The Art of Faux Finishes

Today we are thrilled to have Emily Smith of Faux Friendly on as our guest blogger. Emily is a long time friend and colleague in the industry being a talented Faux Finisher. We collaborate with Emily on many of our projects, and the outcome is breathtaking. We hope you enjoy hearing from her and seeing many of our projects we have worked on together. Thank you Emily for sharing your gift with us!

One of my earliest memories of wanting to attack one of my walls is around 9 years old. I wanted my older sister Kathy (whom I thought was one of the best artist around) to help me paint a field of waving wheat behind my bed. She thought I was crazy. Flash forward some years and her I am, people are paying me to paint that accent wall! Yippee!

Just like the design industry, the faux finish industry is ever-changing, boy we have come a long way! Gone are the days of sponge painting and glazing! Our finishes are quite complex and can have 8-10 or more layers! Foils, mica, glass beads... Staying on top of trends and being able to know what is coming in is priceless. One way I keep competitive is I travel around the country every year taking different art classes with top artisans in the industry. This has helped keep me not only up to date but in front of the curve as well! I am part of IDAL (International Decorators Artisan League), an organization that teaches artisans new skills, supports creativity and does philanthropic work. I have served as Vice President for 2 years in our local chapter. I joined this organization 14 years ago, and it has been indispensable to my growth as an artist.

Beach House Game Room Ceiling

I started working with The Interior Collection 10 years ago and found Whitnie, Jodi and the

staff to be wonderful! The ease at which we work together is great, and I jumped in and never looked back! The projects I have worked on have been exciting. I am the last work force (art) that goes in before Whitnie and her team go in do to their magic, and magic it is! Wow, what an outcome!