Thursday, January 27, 2011

In progress series: Mission accomplished

So a few things have changed in the design element of this project since my first in progress post.  I was initially going to paint in some gold ropes between the upholstered panels but we decided it was getting too busy.  Also, since my client refers to her apartment as "The House of the Rising Sun"  I was asked to paint a small scene of a rising sun, somewhere in the elevator, she left the placement up to me.

Enjoy!



Completed Elevator-Please excuse the non-professional photo and blue tape at the bottom!





Rising Sun



Instead of entertaining in her apartment, my client can now entertain in her elevator!  Mission accomplished.  

Disclaimer:  This is the most unusual project I have had in the past 8 years I have been in this business but it has also been one of the most fun!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Grasscloth, hot or not?

Grasscloth, do you love it or hate it?

Everyone I knew who grew up with it hates it.  I think, not only has it made a comeback but it is here to stay.  Since wall covering is technically my competition, I guess shouldn't promote it via my blog, but I want to show you that it doesn't have to be your Maw Maw's grasscloth!  It has some very practical uses and can also be used in unexpected ways.

It has a wonderful way or warming up a modern space and making clean lines appear warm and not harsh.
Rosy Levy via Design Sponge

Angie Kranowsky via Design Sponge

Angie Kranowsky via Design Sponge

Decor Pad

It also does not have to exist in it's natural color, it comes in many colors in 2011!
John Bossard via Home by Design

Draper Living Room- Mad Men


Although in theory this room existed in the 60's, it looks pretty current.  I think the walls are a deep blue grasscloth, even though they look purple-y here!
Draper Living Room - Mad Men



Grasscloth is also available with patterns screened on to it.
Phillip Jeffries

Phillip Jeffries



Billy Baldwin loved to wrap furniture in grasscloth and paint/lacquer it in the 50's and 60's.  Although these are contemporary pieces, I think Billy would approve, don't you?
Bungalow 5
Nightstand; grasscloth wrapped and lacquered in white

Bungalow 5
Parsons table; grasscloth wrapped and lacquered in navy

My friend and advisor, Louis Aubert says that grasscloth is "the only wall covering that can withstand all trends", what do you think?

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Project in progress: Trompe L'oeil upholstered elevator

Since this blog will also serve me like a sketch book,  I thought it might be fun to show you what I was up to and working on currently. 

A few months ago I was approached by a client who has a small elevator going from the ground floor of her apartment building(which is a large New Orleans victorian divided into apartments) directly to her apartment.  Since she owns it, so she decided that she wanted it to be upholstered in red silk.  The interior walls of the elevator are all metal and will not hold upholstery staples, so I was hired to paint it as if it were upholstered using tompe l'oeil techniques.


The client suggested a  playful rendition of red silk upholstery, gold rope in between each panel with gold french knots at each of the four corners of the diagonal panels.


Below is my inspiration for the project:


Red silk fabric

Gold rope between panels
Gold french knots at the four corners of the panels
My color inspiration: Overall painted fabric needs to be a rich, regal red.
My design inspiration: I want the elevator to ultimately feel like this.  Instead of green, the fabric will be red and gold rope on the diagonal, with gold french knots at each corner.  I will use paint and some shadowing techniques to make the flat surfaces appear to be three dimensional!

My sample which was approved by my client however, we both agreed the red needs to be deeper and more "regal" and the knots aren't quite right.  This sample uses the materials I will actually use on the walls of the elevator; architectural paints, glazes and varnishes.

A watercolor sample of what one wall of the finished elevator will look like.

I leave you with this definition: Trompe L'oeil is french for 'deceive the eye'.  A technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.

When I finish, I will post pictures of the completed project.  Have a great week! 



Saturday, January 15, 2011

The talented Mr. Hicks





David Hicks has and always will be one of my favorite designers and inspirations. He has designed everything from carpets, to men's shoes, to the interior of a BMW and has done it all well. His use of color and pattern can't be beat and even though his most important work was done over thirty years ago it still looks modern today.


I read on Habitually Chic that Ashley Hicks, David's son's home is Oxfordshire, England is in this month's issue of World of Interiors.

I took a look at the photos, which I wanted to lick they were so gorgeous and was blown away by the decorative painting in almost every room of the house. Not only was it some of the most unique painted work I have seen in a current magazine in awhile but it was all painted by Ashley Hicks HIMSELF! I knew that he was a designer, and business man running the company his Dad had established but had no idea he was a painter. Maybe if I asked nicely he would give me some lessons!

Take a look!























These squares are painted to look like green leather, notice the leather "stitching" in between each square.





















A Grisalle forest to dine beneath. So modern, yet so timeless at the same time.















Trompe L'oeil painted desk drawer












Notice the Trompe L'oeil continues in the panels at the top of the bookcases.




Although I am sure this is wallpaper, pretty wonderful as well. The English are the masters of floral patterns, they never look tired or trite!

Please be sure to check out the rest of the home's interior on Ashley's site.


David Hicks and his Influence



I apologize for my blogging hiatus this past week after I have just given you a little taste and left you hanging! Last weekend my laptop was privy to a dinner guest, a glass of red wine and talk of caribbean travel which resulted in a cracked screen and wine stained stairwell! All the makings for an exciting Saturday evening, no?

On with my post!

I have confessed my love for David Hicks' use of color, pattern and over all "englishness" for all of the internet to see and my recent discovery that his son, Ashley is quite an innovative and talented decorative painter. Since it is highly unlikely that Ashley would agree to(or have the patience) to give me some grisaille lessons, perhaps I should see if he might want to speak at the 2011 PDPA Education Summit?

In my search for images for last week's post I found that I am not the only decorative painter influenced by a talented Mr. Hicks. Enjoy!



Garrison Hullinger(Design), Lucinda of Shakti Space(Decorative Painting)

David Hicks

David Hicks
Haus Interior, New York

Nina Freudenberger(Design), Mark Chamberlain(Decorative Painting)













Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Hello and Welcome to Inspired.Paint.Repeat.!


I am your hostess and also the owner of E. Lee Jahncke Fine Finishes, a decorative painting firm based in New Orleans also known as, The Crescent City, The Big Easy, and most importantly The Who Dat Nation. I was born and raised here. I have lived in a few other cities that have their charms and perks but no where else have I been more inspired in life and in work than here. I am a painter and artist by nature and that is how I approach things. I am inspired, I paint, I repeat.


As I wish everyday where so glamourous; endless inspiration and endless amounts of time to create. No, not really. I make a living by day as a decorative painter. What does that mean, do you ask? It means that I have some skills, a few specialty brushes and tools and a knowledge of color and materials. A client/designer may come to me with a problem like "My home in the French Quarter has cypress doors, moulding and trim original to the building. We are remodeling and are unable to locate the wood to mill more trim, can you paint the "new" trim to look like the old wood?" Yes, I can and that is(was) a dream job! Always looking for one of those.


So, I have been hemming and hawing about this blog for about a year, to do it or not to. Why? There are so many out there, and there are a lot of good ones. I tend to read the design related ones because as it is not my business directly, it is related to my business of decorative painting, I am interested in it and feel I should be reading about what experts have to say about the design field, and I should be aware of the "trends".


What I want to do in my blog is to show how, paint, color and finishes in general no matter how large/small, complicated/simple the project or budget can really make a space. I see this everyday in my work. I see the before, after and the process in between. It is really amazing to see what paint can do.