Image by Ken - via Flickr

We just love it when readers write in and share their projects...and include pictures.  Sometimes it’s just the thing to inspire us to get that project going we’ve been thinking about doing.  I know Debra and I are often inspired to make changes around our houses by seeing pictures of someone else’s projects.  Either through readers writing in or by skimming through a magazine.

So…when Freda wrote in a couple of months ago about a project she and her husband were doing I was SO excited to see the “final” pictures. And the great thing about it is you can do this, too!

Here’s the first email we got:

With that email came these pictures:

Aren’t the faux blocks they painted around the windows GREAT!? Notice how they didn’t use just one shade of brown,  either!  That’d leave their faux blocks flat looking and that’s not what you want in painting a faux block or trompe l’oeil.  You want to “fool the eye” to make it think you actually have block on the walls that you can touch and feel the depth.

To create depth Freda & Roger didn’t use just one shade of brown but shades of green and some gray in there, too.  Variations of browns are a must, and maybe even some red iron oxide.  It makes the blocks/stones look REAL.

The shadow they added to the left side is perfect!!  Gives it great depth and is placed away from the window where the light would be coming in.  That gray patch to the left is where they were planning on putting kitchen cupboards.  Table will be in front of the windows.

But check out these details…Can you see the outlets?  One is under the window towards the center and the other is in the shadow of the blocks on the left.

Freda and Roger did a great job of making them “disappear” in to the walls.  How dreadful would it look to have a glaring WHITE outlet staring back at you from the blocks under the window?  Or from the shadow of the blocks on the left?  By painting them to blend in you don’t see them.  They become part of the faux painting.  People often forget this simple/small step and can’t figure out what is “wrong” with their final project when they step back and look at it.

We thought they’d done a FABULOUS job with their faux blocks around their windows and the wallpaper border at the top, too.  LOVE the bold color on the walls.  Asked for them to send us pictures when they finished and got this recently:

<—Wow – wow – wow!  The finished room is looking GREAT! You can see the variation in colors in the blocks here even better.  Notice no glaring outlet’s show?  Great job making them disappear in to the walls and faux blocks.

And with the cabinets in on the left and the flooring finished the wall color is terrific, isn’t it?  Rich and warm and comfortable.

Next they added in and wonderful light fixture that fits the space and compliments the decor.  Not tooooo big and obtrusive but just right and appropriate for the space.  Their table and chairs are the right size for their space, too.  —>

Wow…The depth in the blocks and the richness of the walls just pop now even more with all the pieces falling in to place.

You can do this, too, ya know.  Debra shows you step-by-step how to create a faux brick look in her video which you can easily modify to create “blocks” or stone instead of bricks.  It’s just adjusting the size of the “brick” or stone or block.  Instead of making it oblong and red you’d make it more square or “bigger” and change the color scheme to tans and browns with some greens and/or grays in it.

OR…maybe you want gray stone/block.  Same thing…just change the size of the “bricks” and use a different color scheme.  Grays with some white, some blues, some charcoals.  You can create flecks of color in your stones/blocks by using a spatter tool or a toothbrush and spattering your stones.

Here’s another look at Roger & Freda’s kitchen:

See how they continued the color of the walls INSIDE the cupboards?  It gives the space a continuity and makes the dishes POP!  Limits the amount of wood “tone” as well.  With the “see through” fronts it helps give the space added depth.  I just love it.

If you’d like to create some accent touches to your kitchen…or dining room…or den…you can do that – easily – by adding faux blocks around the windows (or door ways).  And the best way to do that is to follow the directions Debra gives you in her faux brick video.

To create faux blocks the steps are simple:

1.  Sketch out the area you plan to paint.  We use watercolor pencils so the marks don’t show later.

2.  Paint the “grout” color you want on the wall in the area you sketched out.

3.  Once the “grout” dries tape off your “grout” lines.  This now sets the size of your blocks.

4.  Paint in your block color.  Use a sea sponge and tape on color variations like stones or blocks would have.  Also…don’t forget to add “flecks” of color using a spatter tool or a toothbrush.

5.  Time to take off the tape!  And look at that … instant grout.  but it looks FLAT!  So…

6.  Add shadows and highlights to give it depth.  Both to the grout and to the blocks/stones.

7.  Add shadows to the walls next to the blocks/stones because remember they’d be “thick” so they’d cast a shadow.  Look for where you light is coming in to the room and use that to help you put the shadows in the right space.  If you can’t imagine it…but your hand up in a fist on the block and see where the shadow from your hand falls.  THAT’s where you want to put the shadows of your blocks.

And DONE!

For the best directions you might want to pick up Debra’s video on how to paint faux brick.  Watch it and adjust it to stone or block but changing the sizes and the color choices.  It’s that simple. 

You can get Debra’s video but clicking on the picture here —> 

Or you can copy and paste this link in to your web browser:  http://www.fauxfinishhowto.com/Exposed_Brick.html

Time to get out there and splash some paint around!

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You CAN learn how to faux wood grain in just a few simple steps!

Grab your copy of my Beginner’s Guide to Faux Wood Graining and I will walk you through the step by step process.   I will help you create faux wood doors that look like they are right out of a designer magazine.  I will also answer your most challenging questions and give you a few insider tips on the best materials to use in order to get professional results.

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