Walls that Glitter
by Sam Moser

   Whether you choose to hang paper or hire artists to create masterpieces, there is no shortage of wall coverings and treatments available to transform even the most ho-hum surface into a sophisticated backdrop.
   Not too very long ago, designers steered homeowners away from wallpaper. Many of the papers were repetitious and cutesy, and didn’t hold up well in a humid environment. Nobody missed paper because faux was, and is, fabulous.
   The interior design world has always known where to find beautiful papers, but the product lost its allure for a time. Instead, artists descending on upscale residences for months on end to painstakingly create room after room of unique faux surfaces captured our attention.
   Gradually, wallpaper is re-establishing a strong hold. Because many of the newer papered surfaces emulate faux finishes and age-old painted surfaces, its reappearance on the scene has been somewhat subtle. But there is no mistaking the trend: Manufacturers that cater to the interior design trade are coming up with gorgeous papers featuring fabrics, beads, glass and an endless parade of organic materials glued to paper. Artists are making custom papers.
   “Wallpaper will give you instant gratification,” says Jonathan Kendall Slentz, owner of The Wallpaper Store in Sarasota. “When you do a faux finish the way it should be done, with layers and layers of paint and glaze, it just goes on and on and on. With paper, within a few hours it’s done and you are looking at a finished room.”
   Kendall Slentz loves wallpaper. An interior designer who holds the A.S.I.D. designation, he decided to open a wallpaper store when his own garage became stacked to the ceiling with wallpaper books. Even today, his large showroom is filled with books, including some that go back 20 years and carry classics that are still stocked by manufacturers. Many of his wallpaper books are filled with to-die-for samples usually found only at interior design firms.
   “With some of the hot colors - such as icy blue or boysenberry or an orangey-red that’s sharper than apricot - many of the upper-end companies will custom color,” he says. “They’ll do a strike off, which is a sample, and send that back to us for approval. So if someone likes a particular pattern, but the color’s not quite right, many times there are things we can do.” Grass cloth, a wallpaper that’s been around for eons, remembered primarily as a staple in doctors’ offices, accounting firms and restaurants, features a fresh face. No longer flat against the wall, grasses and reeds are available in a textural medley of patterns.
   “Grass cloth textures are making a huge resurgence,” says Kendall Slentz. “We’re also seeing actual bamboo applications on the wall. This is a natural fit for Florida and our desire for outdoor living a good part of the year. The focus is on all things organic.”
   Two manufacturers at the forefront of the push for stylish paper are Maya Romanoff Corporation and Innovations, a company that’s known for environmentally friendly paper.
   Many of the stylish papers come in 54-inch rolls, unlike the familiar 24-inch rolls. Seams are less apparent with a wider paper and many designers are using commercially rated papers, which are more durable and more likely to be sold in the wider width. Many of the truly unique papers are not sold at home shopping centers:They are pricey - comparable in cost to a faux finish - and their delicate nature requires careful installation.
   “I would not trust most of these papers to just any paper hanger,” Kendall Slentz advises. “The secret to hanging wallpaper is properly preparing the walls. We have our own installers, and they work through our store, which means that we can not only guarantee the paper, but we can guarantee the quality of the hanging.”
   One of the reasons that wallpaper received bad press in Southwest Florida was that it had a tendency to peel, bubble and foster a healthy environment for mold. Today’s preparation and adhesive materials are stronger and many are marketed as being less punishing to those with allergies than products of yesteryear.
   Materials available to be applied with a paper or mat backing run the gamut from leather, to cork, burlap, linens, paper weaves, pressed metal and gold leaf. Chemically treated metals on paper create color as well as the look of age. Copper’s patina, for instance, takes on a bluish green tinge that comes alive with gold accents. Dazzling metallic papers are unlike the shiny, brassy foils of the past. The new metallic papers are warm and sophisticated. Metalics paired with pretty pastels are available in intricate hand-screened designs.
   “Wallpaper is never mundane,” he says. “We deal in high-end wallpapers: These papers are incredible.”
   Around the world, faux finishes and specialized treatments have enlivened the walls of fine estates for centuries. In this country, the techniques of the ages have been extremely popular for over a decade. House painters and homeowners alike have taken up brushes and sponges. For some time, the craze for all things faux has bordered on decorative overload.
   “For a while now, faux has gotten a bad name,” says Arlene Pettus, co-owner of Architectural Painting & Renovation (APR). While designers talk about bad faux and will freely admit they avoid it, true artists are in demand. Pettus studied at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston and the Ringling School of Art & Design. After school, she worked on several large restoration projects in Boston. Somewhere along the way, she finetuned a lifelong knack for dabbling in the details and is now creating masterpieces.
   Pettus and her husband Jon employ several graduates from Ringling School of Art & Design, and projects can be quite extensive. In one, a French chateau design, painters have been onsite and on scaffolds for two years, starting in the entryway and moving to the living room and on, blending rich gold, red and green tones, designing paneling, and adding ornamentation and paintings as they go.
   “We’ll build on a concept throughout the home, incorporating the walls, molding and ceilings,” she says. “Some of the rooms have murals, but others will just have finishes. The process of taking layers of color and mixing different glazes can soften walls and make a room much more interesting.”
   To create everyday excitement in a larger custom home, Venetian plaster adds texture and a look of age. A surface finely polished with layers of wax reflects light, and the correct lighting added to the mix almost guarantees drama.“Venetian plaster is labor intensive,” Pettus explains,“but building a surface up, adding dimension and color, creates character.”
   Murals can play an important role in the design of a more formal room. The origins of wall paintings, arising from the desire to set a stage, to record an event or leave a mark, extend as far back as mankind. Realistic trompe l'oeil images are clever diversions. Often, murals employ trompe l’oeil technique to invite viewers into a scene.
   At APR, murals and Tromp l’oeil images are often worked into Venetian plaster surfaces.
   “These paintings can be just so much more elegant when they are worked directly into the wall as opposed to being laid right onto it,” Pettus explains. “It’s very much like a fresco, and adds life to any home design.”
   Surfaces that emulate hammered copper or bronze imbue a room with the aura of refinement. While the trend is to create the patina of age, these finishes complement color schemes and are effective in many settings, contemporary as well as traditional.
   “One of our employees creates computer illustrations, which she uses for intricate water color illustra-tions,” she says. “We have used them in children’s bedrooms. These rooms are so sophisticated that you wouldn’t even think of them as children’s rooms.”
   Ornaments applied to walls are classic touches. APR artisans create raised ornamentation from rabbit skin glue and clay and a steam installation process that guarantees permanent adherence. “This is a decorative treatment found in older European estates, castles and museums,” she says. “As you can see, we do a little bit of everything.”
   After seeing the effect of all of these techniques used as a series of thoughtful vignettes throughout a home, flat and semi-gloss latex will never look the same.Because many of their clients are traveling while the paintings and finishes are created, APR’s website, www.aprinc.com, features private viewing rooms for watching a project’s progress week by week.
   “We take digital photos regularly and update the website,” she says. “When clients are out of town they always want to know how things are coming along.”