Bon Appétit

The newly remodeled Escoffier Restaurant at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY

Muriel Norman of Down Under Faux (est. 2004) has made quite a name for herself in the decorative and faux finishing world since coming to the United States back in 2001. Born in England and raised in Australia, Muriel found she was always doing something artistic and started her decorative finishing career developing different paint and wood grain finishes for her own home.

Based in the Hudson Valley town of Red Hook, NY, Down Under Faux is the premier company because of Muriel’s excellent talent and work ethic. Past clients gush about Down Under Faux: Great results, personable, highly creative, conscientious, trustworthy, punctual, and no mess, ever! Her unique flair for producing one-of a-kind finishes is sought after by high-end residential customers along with commercial establishments. Her latest project was the newly remodeled Escoffier Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY. The Escoffier is the French restaurant at the CIA where students work both floor and kitchen positions as part of their studies. The interior was in desperate need of renovation seeing as it was nearly 25 years ago since the last makeover. How Muriel landed this project shows the importance of maintaining a good portfolio. The initial meeting with Rebecca Oetjen, Facilities Project Manager of the CIA, proved to be ideal. Rebecca produced the story board and samples for the drapes, carpet and furniture, and fortunately Muriel had all the finishes on hand. “It just happened that all the samples in my portfolio complimented the carpet!” she explains.

“Down Under Faux worked with us on a renovation of our oldest dining facility on campus, The Escoffier Restaurant. We were working with a very compressed schedule, and a limited budget, and despite all of that, the project was a huge success. Much of the credit goes to Muriel and her firm,” states Rebecca. Compressed schedule is right! The renovation took place while the students were on break. Over the course of three weeks, Muriel and her team transformed the outdated, tired, pink décor to a chic and attractive environment.

LusterStone® was used for most of the finishes. In the Library Room, Charred Gold LusterStone® was applied on the ceiling in a three-layer knockdown finish, including a tight skim over the entire surface. The color also was used over a Metallic Silver SetCoat® tissue finish, mimicking the look of bamboo by leaving silver tissue paper randomly exposed.

Previously off-white windows throughout the restaurant were painted with Camel SetCoat® and then striae finished using a Rich Brown and Antique Walnut Stain & Seal™ combination. The doors and existing cabinetry received the same application, and all were sealed with Varnish Plus™.

The main dining area, the River Room, was finished with Antique Parchment LusterStone® with RsGlaze® troweled over the entire surface. “It gives the entire finish an organic appearance,” describes Muriel.

In the Grill Room, Brown Suede LusterStone® accents were brushed over the ceiling panel inserts and bar to give a linen look. The brickwork arches and columns were painted with Chamois SetCoat® and then aged with a rouging treatment of water-diluted Brown Suede LusterStone®.

“It’s a huge change!” says Muriel. “It was an intense team effort which was extremely gratifying and received great responses from the management, students and the public, who now have somewhere fresh and contemporary instead of the drab pink and florals of decades gone by.” This project won Muriel and Down Under Faux the Hudson Valley Best of 2010 Award.

“I remember contacting Richie Conforti at Faux Effects® back in 2002, and soon after I was on a plane to Vero Beach to the Faux Effects® Studio for a class. I must admit, Richie has been a great source of encouragement to me as well as a friend,” says Muriel. She was chosen to be part of Faux Effects International’s 2007 Meeting of the Masters™–one of 60 artisans worldwide being able to demonstrate her talent at the event. She has experienced national and international success because of her unique flair for faux finishing and art forms. Muriel’s passion for creating exclusive, beautiful finishes is evidenced in the decorative art she creates for famous residential estates, such as the Wildenstein estate where she was commissioned for three years. Currently, she is off to do another commission in England for one of her tony Upstate New York clients. Muriel explains, “I never got into this business knowing where it could lead. All I wanted to do was to be able to earn the same money I had in the past and finally be able to do something that made me happy, excited to go to work, and allowed me to use my design abilities along the way.”

DECORATIVE ART BY: MURIEL NORMAN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA

WRITTEN BY: JOAN SECKINGER

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