Things are Looking Up.........

What do you see when you look at your ceiling? It has been called the "fifth wall" and rightly so. The ceiling is many times overlooked in setting a mood for a room. I make a living interpreting people's dreams and giving them environments that nurture them after a hard day at work. This post is a series of ceilings I have painted for client's home environments.

The above is one of the most challenging requests I have had to interpret. This ceiling is a story told through twelve panels depicting travels made by my clients. It tells a story of european travels through France and Italy.

This master bedroom ceiling brings a smile to the client each night as they unwind from the day...it is based on designs in the fabric used for the room and is painted on a plaster ceiling.

(Thank you Beth for featuring me today on your blog-Chinoiserie Chic)

Detail of the chinoiserie motif.

This red study demanded an embossed and gilded ceiling to accent a wall of framed art. It really plays well off the light fixture original to the home.

Faux crocodile was the request for this coffered ceiling. The homeowners raise exotic animals and have a lodge feel to their environment.

This dome was given a nod to early Christian symbolism. The "stitching" on the groin lines is done in a "fish bone" design or "Ichthus". This symbol of Christ would be typically applied to the highest point of the profile of a building such as a bell tower or dome.

I had pure delight on this restoration job. These walls and ceiling were obscured with paint for over sixty years. I used Farrow and Ball organic paint and plaster to restore the stencil work originally done at the turn of the century.

Two wishes were incorporated into this living room ceiling. The subtle clouds were based on a hotel lobby they had stayed in and the corner motifs were based on carvings in the gilded french mantel.

This ceiling done with sepia clouds finished the illusion of an Italian villa.

Think about it...when you lay in bed at night, what is above you as you drift off to sleep? Is it a neglected fifth wall ? Even if a solid color is the answer for your room, consider a shiny venetian plaster or a simple flat lime wash.. Don't overlook this important "wall" when you are feathering your nest and making your home your personal environment!