I’ve been putting up some detail shots of the featured wall mural in this vintage children’s room I painted in 2008 over on the mural gallery page, so I thought I should talk some the relationship between the faux wall finishes in this room and more about my own ideas about faux painting, trompe l’oeil and a few other choice decorative painting words.
The ceiling and wall finishes in this room are faux finishes insofar as they purport to be “fabric” and “three-dimensional” and “antique” all in the same breath.
At the same time, the painted illusion of three dimensions to the circus tent is a classic example of trompe l’oeil painting, and takes responsibilities beyond the range of most faux finishes (incorporating the doors or adding the monkey, for example).
If you haven’t read this anywhere else: This room was designed around the idea of a complete room faux finish that felt like a circus tent.
Extended to the circus wagon themed bookshelf/desk combination I’ve written about before, the faux finishes in this playroom room were designed to be fun and yet aged and subdued a little bit to reflect the style and stature of the little boy’s grandparents’ historic home in San Diego.
