THE LIFE OF THE PARTY

A transformation for the ages best describes our most recent project at Larkfield Manor in the scenic village of East Northport, Long Island. What began with a simple telephone call from the innovative architectural company of Hoffman & Grayson ended with a successful opening of one of Long Island’s sought after catering venues— perfect for any occasion or special event. Painted Pieces Art & Design Studio collaborated with designer Deborah Nieminski to create a rustic Tuscan Villa with mahogany wood molding, terracotta floors, slate roofing and textured walls all complemented by hand painted ceilings.

The scope of this impressive, long-term endeavor had to be planned carefully, as thoughts of embellished damask stencils on each coffered ceiling, plaster techniques on the walls and metallic finishes on beautiful hand-carved tables danced around. We were most excited to hear about the creative designs they had for the hall, and even more so when Deborah showed us her design inspiration for the lobby entrance she saw in a magazine article. The image was of a gorgeous tone-on tone stencil with rich glazes that aged and accented the curves of the design. All of that was the starting point that we furthered developed through sample boards and continuous research. We wanted to challenge ourselves and push our creativity to a new level while translating the design ideas into a finish that would bring the entire space together.

The coffered ceilings were 20 feet overhead; the lobby’s were two-stories tall with a groin ceiling towering above, and the Grand Ballroom held barrel ceilings measuring 16 feet by 13 feet each. Not one of these tasks allowed the use of everyday ladders. Work was to be completed on tiers of scaffolding and scissor-lifts while millworkers, electricians, members of the administrative board and various other contractors were constantly passing through the workspace.

Reflecting back, one of the best aspects of working on the Larkfield Manor Project was that it provided us the opportunity to build a stronger relationship with Modello Designs of Chula Vista, California, best known for their creative custom decorative masking patterns for ornamental finishes and, of course, allowing us to connect with other decorative artists from all around New York. All of the artists worked in harmony, laughed a lot and established great friendships and memories.

When we first started working on site, we began in the Grand Ballroom, where we carefully laid down (or up, being the surface was above our heads) the Modello Tiles in each of the four sections so that they would be mirror reflection of each respective side. The faded scrollwork stencil was executed on a neutral base and then tinted Faux Effects’® LusterStone® was troweled through for full coverage. The embossed stencil on the ceiling shimmered after accents of gold foil were added for that little extra detail that is highlighted with the light from the chandelier. The lobby walls and many other areas featured PlasterTex®, SandStone™ and SofTex™ combinations with a rich, rustic-finish applied on top. Various tones were brushed onto every section using a four-inch chip brush with glazes of Dark Brown, Van Dyke Brown and Italian Sienna FauxCreme Color™ and Mahogany and Brown FauxColor™ carefully mixed with FauxCreme® Clear and SoSlow™.

No surface was overlooked as we entered the final room. Sixteen barrel ceilings seemed daunting, as an allover Moroccan Trellis pattern scaled to fit the oversized domes was designed to cover every inch. Centering the initial panel was even more tedious with the precision of the design needing to be perfectly squared for the damask pattern to be identical throughout the room. Once the patterns were adhered, we troweled on LusterStone® to create an elegant tone-on-tone pattern. When that dried, carefully removing the masking template revealed the beauty and grandeur of the completed finish. One by one the barrels were completed and a sense of gratification and completeness was felt by all.

Finishing touches in the Grand Lobby was the finale for us. We had already successfully pieced together an oversized Modello and skip troweled LusterStone® through it when, upon its completion, an executive decision was made to antique the entire ceiling dictating we would have to add various tones of FauxCrème glazes. The scaffolding had already been dismantled, and the massive ground ceiling was awaiting us. This poised such a feat that extra-tall scissor lifts were required to get us close enough in height—almost 35 feet off the ground. The antique glaze was added inch by inch to tone the background field to a deeper, richer glow, which greatly added to the elegant effect and striking impact of the ceiling in such a grand space.

Working with everyone involved in the project was so awe-inspiring and showcased each one’s talents. Principal artists Pip Muscarello, Heather Bruno-Sears, Marianne Ward, Kevin Clark and Marianne Duquette-Cuozzo, alongside others who assisted, enjoyed every second of this experience. It was a long project spanning three months of hard work, but together we worked diligently to achieve the “Wow!” factor Larkfield Manor was looking for in the venue. It also was in 2013 that Painted Pieces began a formal relationship with Faux Effects International, Inc. becoming the only authorized product distributor and workshop training studio in the Tri-State area. For the past 35 years, we have taken the dreams of homeowners, business owners and interior designers and provided a faux finish that is stunning and sure to inspire.

DECORATIVE ART BY: PAINTED PIECES ART & DESIGN STUDIO

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY: SALLY BARISH

WRITTEN BY: SALLY BARISH

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