In Celebration Of The Stripe!

Bold and fun, but often overlooked...stripes can provide visual interest, create a unique forced perspective, or just add some graphic punch! In celebration of the stripe, let's look at spaces that feature this energetic motif.

Striped floor in bathroom of Achille Salvagni's Rome apartment

Striped floor in kitchen of Achille Salvagni's Rome apartment

Shower by Amy Morris Interiors

Cabana stripes on ceiling by Caroline Rafferty

Vibrant pink and yellow stripes by Muriel Brandolini

French room with tent striped ceiling by Todd Hase

Striped butler's pantry by Paula Caravelli

Red and white candy cane all in the home of Kristiina Ratia

French inspired guest bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

Happy designing!

Vaulted vs. Cathedral Ceilings

I last posted about ceiling styles way back in 2014 here, and since then I have heard people speak of the difference between vaulted and cathedral ceilings, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about these two additional ceiling styles and what they look like.

Even though the terms re used interchangeably, a vaulted ceiling and a cathedral ceiling are different.

Instead of being flat, like most ceilings in residences, a cathedral ceiling rises from the ceiling, mirroring the external roof line, to meet at the center, typically at a central ridge beam.

A cathedral ceiling can be simple...

...or it can feature tongue and groove siding...

...or it can even feature beams. The ceiling, both inside and out, in the image below shows a cathedral ceiling in what appears to be a classic Eichler home.

And here is a ceiling with wooden beams which lend a more rustic sense.

A cathedral ceiling can even sport trusses which are exposed cross beams that hold up the ceiling framing.

A hallmark of a cathedral ceiling is its symmetry. By contrast, a vaulted ceiling does not have to follow the roof line and can be contoured to many other shapes like the barrel vaulted ceiling I wrote about in my original ceiling post. The two sides do not have to be the same pitch or size.

As I previously mentioned, a vaulted ceiling can be barrel shaped...

...or it can be what is called "groin vaulted," a style seen in Romanesque churches. The unique shape is made by intersecting two barrel ceilings at right angles.

A vaulted ceiling can even take the shape of a dome.

Happy designing!

Rustic, Modern Master Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

Finding a home is not easy in a seller’s market in Northern California, but when my clients discovered one—even though it needed a bit of work—in a beautiful area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, they decided to jump in. Surrounded by old-growth redwood trees and a sense of old-time history, the house’s location informed the design brief for their desired remodel work. Yet I needed to balance this with my client’s preference for clean-lined, modern style.

Suffering from a previous remodel, the galley-like bathroom in the master suite was long and dank. My clients were willing to let me completely redesign the layout of the suite, so the bathroom became the walk-in closet. Then we borrowed space from the bedroom to create a new, larger master bathroom which now includes a separate tub and shower.

The look of the room nods to nature with organic elements like a pebbled shower floor and vertical accent tiles of honed green slate. A custom vanity of blue weathered wood and a ceiling that recalls the look of pressed tin evoke a time long ago when people settled this mountain region. At the same time, the hardware in the room looks to the future with sleek, modular shapes in a chic matte black finish. Harmonious, serene, with personality: just what my clients wanted.

All after photos by Bernardo Grijalva

Happy designing!

Get An Instant Vintage Look With Pressed Tin Ceilings

One of the most overlooked areas in a home is the ceiling plane. Since it's not in our immediate view, the ceiling takes a backseat to wall color, wall decor, and of course any furnishings and rugs we may put into a room. But turning that overlooked plane into a focal point can do wonders to liven up a space. There are many options for a ceiling finish including paint, wallpaper, plaster, and relief details. Depending on the material and how it is applied, it can enhance a space concept, making it more modern or rustic or fun...or even vintage!

And a material that says vintage like no other is pressed tin.

Introduced in the late 1800s, embossed tin plates imitated carved and molded plasterwork from the finest European and American homes but at a reduced cost since they were machine made. They were a popular feature in many commercial and residential buildings of the period because the Industrial Revolution and the proliferation of the railroad helped to disseminate this product all over the country.

Below are some photos of actual pressed tin ceilings during this period. First we see a view of the saloon at the Columbian Hotel in Trinidad, Colorada, sometime in the late 1800s.

And here are two views of private homes with pressed tin ceilings: a sitting room and a music room...

Of course pressed metal ceilings fell out of favor with the coming Arts and Crafts and Streamline Moderne (Deco) movements but they have made a resurgence in recent years in both commercial and residential applications. Thy can be ordered in a variety of metal colors and are paintable.

Restaurants like to use the material to reference a sense of a by-gone era. Below we can see a photo of a pressed tin ceiling in the Greenwich Village restaurant Tavern on Jane. The vintage-style milk glass schoolhouse pendants look wonderful against the tin.

And here is a fun view of a seating area in the restaurant and bar Kettner Exchange in San Diego featuring large-format copper colored tiles.

Pressed tin ceilings look particularly good in kitchens. They truly lend themselves to an old-time, antique sense of Americana. White cabinetry with beadboard panels, vintage light fixtures, and wood floors recall a time long gone.

Pressed metal ceilings can be used in any room. In fact, I am currently specifying the material in a rustic but luxurious master bathroom design for a client.

For applications in places like a master bathroom or even as a kitchen backsplash, PVC tiles that are engineered to look like pressed metal are a great option since they are easy to clean or wipe and won't rust.

There are also versions that can be used in dropped ceilings for commercial projects with T-bars already installed.

Happy designing!

The Beauty of Venetian Plaster

In Venice, Italy in the 1500s, builders began to use a very special material to finish the walls and ceilings of the dwellings in this magical city on the sea. They mixed plaster and colored tints with limestone and marble dust--and sometimes chips of marble--to create a finish that is quite dazzling. On my last trip to Venice, the finish was indeed everywhere, even in my Hotel Rialto, right next to the Ponte Rialto.

Mediterranean Living Room by Atlanta Paint & Wall Coverings ROMA | Eco-Sustainable Building Technologies

Venetian plaster is still done in this ancient method. In this time- and labor-intensive process, multiple layers of the plaster, infused with slaked limestone, are applied by hand. Once on, the layers are then burnished either to a satin or a very high gloss, glass-like texture and appearance. A more matte texture is also possible, but the hallmark of Venetian plaster is the gloss.

Eclectic Living Room by San Francisco Photographers XOJY

Once burnished, the plaster hardens and dries to stone...which makes sense since it is basically wet stone that is being troweled on to the surface. It is incredibly hard and durable. It can even stand up to water and is acceptable to use in bathrooms...and even in showers!

Walls look fantastic in Venetian plaster. Because of the multiple layers of plaster and limestone, the material has a startling and alluring depth. It can look like suede but the gloss brings out the depth even more.

Mediterranean Hall by Oakland Paint & Wall Coverings Level Five Design

But real luxury is a Venetian plastered ceiling. Below we see a bedroom with walls and ceiling in the same tone of Venetian plaster. Additionally, it appears that the walls are satin but the ceiling is high gloss.

Victorian Bedroom by Minneapolis Architects & Building Designers Murphy & Co. Design

Here are some more examples of Venetian plastered ceilings. The look is gorgeous--and is especially attractive on tray ceilings or barrel vaulted ceilings.

Traditional Kitchen by Sioux Falls Artists & Artisans Bella Faux Finishes

Contemporary Dining Room by New York Interior Designers & Decorators Andrew Flesher Interiors

Contemporary Staircase by New York Interior Designers & Decorators BNO design

And Venetian plaster can be very versatile in terms of style: it may have originated in Venice in the sixteenth century, but the look is very at home in a modern setting. The "stone" texture and sensibility bring a contemporary edge to any space.

Contemporary Family Room by San Francisco Architects & Building Designers Mark English Architects, AIA

Eclectic Kitchen by San Francisco Artists & Artisans Fitzgerald Studio

Happy designing!