Arts and Crafts Dining Room Frieze

polychrome frieze and  gilt eucalyptus leaves

A San Francisco dining room designed in the Arts and Crafts style by Debey Zito Fine Furniture and Design,  became a wonderful opportunity for collaboration between several members of my local artisans guild, Artistic License.  This very special group is comprised of local artisans who specialize in period design.  Debey directed a team of local talent to create this room.

detail in cast plaster

A frieze panel of California poppies was hand-carved by Debey's partner, Terry Schmitt. To carve the frieze for the entire room was cost-prohibitive, so ornamental plasterer Lorna Kollmeyer cast them in plaster.
The casting is incredibly sensitive and you can see every pore from the original piece wood as well as every mark in the lovely carving.

I painted the new plaster frieze with a faux bois finish, to match the furniture-quality paneling that Debey and Terry installed the room, and polychromed the poppies with mica powders and pigment.

Terry also sculpted the plaster Eucalyptus leaves which I then gilt with 23k gold leaf. 

plaster painted with faux bois finish

Beautiful Arts and Crafts dining room by Debey Zito Fine Furniture and Design

The room is capped by custom  dragonfly ceiling paper, hand-made in San Francisco by David Bonk.


You can read more about this artisan collaboration which has just been published in the Spring 2011 issue of Arts and Crafts Homes magazine.

Lynne Rutter Studio

Islamic Inlaid Ornament

Turkish Gamesboard, center ornament

During an all too brief visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, I was completely rapt by some wood and ivory inlaid pieces.  

Backgammon board detail

A 16th century Ottoman gamesboard, spectacularly decorated with inlaid patterns in ebony, ivory, micromosaic and silver.

I love how the side elements have the look of an architectural arcade.
 click on images to view details

Anglo-Indian fall-front cabinet, side view

Indian Fall-Front Cabinet, circa 1650-1670, rosewood inlaid with ivory.  

detail of inlaid ivory ornament

Details in the ornament are created by incising lines in the ivory, then rubbing black lacquer into the grooves. 

You can learn more about these two pieces (with more pictures) at the LACMA website, in the Islamic Art section.


photos in this post by Lynne Rutter, February, 2011
click on any image to view larger

Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting

Ornamental Borders Workshop

Announcing the latest in our series of specialized workshops for decorative artists working to enhance and refine their skills

 The bones of this ceiling design- borders!  Ceiling by Lynne Rutter in the Paris Resort Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas.

Ornamental Borders: Two Day Intensive Workshop
 in  San Francisco
instructor: Lynne Rutter

Borders are the most versatile of ornamental embellishments! Even the simplest design can create a wonderful impact on a space. In this class we'll explore multiple techniques used to create some Renaissance-style ornamental borders, with an emphasis on design and transfer methods, as well as painting techniques including stenciling, pouncing, trompe l'oeil, lining, and gilding.

detail of ceiling border by Lynne Rutter

Learn each simple method and how to put them together to create more complicated designs. We'll explore how to adapt ornament for a variety of different applications in today's interiors, while you create your own set of full-sized samples in hands-on practice. 

ornamental ceiling by Lynne Rutter

 This class will be offered again soon.  Email me to be put on the mailing list for announcements.

Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting