Faux finishing

The word faux means fake in French. The industry has adopted this term and has used it broadly to describe different types of decorative painting. As our founder was trained by the true Italian masters, we like to use the term trompe-l'oeil, which means to fool the eye.

Faux finishes have been used for hundreds of years. These finishes were originally used where it was cost prohibitive to use the real material. (For example, faux marble is used when real marble is too cost prohibitive.) At one point faux finishing was a dying art, but due to today's technology and online training, there has been a massive influx of finishers that have hit main stream America. Where it was once only for the rich and famous, we now see it in commercial and residential establishments of all price ranges. Because of this, the quality of faux finishes has suffered.

Italian Masters has never strayed from its traditional finishes, whether it's French provincial strie' or a simple wood grain (faux bois). We keep our faux finishes simple and understated. Our faux finishes are the back drop to the architecture and the interior designer's furnishings.