Artisan At Home

October last year was when we started working on the vege garden area and once things started taking shape we had this impromptu; over a beer/ glass of wine moment brilliant idea of building a pergola in the area (even though we are not builders, by any means but google has been a huge help). Darrell can be pretty handy when he wants to be too, there's not a lot he can't figure out, so the Pergola was his project and is full credit to him. I don't know what we were thinking to tackle this on in the midst of our "busy period" we did actually have a whole heap of other things we needed to do before this, but it was a matter of once started you have to finish it right? it was a slow burn project fitting it in, in between things.   Concrete and and wood for the pergola on the back of the ute...and yes you can spot of a bit compost there too for the garden. Thats also my handy work of using masking tape and a hi vis vest at the end of it lol...  that was about the extent of my involvement on the whole pergola project. The flooring was done with recycled wood. It sat at this stage for a couple of weeks waiting for the weather to improve and for time, this spot gets all day sun and the plan is to hedge up either side of it and plant around it to divide the space up and seperate the vege garden from the rest of the garden which you can see the beginnings of behind the pergola.   Pergola is now built but waiting to be painted, and we happen to know some people who make great paint :-)  we tossed around on whether to use stone effects on this or not, but in the end we decided on Beluga Velvet Luxe.  It is  quite close to the house, so decided  to link back to it the house and have it in keeping, rather than stand out on it's own as a seperate feature.  Off to the side we started another patch of herbs, fruit and exotic plants some we've never even heard of let alone seen, like an ice cream bean plant!...never heard of such a thing but we've planted one in here and I mean how could you not after discovering it, if it's anything like it sounds it's should be delicious right? we'll let you know in  a year or so. Not long after this photo was taken, we had our eggplants, basil, chilli, gooseberries, pomegranate, the start of a Fig Tree  pepinos, radish, capsicum all randomly planted in this area.  Looking to create a bit of a wild food forest, I'm looking forward to see it evolve.  So come March 2022 this is where it's at so far.  Pergola looks so so much better in Beluga Velvet Luxe and we love the mix of the rough sawn wood and Artisan white. Literally took an hour to do with one and a half cans of Velvet Luxe in Beluga, a large staalmeester brush and a ladder on a nice warm overcast day. Bear in mind if you plan on doing something similar; that raw wood does soak up more paint than usual,  hence it took one and a half cans of Velvet Luxe to do this a bit  more than your usual  large piece of furniture.  Basil  is growing profusely and I have found the more you give it a "haircut" the better and more it grows, almost feels wrong to cut back basil, but man have we had a lot of home made. pesto this summer. Everything is growing well and wildly next to and over each other, but we love it... completely imperfect :-)  We didn't realise that Basil can grow a lot bigger than what you get at the supermarket... so we have around 6 lots of basil plants about this size throughout the vege garden in different areas...a bit OTT for a small family but we've been giving plenty away to people we know here, so all is good. Prune your basil plants give them haircuts and they shall grow crazy...from our experience anyhow    and a shot  from a different angle as the morning sun starts travelling over the pergola ... we were going to paint the framing around the floor in black but we figured you won't be able to see it when it gets planted up, next step planting around the Pergola, there's been talk of more passionfruit vines and subtropicals but we'll see..  Pergola view taken from the bottom of the garden looking up, to think this was all pretty much bare land when we got here, we've been here just on a year now , we moved end of Feb last year so it's nice to sit here and write this and feel like we have actually done quite a bit in the last year despite all the craziness happening in the world at the moment its great to make our mark in the landscape and land around us A little look at what sits  behind the pergola which you can't see in the photos  taken today  can't fit the entire garden in one photo so heres one from a different angle taken on a different day that fits a little more in the shot. This was all bare, just grass a year ago. Rocks were collected off the land from the paddock to create the little rock gardens, I have photos of working up a sweat lifting those rocks but I won't share it as we look like we're about to pass out in every single shot. Vege planter boxes created out of recycled fence pailings.   As soon as we get some down time we will do a little post about the vege garden and what we've learnt so far as it travels further down from what you can see here and it really has been an awesome learning curve .   That eye sore of a red plastic barrel has now been removed and is currently in the studio ready to be painted in stone effects and awaiting a full transformation, so it might just be what you see us post next. :-)    Dorophya x

There was no doubt that these floors needed to be done in the "Paint Studio" we've had it as a storage room for 7 months and previous owners did too, the floor was covered in grime and stains and we added a few more to it whilst painting the walls etc. Its your typical kiwi garage floor  BEFORE PHOTOS: your typical garage floor; this was me cleaning up before we started hence rubbish sack.  I love this technique because it's simple but the results looks super complicated, and although I have been able to guide customers in the past on it through talking and little demos. It's great to have been able to record the whole thing and now have it out there.   It's completely changed the space and turned a "garage floor" into a room. Changing floors is a big job when compared to furniture;  but on the whole scheme of things it's made "less big" when you don't have to sand or prime and you are working with products that have a fast dry time, has no odour. You can get it done pretty quickly over 2 days. The actual doing  part doesn't take long the dry times is what will make it spread over two days.  The impact though is huge. I've always loved painted floors and if I had my way the carpet in our home would have been ripped up long ago and this is a finish that I am reserving not just for the paint studio but in other rooms in the home in the future. Just happens that this room needs it done asap...aka now so we've been able to record it :-)  Decorative painting with Artisan paints and products  is about the freedom to create spaces....and thats a message that I really want to get across because when you know you can easily transform and create spaces, you get a chance to do something unique and something that reflects you rather than be restricted by just what's available. We all  know that you can create beautiful pieces of furniture and it's so wonderful for that, but to take it a step further, once you are familiar with how it all works have done a few pieces of furniture and then realise you can create Artisanal finishes using different techniques on pretty much any surface... the door gets flung wide open on all the possibilities of creating spaces and I hope this project shows just that....  If you're interested in seeing how this is done there is a  Video now up online, its complimentary, just enter your details and you will get emailed the details to stream it online which, it's a pretty raw footage but it's real and even shows the hurdles as you go through like your pet walking on the floors while it's drying and your finding too many bits of your hair in the floor :-) The finish in my opinion can be done by anyone with a little know how, the secrets out of the bag available for those who are interested to view, learn and do :-) Click on the image below for the link to access the video. Another tick off our list; Paint Studio floors done!   

So this is not an Artisan At Home NZ project, but one from our retailer in Masterton; Brushstrokes Studio inside a home and was  just way too good, we had to share it on here.  We love the absolute genius transformation of these wardrobe doors taking them from drab and dated to a very very cool feature. Creatively and effortlessly.  So Here's the before of the doors, we all recognise it right, super plain, woody and can be found in so many NZ homes ... read on:  FRAMES: With some frames purchased from the Warehouse, Lisa stuck these on the doors to create her own detailed panelling; Genius! There are so many frames you can purchase from The Warehouse, Kmart, or any where really, you can get super creative when it comes to this part; you're not looking for the colour or even finish all your looking for is one with the right detail.  Whether you want intricate detailed moulded types ones or simple multi bevelled ones like the one below and shown in this project, the choice is absolutely your's. But you want to choose one that  works in proportion to the sizing of the doors you are working with.    Multi bevelled like the one Lisa used or you can go a bit fancy like the one below, the choice is yours   Note: depending on the frames you choose, some frames are known to have silica type  based coatings on them, if they do, any paint placed over it may "bead", so test a corner first, if the paint beads, give it a light sand and wipe down and use Artisan Lacquer over the surface to block this in before painting.  PLACEMENT: Measure out and trace the frames on the door with a light PENCIL  (not a pen or pen marks will bleed through when you paint) , stand back and take a look; when you're happy with the positioning  glue them on with a strong non expanding glue, we're talking super glue type stuff, put some gloves on though you don't want to stick your fingers to the door...Frames are generally very light so a strong super glue will be more than enough to keep them strong and in place A LITTLE PREP: Doors are known to have a bit of oil and grease from use overtime; especially around the handles and edges, so give it a quick clean to remove any residue, oil or grease before you paint. Not many doors are super glossy so you should be good to paint  straight over with Velvet Luxe ( if by chance you do have glossy doors, you'll need to give them a light sand first before painting, just to help it key in, we're not talking about a full on sand to remove every ounce of varnish, just a light surface sand with 180 -200 grit sandpaper )  67 Colours to choose from Once the door is clean and the frames are on, use your chosen Velvet Luxe colour (67 to choose from) ; good news, this is a self levelling hybrid chalk paint that will dry smooth, matte and velvety, and you don't have to wax over it or lacquer!  It seals itself, so should be a pretty quick project from here. Brushes : For doors we recommend using  Staalmeester series 2023 Flat brush in size 20, from experience and customer feedback these are the best for projects like this, not to heavy to hold; easy to manage a good size for things like doors and great when used with Velvet Luxe to create a flat finish and if your doing detailed frames a Pointed Tip is also ideal, having the right tools just means you eliminate any challenges as your doing it, once you get started you want to get through it as easily and quickly as you can, having everything there, so we cant stress enough about having the right tools with Artisan Paints  Staalmeester series 2023 size 20 Staalmeester Pointed Tip for going over the frames    Application: With this project Lisa used Artisan Velvet Luxe in  Clubhouse Grey: and painted in two coats. If you want to see how to paint with it there's a video of Darrell painting the doors in our previous Artisan At Home NZ project, called Velvet Luxe on the doors :  and then look at the amazing results, skirting around the doors painted in Artisan Crisp White Velvet Luxe which frames the entire thing so beautifully! and those plain doors are everything but plain. So very chic and gorgeous!  Lets take a look at the before again and after  Awesome right? such creativity and thinking outside of the box. We love this project! so much so, we're pretty inspired to do it on some of our plain doors here at our home. No doubt if you've read this far, you're interested and inspired too.  We love our creative retailers and Lisa from Brushstrokes Studio if you're reading this... Just Creative Brilliance, thank you for letting us share!  If you have an creative interior hack with Artisan Paints, make sure you email your pics through we would love to see and share the inspiration!  - Dorophya 

Painted couch... yep it sounds a little crazy and it kind of is;  but very doable and the results can be pretty astounding; you might not tackle a big L shaped couch like I have in this video, it might be an old seat of a vintage chair an upholstered stool, ottoman or piano stool... the fabric might be in good condition, no rips or tears, a few stains maybe, or major fade. On it's last leg or that one you always walk past and go "must get that reupholstered some day" you might want to consider painting the fabric in your favourite Artisan Colour, it could be the quick low fuss low cost fix that it needs..  Our couch is just that, old... super old. Purchased before we even had pets or even our daughter, it was the couch we bought when we first met, were renting and setting up "home"... so that gives you an idea of just how old this is and how much of a hoarder I can be too, I don't let go of things very easily that's for sure.  The back cushions long gone, because of it's refusal to understand that it was meant to be a rectangular squab and not form into round balls which it did. So we replaced them along time ago with a scatter of cushions which I prefer anyway. We've had a lot of interest around this on our recent sneek peek shots on social media; so as promised below is the full video where I recorded snippets of myself painting the couch, there's loads of information in it and below the video I've jotted down some key things from the Video worth reading if you are looking to paint your upholstery. Press play below to watch!  NOTES WORTH NOTING:  - Natural textiles and non textured textiles are even easier to paint than what is shown in the video -Where you can, test it first on the underside or somewhere you can't see so that you can roughly figure out how much paint it's going to take, what it will look and feel like; every fabric will be a slightly different experience; some will be much easier; the one showed in the video is about as hard as it will get. A lot of it will depend on the fabric, the colour and what colour you are changing from and to some may take just 1 coat some may take 3 coats, the key here is to build it up slowly using Velvet Luxe a staalmeester brush and spreading it out. Always test first.  - Circular motions  with your Staalmeester brush works well to work it into the fibres then level and brush out in one direction as shown on the video  - SPREAD, SPREAD SPREAD, as long as each coat is spread thinly you are safe, don't allow for build up of paint, therefore using the right tools is important; a large Staalmeester brush is loaded with bristles for easy spread and loading and a pointed tip to keep the paint thin around any seams or piping.  -Sanding for softness if you choose to do this use no stronger than 320 grit sand paper, I found this just perfect for softening gently removing excess and it kind of polishes as you go, remember to wipe firmly with a damp rag after sanding too. This kind of helps to add a polished look to the whole thing so even if you don't sand I would still wipe it down with a damp rag afterwards and let it dry, it kind of burnishes the paint and gives you a really lovely look.  - Load the paint brush generously, work it into the fabric and SPREAD. That's it and you get the hang of it pretty quickly, start with a less obvious area, it won't take long before you get into the rhythm and  the whole thing will be a breeze. If you have decided to paint your upholstery after reading this; you now have the hardest decision to make which of the 67 Artisan Velvet Luxe colours will you go for?   We hope you enjoyed the video and of us sharing a little snippet of the room and of us bringing our old couch to life in a very unorthodox way :-)  - Dorophya    

This is a bit of a late entry, as this piece has already made it's way to Social Media. In the midst of everything I have been struggling to "blog" but I have time today so I am picking up from where I left off and it starts with this piece...with  a Rustic Layered Patina finish We had a few damages with the move up here in fact one of the movers were nothing short of a nightmare with half the content in the truck damaged with no moving blankets, broken side tables,  I could go on and on about this but I won't; I've tried to see the positive in it "looks like it's given me the opportunity to have to do  quite a bit of painting and re-doing" so when the first opportunity came I decided to redo this piece given that it sits in our front/back entrance (it's a weird entrance to the house and we're not sure if it classes as the back or front of the house) A re-do, I love a good redo; people change, people move, we redecorate and move with the times, life is an evolving journey and our interiors reflectus and who we are; so naturally... it too also evolves and changes. So here's the damage: its been scraped and gauged the sides were  damaged in a similar way also  It was previously painted in a neutral grey with silver  and if I wanted to go with a flat finish on this I would have to sand and fill all the scrapes and gauges in. But I'm all about getting things done quickly and working in with the piece in front of you and true to my saying of "it's old, battered or damaged, embrace it and do a rustic finish and make it all part of it..."  A rustic layered patina finish is "simple" to do if you have the know how and I've broken this down and taught it  many times in workshops so I know that even someone with very little experience with decorative painting can tackle this given the right tools the right paints and products and knowledge. It takes an open mind and a certain kind of bravery to achieve it. I've always guided people through it, standing back and giving directions; so this time I've recorded myself doing it which was a little different, and most of it recorded with one hand while painting so you get a pretty good view of what Im seeing. I will admit it was an impromptu recording but I am so buoyed and humbled by all the positive feedback from those of you who have watched it and the inspiration that it brings for your projects. It's what I love about doing what I do, if I can inspire one person a day to think outside the box then it's a pretty good day.  A finish like this isn't something you'll do everywhere, its a feature hand painted finish that should be reserved for those key stand alone pieces, it has the ability to  inject an instant character, mood and story into your space. It's bespoke, old worldly but can fit into both a character and contemporary space with the decor that you have around it and you most certainly will never find a finish like this mass produced, with the layers and layers of colours and unique depth that you can draw from for your interior design. But you can create it yourself with the colours that work for your home.   The piece has now taken on a completely different look and story, it sits proudly in our front/back entrance. A feature piece with a story to tell and that evokes a reactions when you see it rather than just walk past it. For those of you who think you will never be able to create this finish I encourage you to head over to watch the tutorial; it's a lot easier than you may think... its jam packed full of different techniques and I've written some helpful notes to go with it after you watch it, all you need to is an open mind and a little bravery and you will get to your very own  version of this finish,   Click here to get to the video   While Im here I want to share a couple of images that have been shared with me;  these pictures and comments makes ME feel INSPIRED; and I wanted to make a special mention to Sandi and Wendy who were some of the first to watch and send through photos of what the beautiful work they did and send through some of the most beautiful words that got me all warm and fuzzy reading and seeing the results they got. I'm a firm believer that creativity is in everyone; we just sometimes need to be shown the way... First up some words from Sandi A : "I purchased the patina tutorial tonight and just finshed watching it and I just want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU for making this tutorial,.....I gave up thinking I would never be able to be shown how this patina technique was achieved. Now I know thank you so much please keep the tutorials coming"  and this after she did her first piece based off the tutorial: "I absolutely love it i love how the whole process starts off really gloomy and its like you don't know what to expect its not until the dark wax goes on it transforms from ugly to amazing my absolute favorite part was dabbing the watered down Obsidian blue in areas it dramatically changed the whole piece again from amazing to stunning..... Once again thank you for sharing this technique."  Sandi's work:     And from Wendy M : "Wow fantastic tutorial thank you Dorothea! So much information and well explained. I've been wanting to try something like this for ages but have always been too scared. Now I feel inspired to give it a go. I'll be watching this again before I start. The summary notes will be very helpful to have on hand to refer to during the process too. And of course your finished piece is beautiful, if I can get a result even half as good as that I'll be happy Thanks again!" and this after she had a go during lockdown, restricted by not being able to access all the colours but she used what she had with the techniques shown and what an awesome result: "Well I finally managed to give this project a go after watching your tutorial several times :)  .... I learned so much throughout the process.....Thanks again for the tutorial, it was so helpful.  And it was great to be able to refer back to it when my mind went blank during the painting process :)"   

The last few weeks have been heeeectic here in the Artisan House, I don't know why I aways seem to start my sentences with that; but everytime I go to sit down and write a blog that's just truly how it feels.  The paint room has been in overdrive with lots of R & D in the background; I haven't managed to do any painting and our dreams of getting to projects around the home put on the back burner the last few weeks, but this week with a day of downtime (which I extended to a day and half :-) I was itching to get painting and just tuning out to my happy place for a bit. I  decided on the sideboard and mirror upstairs to do; so much we want to do in this room and there is a vision that both Darrell and I have agreed on, so these  two are the first victims; quick and easy projects that I knew could "slot it in"  and be done during this downtime.  I also realised just how much I was addicted to painting; that first brushstroke, where you've committed to the transformation with a point of no return to that high of feeling like you've accomplished something by the end of it and that awesome feeling of your space being transformed with a new look & energy. If Im not painting lately I've found myself looking things  and actually painting it in my head thinking about colours and textures and what I would do with it... outta control.  The before video : Ok so the good news is,  I did record the Mirror being done which I am sharing today; bad news is  in my excitement to get started I thought I was recording the sideboard being done but the camera stopped not long after it started for some reason and I ended up chatting to myself/you  for an hour, for basically no reason.... technology... so great and also so frustrating at times so pictures of the sideboard will come in the next blog post to show you the two together but no video on that one Im afraid. But for now the Mirror: Here's an after photo of the Mirror, more photos will come up on the Artisan Company facebook page soon, this mirror like many metallic finishes is a bit of chameleon so I'll do my best to capture the essence of it in photos later; so just a quick shot today, that banana tree isn't staying; but there will be some greenery paired with it once the sideboard is put back in place; so stay tuned for the styling of this area later :    Okay and below is  the Video of the how this was achieved, before you watch it though a couple of things I need to mention which isn't shown on this Video: 1: Artisan Metallic glides were placed on the inside bevel of the mirror in Forgotten gold and Bronzanite, which I  did as an after thought, after I was looking at it in the evening light. This was glided on and done to just pop that inside a bevel a little more 2: Bronze Metallic Glaze was 1 and  1/2 coats. First coat creates a lovely bronze hue over the Old Espresso and at this point looked great but  the 1/2 coat was to make some areas slightly more dense in the bronze allowing different variations of bronze on the mirror. So placing the 1/2 coat just here and there.  Video: So here's the video;  a little out of context but so you get the idea, this was before we realised the first Video didn't record, The dress is a painting dress that I wore the day before and that's what I was talking about and  basically that's where this Video starts :-)  We're loving the new/old mirror in this space,  its earthy and luxurious at the same time.  A completely different take on what it was when it was in white, both were great finishes; this isn't just about changing a mirror in a bronze finish but a great example of  how colours and finishes can completely change the look, style, feel and vibe of not just furniture but in things like mirrors too.... and that whether it's white  bronze or maybe hot pink that will make your space, I suppose I want to show that it's all possible... and not difficult to do. Rather than buying new, create the look with what you have... Dorophya x