Recently we were fortunate to receive a call from some potential customers looking to spice up two distinctive spaces in their home. Their home has a gorgeous entry way with a domed ceiling, from which hangs a sizable light fixture. Also in view was a yet unfinished wall niche.
After meeting with Carl for an initial estimate it was decided that the homeowners would really like some specific design elements added. Carl told them about Modello Designs. You can see their site here: http://modellodesigns.com/
Modello Designs is owned by Melanie Royals. She started her career in the 1980's when county geese with blue ribbons around their necks was oh so chic. We've come a long way in the design world, and Modello offers some extremely cool options for those of us that don't enjoy fowl with bows. They have traditional use stencils, but are more well known for MASKING STENCILS.
So what is a masking stencil? It is a SINGLE use stencil custom made (if need be) from an adhesive backed material. You can transform a wall, ceiling, floor, furniture o other surface by applying the stencil, painting or plastering over it and removing to reveal the background color / product. (On Melanie's blog there is a featured artist that even applies to toilets!... let no surface go neglected!) Sounds easy enough, right? Well, in theory is it. But it is a very technical application. It requires serious math, a steady hand and some patience. And all of this in addition to careful painting and plaster skills are needed to have a successful installation of a Modello stencil.
Once the homeowners selected the stencils from the design library, Luxe Walls took some careful measurements to be sure that the stencils were made to perfectly fit their home.
For this installation, Carl was up three stories on some scaffolding working overhead. His wife, not yet ready to be a widow, cautioned him not to die. :)
after the first layers of Lusterstone troweled on.
Next, the Modello Masking Stencil color toweled on.
An additional toning coat of Lusterstone applied over the entire dome.
Final tone of gold mica powder and this dome is complete. A stunning addition to a beautiful home!
Base coat of Lusterstone applied to wall niche
Modello Masking Stencil applied.
After a secondary color of Lusterstone was troweled on, the masking stencil was removed.
A toning coat was applied to lessen the contrast of the stencil.
The finished niche! We love it!
detail of the niche, shows the mica powder
We really enjoyed this project! Luxe Walls is always happy to take on a bit of a challenge and not that we don't love working safely on the ground, or painting a nice single color, but we have to say it is these projects that keeps us inspired. So if you have a challenge for us, we're ready! The styles of Modellos are varied, one for every design esthetic!