael Forman of Forman Bespoke Interiors is always a treat – and this latest project is no exception!  Michael was charged with re-vamping a dentist office waiting room to make it feel updated, inviting and soothing.  He accepted the challenge and called me in to finish the look!

Michael had this fantastic, illuminated circle feature-wall installed, and came up with the idea of a soft, mottled paint finish to cap it off.  We looked at lime paint, but given the high-traffic nature of this space, I suggested creating the same look using polyurethane (making it super-durable!).

After creating a few test boards using Michael’s base color and his soft ceiling tiles as a guide, I came up with a look that fit Michael’s vision and the Dentist’s taste!

After the construction was complete – I was on to creating this finish, which I completed just in time for their open-house! One of the best compliments I heard while painting this was how much it made the waiting area feel like a high-end spa!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Before the circle light was working

Thanks to Michael for sending tis one once the light was functional!

Custom-Designed Star-Painted Ceiling

In this recent project, I worked with Didi Interior Design and my colleague Joan to come up with a ceiling design that would be the centerpiece of this funeral home entry.

The business owner had an inspiration photo of a mosaic ceiling in an ancient Italian Abby, which featured a mosaic of gold stars on a field of dark blue.  Working with Didi and the funeral home, we came up with a pattern that captured the idea of the inspiration photo, but was more fitting to the building.  The star shape and ceiling layout we settled on had a traditional, colonial look that the funeral home director felt was perfect!

With the design settled, we were on to making it happen.  With a freshly painted dark blue ceiling ready for us, the first step was to measure out the grid pattern and snap lines all the way down the hall.  This helped insure that the pattern was consistent from side to side and from the front to the back of the building.  In the photos below, you can see the grid, and then the stars being painted according to this guide.

The grid guiding our layout

stars being painted on the grid

with the grid removed

When we were done, we were thrilled when our client shared that the ceiling “exceeded” his expectations!

Enjoy!!

Jason

Diamond-patterned “checkerboard” floor

As with many home projects, the success of a good specialty finish often hinges on the planning – which is rarely as true is it is with patterned floors!  This recent diamond patterned checkerboard floor we did in Sudbury is a great example.

My client Tracy originally had a similar diamond floor that unfortunately was damaged by a water leak from the bathroom above their kitchen.  The damage necessitated a brand-new floor be installed (!) – so we were starting from scratch with this finish.  Tracy wanted a “black and white” look – so the first step was for her floor company to stain the new, raw wood a white color.  With this step done – we were on to the pattern!

When I first visited Tracy’s house, I took a number of measurements to help with the planning.  We knew they wanted each diamond to be 18”x18” – so I cut a number of templates to lay out before getting started.  Since the fireplace was off-center, I decided to center my black diamonds with the room and the kitchen island – which also had the diamond corners landing directly on the radiators on both sides. Using this template, I got approval from Tracy on the pattern – and we were on to (a lot) of measuring and taping!!!

Setting down templates to show layout

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the measurement/taping step – but that is where the magic really happens with this pattern!  We took special care to keep the pattern consistent, the diamonds touching and the tape pressed VERY firmly to the floor.

This client wanted the diamonds to be solid black – so we used 2 coats of porch and floor paint.  With the paint dry, we could pull the massive amount of tape to reveal the final product!!

Fireplace view before final poly

Island view before final poly

Once our paint was dry enough, the floor company came back to put coats of poly over the entire floor to seal everything and keep it looking great for many years to come!

Enjoy!!

Jason

The final result (with special guest!)

The Magic of Faux Paint Repairs

As a spin-off of my decorative painting, I work with a few contractor partners who have me help them with unique repair problems. This work has given me the challenge of matching the colors, patterns, texture and sheen of everything from wood to tile to wallpaper. Some of these repairs would be difficult or expensive if I was not able to help — but due to the discontinuation of the original materials, some of them would have been impossible. Hitting the mark on these projects is incredibly rewarding!

The first example is damaged veneer on a kitchen drawer. The veneer had split and peeled off along a seam - and could not be reattached. The big challenge in this scenario is the veneer pattern continued not just on this on drawer - but also all 3 of the drawers above it. To repair this, the contractor would have needed to replace the veneer on all the drawers, while making sure the color was a match to the rest of the cabinets. Instead, they cut the veneer away and filled the void — ready for me to match the wood grain with paint and polyurethane!

Before

After

The next example involved specialty wallpaper on a ceiling that was damaged by a water leak. The paper was installed many years ago and was no longer available - so the only fix would have been to take down the paper and start over with a new option. The homeowner very much liked the look that was there, so their contractor called me in to patch and match the repair with paint - including the metallic silver of the original paper!

Before

After

For this next job, a new, large industrial door had been mis-drilled for the installation of the door closer. Certainly they could have replaced the door, but this particular example was very costly! Instead, they had me match the patches for a more cost-effective solution.

Before

After

In some cases, I hear directly from homeowners with their unique repair challenges - which was the story with this mural fix. During construction to the space above this, a chunk of the mural fell out. The mural had been painted many years before, and the original artists (who were students at the time) were no longer in the area - so I got the call to see if I could repair it. The main challenge with this project (which is hard to see in the photo) was that the glittering color is actually a metallic gold that is under the translucent darker brown color. I was able to get the match and save the client’s mural!

Before

After

In another wallpaper example, there were 2 spots of damage (one pictured) where the paper tore off the wall. Rather than re-papering the room, the contractor had me patch and match the colors and sheen to make the problem disappear.

Before

After

I can’t even begin to imagine the complications involved with building a new home — including damage that can happen in the transportation of materials. In this case, the wood casing of several of the high-end windows and doors were damaged when they arrived. Due to product shortage, the timing to get replacements would have been extraordinary - so they called me in to do the fixes! Below if just one example of many.

Before

After

This last example also helped deal with the lack of product availability. The contractor needed to cut out part of this entry floor to fix a rot problem - which necessitated replacing 2 rows of tiles. The problem was that the terracotta color of the original/surrounding floor was no longer available! To address this, the contractor used the same tile but in a different color (gray)- and then had me make them match. A couple of distinct challenges in this case was durability needs (for which I used a bonding primer and a floor paint) and the the very dull sheen.

Before

After

Now this is a custom painting!

When I create my murals, I usually start with an idea or a theme from the client and create an imaginary scene.  By contrast, most of my commissioned paintings are based on a photo or maybe a couple of photos to re-create an actual scene or subject.

My most recent commissioned painting project, however, was more like my mural work – and then some!  My client had spent time in Mexico years ago and remembered it fondly. To recapture his experience and add a little flair, he asked that I create a scene on a 5 foot by 3 foot canvas.  Some of the elements in the painting were from photos – specifically the San Cristobal cathedral, an old pickup truck and Mayan ruins.  The trick was to combine these along with many more subjects he requested in the painting… He wanted the characters to all be skeletons – with a truck driver smoking a cigar and flirting with a dancer, a guitar player with Pacifica beer bottles, a formal couple looking on, a zapatista soldier, a dachshund skeleton, a quetzal bird, a background street market, Mexican and zapatista flags and so on. 

Because of the complexity and number of things I needed to fit into the scene, I started with a pencil drawing that I sent to my client so I could make revisions of things he wanted to tweak or add. Below is an image of my drawing.

Once we had an approved drawing – I was on to the canvas!

As usual, I used oil paints – starting with the sky, mountains and cathedral -- and then moving my way forward to the foreground.  While doing this, I was careful choosing my colors to make sure everything was well balanced (knowing the whole painting would be very colorful!).

Below is the final result!  After weeks of painting, I was thrilled that my client was ecstatic when he saw the completed piece!

Enjoy!!

Jason