Soft organic textures on the walls with Artisan Paints...and we love it.

Going white is often something we try to avoid in our home, mainly because we are  "paint and colour people" and as we work to inspire people to reach out for colour to create their bespoke spaces and experience the beauty of living life among Artisan colours, we reflect that idea when doing paint projects in our own home because we personally love living among colour ourselves. We love the feeling of how injecting Artisan colour into a space can completely transform and change the look, mood and style of room; elevate and shift it to the other end of the spectrum... but.... here it is... it's a first for us.... painting a room in white!

 

To be fair though this is not your typical white walls, it's going white with a tremendous amount of character and probably requires a bit of bravery from most.  Super subtle organic textures that are soft and restful, it's going white in a way that creates a warmth, (warmth with white how ironic I know) it holds  a beautiful organic earthy feel to it whilst being super light and bright, yes this can be done...

Textures on walls is not something you see often in NZ, it's not within our "comfort zone" but there has been a really strong movement among our customers in looking to create personal sanctuaries within the home and cultivating spaces that individually reflect them and their experiences through bespoke Artisanal finishes and we are so 100% here for that!! 

With all the chaos thats happening around the world, the summer that never came in NZ this year, rising cost of living, floods, weather alerts and as I write this, a cyclone risk on the horizon...creating a home that gives you joy, re-energises you, where you can rest, recharge, and escape to has never been more important and any of these moods can be so quickly and easily... I would even dare to stay instantly created through the use of Artisan colours and textures.

 

So if you haven't heard about Artisan Stone Effects then you need to click back out and find out all about it first (watch the full run down video by clicking here). An Artisan paint product that can turn pretty much anything into an Artisan Stone finish.  It's been so great and so so rewarding to see people create Artisan Stone Effects on anything from empty wine bottles as vases, on pillars and letter boxes, outdoor pots, walls, table tops, furniture to bench tops, it fills our hearts with so much joy when we see these awesome projects being created and those boundaries pushed in NZ .

Artisan Stone Effects comes in 4 crafted neutrals but any of these can be adjusted with either a colour wash (diluted Artisan paint)  of Velvet Luxe or Premium Chalk Paint over it, or can be painted out completely if you wish to in the Artisan colour & paint of choice. eg) after a dark blue stone effects finish? Choose a dark base like Crushed Graphite, create your stone texture and finish then paint over it in your chosen Artisan dark blue.  

WHAT WE DID WITH OUR WALLS: 

For our walls we chose Rustic Rye, an off white that was a bit  too dark for our space and wasn't right for the look we wanted to create, but the perfect depth for brushing an Artisan white over the top and allowing the Rustic Rye to shadow underneath. 

So with a combination of a flat 4 inch Staalmeester brush and 1 inch brush, (for cutting in) the Artisan Spreading tools, we applied Stone Effects directly onto the previously painted wall (no prep, other than a little dusting and wiping clean). Where you see smoother stone like patches, that has been created with the Artisan Spreading tool, where there is more of that rustic texture , that has been created with a brush.

 

A simple motion of brushing onto the walls then spreading part of it (not all) out with  the spreading tools and repeating this until you are done and happy with the textures.  The magic though really happens on the second coat. When doing a large surface don't worry too much about getting the texture perfect, have a little play with creating texture but get your coverage on  that is the aim on the first coat. The second coat is where you will create " purposeful" textures and over ride anything you don't like, areas where it's too rough spread it smooth with stone effects on the spreader, where it's too smooth brush a little more stone effects on in a cross hatched style or in a messy madd professor style to get your texture in that area.  On the second coat you are filling in any gaps you have missed and refining the textures. Whatever textures you create on this coat/layer is what you will see visually as an end result, so this is when you can have some fun swirling that brush and moving that spreading tool around to create your perfect balance of textures. 

If you are going into it a little nervous, there's no need to be, the paint is really simple to use... do it on an old piece of plywood or a flat surface first so you get the idea,  after a little play on a board you'll know exactly which textures you like and how you will move your brush and or spreading tool with stone effects around on your wall. Doing a sample board will allow you to go into it with full confidence, know what to expect between the first and second coat, which textures you like and how you will move that Artisan Stone Effects around. 

Once dry and we had our balance of textures. We diluted Wild Tusk Premium Chalk Paint by about 15% and painted this right over the entire wall. We chose Premium Chalk Paint over Velvet Luxe in this instance because we love the raw "chalky" look it creates on walls, it adds to that organic look and feel, reminiscent of clay or lime washed walls. Wild Tusk Premium Chalk Paint was brushed on with our Staalmeester 3 inch brush in all directions, going in and along with all the texture, there's not too much thinking involved with this step, the textures all been created so all your looking to do is change the colour a bit. In some areas we brushed it out thin allowing the Rustic rye to shadow through, other areas thicker to completely cover and thats pretty much it, done. 

Creating soft organic textured walls have never been easier and it relies on you being a bit imperfect in your approach. Stone Effects will achieve that authentic stone texture, it will look and feel like stone and you can adjust it in your perfect Artisan neutral or colour either by painting over it in Premium Chalk Paint for a true chalky matte look, in Velvet Luxe for a more refined matte look that's wipeable or if you have Matte Estate Wall Paint on hand then you can adjust it in that also.

Our walls were in good condition before, but if you have an imperfect walls in your home, this could be a really great solution as it will over ride any existing imperfections...

Wild Tusk is a beautiful warm off white, it adjusts beautifully to lighting with its hidden complex undertones.  Cozy and warm at night, light bright yet restful during the day. Wild Tusk pairs and balances well with warm wood tones, organic textiles, earthy tones, natural materials and lush greenery really pops against it.   

This wall runs in the same line of sight as a wall painted in Bruised Petal (dusky pink)  and a dry bar painted in Starling (green-black), so injecting this  textured white onto these walls has completely transformed the space, it's complimented and lifted the other colours in that same line of sight, added the character with   elegance into the space. It has really set the tone for the entire space and we absolutely love it. Complex looking finishes on walls made easy!!....it's a textured wall but done in the most soft, subtle way even thought it's a white it holds a warm organic look it, that's  fresh, uplifting and instantly calms when you walk into the space.... I've taken a few photos at different times of the day to give you a better sense of Stone Effects with Wild Tusk and how it adjusts throughout the day so do scroll back up and down to see the subtle nuances in the photos. I always feel it's so hard to describe and my words never do it justice when trying to describe that feeling of having Artisan paints, colours/ textures on the walls. I hope this entry has inspired you to start thinking about how to cultivate and create your bespoke sanctuary at home through Artisan colours or textures you love. Maybe it might  just edge you a little bit closer to doing something a little different in your home. 

- Dorophya 

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Shopping List with Links: 

Stone Effects 4L 
Wild Tusk Premium Chalk Paint 1L 
Stone Effects Spreading Tools 
Staalmeester 3, 4 and 1 inch flat brush 


or bookmark this page and pop in to see a local Premium Artisan Retailer who will be able to put your paints and products together for you along with some guidance.