Palatial Proportions
Teri Althouse of Avani Studios - Ponce Inlet, FL and Oro Studios - Denver, CO has been a successful decorative finisher and contractor since 1991 and is one of Faux Effects’® original students. Interior designers and clients wanting quality and professional results for their homes and businesses look to Teri for her vast knowledge of finishes and Faux Effects® products. One of her most visible projects is the largest Harley Davidson dealership in Daytona Beach, FL. Her wisdom, skill and professionalism were just what one discerning client desired.
During early 2009, Teri was contracted by the Phillips to apply decorative and faux finishes to almost every inch of their 9,000 square foot Mediterranean inspired residence in Ormond Beach, FL, recently rated as one of the top 100 places to relocate in the United States. This spacious dwelling has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and a basement—an extreme rarity in Florida (fondly referred to as the “man cave” by the owner). With Teri’s hard working crew of six, the project was completed in a smooth manner in 18 weeks to the delight of the very pleased clients. At one point in the project, ten artists and their assistants were working on various areas of the home.
Faux Effects® paints, plasters, glazes and colorants were used for all of the decorative finishes on this grand home. AquaGlaze®, SetCoat®, StucoLux™, PlasterTex®, Venetian Gem®, SandStone™, O’Villa® Finishing Plaster, and of course FauxCreme® Clear and FauxCreme Color™, are just some of the productsTeri chose because of their ease of use and the subtle-to-dramatic effects they can help create. Twenty-three different finishes in 35 spaces, including the exterior, were applied resulting in a warm and inviting atmosphere.
To give the entire exterior of the home even more of a Southern European feel, Teri used a three-color AquaGlaze® mixture. High and low color points of the glaze treatment produce a luxurious look that one-color paint applications cannot provide. And, the durability of AquaGlaze® and exterior-rated acrylic latex paint provides protection for years to come.
The grandeur of the foyer entry and formal areas of the home warranted a finish that would match its splendor. Easy choice—StucoLux™ was used to create this high polished, classic Venetian plaster finish. An elegant, yet warm custom StucoLux™ color of Toasted Cognac, Goldenrod and Vanilla Bean was applied to entry walls, stairwells, the parlor and upper level hallway walls, blending one area seamlessly into another.
In the less formal areas of the home, PlasterTex® helped create an interesting texture for a more rustic look. So that the home would have a continuous flow, the custom StucoLux™ color used on the formal areas of the home was troweled in several thin layers over the dry, rough surface, dabbing out any excess plaster from the pitted areas. It was then finished with StucoLux™ Seal for more durability and shine. This effect highlights hallway areas, along with the popular family room.
A distressed textured was needed for the wine closet and upstairs laundry area to produce a more aged and antiqued, chunky textured finish. A combination of SandStone™ and PlasterTex™ was applied over exposed bricks in several layers leaving some brick revealed, then toned with a glaze of FauxCreme® Clear and FauxCreme Color™ to age and stain the finish. The racks in wine closet posed the opportunity for more of Teri’s creative imaging. The containers holding wine bottles were old wine barrels cut in half, and the frames that would hold them needed to match this natural, antiqued finish. New frames were made on site, and the wood was distressed using American Walnut Stain & Seal™ to match the naturally-aged barrels.
The butler’s pantry and arched doorways into the kitchen and food pantry were finished with a PlasterTex® and Venetian Gem® mixture to get a dimensional look for the exposed bricks. Using various shades of FauxCreme Color™, the bricks were painted and aged to match other brickwork in the home.
A focal point of the living area is the stone fireplace. The barren adjoining walls, molding, and built-ins needed to imitate this fine element of the room. Using FauxCreme® glaze mixtures, these once non-descript areas now look like stone cut from the same quarry as the fireplace.
Throughout this expansive home, there are many accented ceilings. The domed ceiling in the wet bar area, kitchen ceiling panels, and the bands on the three vestibule ceilings were treated with a Designer FoilFX™ Copper foil finish, repeating each step three times for a liquid metal look. Ceilings in the dining room and parlor were transformed into molten lava using Copper StucoLux™ and StucoLux™ Seal tinted with several tones of red and brown FauxCreme Color™. With each pass, more of the base was covered and some of the previous layers blended the colors to fill in areas of texture from the existing layers. To bring more drama to the ceiling, a custom piece of decorative wrought iron was installed giving the area even more depth. Common area ceilings and areas around the decorative tray ceiling were based with Chamois SetCoat® and then toned with a glaze mixture of FxThinner™ and Rich Brown Stain & Seal™.
The ceiling of the theater room received a dark metallic glaze over a Black SetCoat® base with Metallic Copper, Bronze and Gold FauxCreme Color™ and FauxCreme® Clear for a dramatic effect.
A reptile skin look was produced on the game room and theater room walls using O’Villa® Finishing Plaster. The product was troweled through pulled cheesecloth, which was then removed before the finish dried. Over two coats of Chamois SetCoat®, the walls were then glazed three times with Dark Brown and Rich Brown Stain & Seal™ glazes.
Teri developed a “LusterGem” effect especially for the master bedroom. Over a tissue paper finish, Tiger Eye Venetian Gem® was backfilled and allowed to dry. For a metallic punch, a tight coat of Brown Suede LusterStone® was then applied for shimmer. Finally, a Dark Brown FauxCreme Color™ color wash toned the distinctive finish for an elegant outcome.
The walls in a guest room and bath received a unique torn paper effect resulting in a finished resembling aged parchment. Using brown kraft paper, the finish was started offsite, then brought onsite for installation. Torn 2' x 2' sections of paper were placed in water and wrung out to break the fibers down and create a wrinkled look. After drying,Medallion Gold LusterStone® was troweled on very thinly and then toned with Rich Brown Stain & Seal™.
A stone wash look was achieved for the pool bath using QuartzStone™ and PlasterTex™. Each texture was tightly troweled vertically and smoothed to give a cut stone appearance. The effect was then aged and finished with a FauxCreme® colorwash.
During her ongoing career, Teri has received numerous awards and accolades, including an honorable mention as a “Who’s Who” in the painting industry in 2008. She was an invited artisan at the Meeting of the Masters and various IDAL conferences.
Teri also is co-owner with David McKendry of Oro Studios, a Faux Effects® licensed Gold and Silver Line distributor and training facility in Denver, CO, established in 2007.
DECORATIVE ART BY: TERI ALTHOUSE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: TERI ALTHOUSE AND TONY GLESE
WRITTEN BY: JOAN SECKINGER
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