another project for rodgers menzies’ lovely client…a long-time member of a carnival memphis crewe, and (to me, at least) local royalty, it totally fits that a crown is her favorite motif. after a remodeling of her bathroom, she requested a wall treatment that included soft stripes and gold crowns.
for the right stencil, mrs. jones went straight to helen morris. who else but she, reigning stencil-designing queen of the united kingdom and beyond, could create a better diadem?
rodgers asked for glazed stripes on a ground of benjamin moore’s powell buff (# hc.35.) here is part of the room, before:
when our first stripe choice, standish white (# hc.32.), wasn’t quite light enough, i added a little glacier white, # oc.37. after taping off six-inch stripes using my trusty laser-level and 3m’s delicate-surface tape, i used a chip brush to apply the white glaze strie-style. (a process note: to make things feel nice and symmetrical on areas like the ones here around the bathtub and the water closet, start with a stripe in the center and then work out in either direction.)(and yes, you too might have to put little bits of “reminder” tape into stripes that are not to be glazed. then again, you may be younger and more clever than mrs. jones.)
rodgers and i gridded out the spots for the crowns with little re-used bits of tape.
they went on first with modern masters olympic gold. after the paint dried, i re-stenciled each crown with water-based size, and then brushed on gold leaf. (each sheet of leaf covered 3 crowns.) a gentle burnishing to remove the excess, and they were done.
this elegant old home has some of the most fabulous fixtures…i adore that our lovely client refused to change them out. gold dolphins, baby mermaids, beautiful marble, crystal towel bars and more are all at home here. behold:
(did i mention she likes crowns?)
The Devoted Classicisf says
Truly lovely. This is a great example of subtle sophistication.
BoxwoodTerrace says
Love this! Such a nice change from the all-white and marble bathrooms we’re seeing so often.