The beauty of marble has captivated people with its variety of colors and distinct striations, and it has enhanced interiors and exteriors around the world for thousands of years. While the timeless beauty of marble is appreciated, dealing with the logistics surrounding its weight, size, cost, and sourcing is not. Enter faux painted marble: Also known as "marbleizing," it is a decorative painting technique where artisans use glazes and a variety of brushes and tools on a surface to imitate the texture and depth of real marble.
It is an art form that requires considerable skill and an understanding of color theory and how paints interact with each other as well as with light in order to capture the color, veining, and luster found in marble varieties.
While some of the earliest examples of faux painted marble were found from Pompeii, it took off in the 17th century and has been seen in many current styles as well as historical architectural styles, such as Baroque, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco.
Our artisans can adorn walls, columns, wainscoting, fireplace surrounds, furniture, ceilings, and beyond with faux painted marble. If there is a real marble element in a room there might also be a need to match an adjacent surface area or hardware accessory to the existing marble's unique color and striation pattern. This might involve painting faux marble onto an ordinary surface to bridge two original marble areas for a seamless appearance, or to camouflage a wall panel, switch plate, or air vent cover.
Any type of marble can be imitated, such as the rare Nero Portoro or Breccia Viola. Thousands of marble types exist and are often quarried from Italy, Canada, Spain, India, China, and Germany, but are found all around the world. As each location has unique geological formations and metamorphic rock, this has yielded marble with a variety of colors and veining patterns. Carrara marble is only found in the mountains of Tuscany that it is named for. It is appreciated for its white and gray color with soft gray striations, and may be the marble type most are familiar with as it has been widely used for sculptures and interiors.
Emperador marble is usually quarried from Spain and Turkey and has a number of color varieties, from gray and brown to white and green, ranging in lighter and darker shades with distinctive veining. As for some of the rarer marble types mentioned above, Breccia Viola (known as Brèche Violette to some) is an Italian brecciated marble with purple and gray elements, while Nero Portoro—also quarried in Italy—is a striking black marble that looks as though gold was poured into its veins.
1. Faux painted Nero Portoro marble wall plate cover by Sylvie Bilger.
2. Faux painted marble Trufig outlet cover by Sylvie Bilger.
1. Faux painted Emperador marble on the wall register to match the surrounding marble by Tim Murphy.
2. Faux Sienna and Emperador marble wall frame accents and gilded column by Tim Murphy.
These all have a distinct allure and faux painted marble is an optimal way to incorporate a particular marble appearance when real marble can be difficult to source a matching stone for and install within a space. There might also be a desire for a finish that goes beyond the look of the natural material, which might include adding your own alterations and blending two different types of marble striations or colors into one, creating a "fantasy" marble of sorts.
“Sometimes the desired outcome with a faux finish is to create something that goes beyond the look of a natural material, or to ‘play-up’ the technique and the fact that it is faux by taking some liberties and adding your own alterations to nature’s designs.”
—Jonas Everets
Whatever look you are trying to achieve, our artisans have the talent and detailed eye to create a faux painted marble that will enhance any room. Specializing in faux finishes such as faux painted marble, Sylvie Bilger has over 30 years of decorative painting experience and trained at Van Der Kelen Logelain, the renowned school of decorative painting in Brussels. Her work can be seen in places such as the Château de Versailles where she spent two years with a team creating faux marble and stone finishes throughout the palace.
1. Faux painted Carrara marble door frame by Sylvie Bilger.
2. ”Fantasy” faux painted marble and trompe l’oeil wall panel by Tim Murphy.
Tim Murphy has been decorative painting for over 25 years, and his faux painted marble works of art are further enhanced by his trompe l’oeil techniques as well as his mastery of light. First inspired by a class he took near Rome where he learned more about faux finishes, he came back to New York to further those techniques and has since worked on painting restoration projects.
1. Faux painted marble varieties by Sopiko Barnovi.
2. Faux painted marble varieties by Sopiko Barnovi.
1. Faux painted white marble switch plate camouflage by Sopiko Barnovi
2. Black faux painted marble baseboard by David Faust.
Decorative painting master David Faust has an eye for detail and has spent many years honing his faux painting skills around the country. With her exceptional eye for color and love of experimenting with different paints and materials to achieve a unique finish, Sopiko Barnovi's faux finishes will bring beauty to all types of interiors.
Whether it is incorporating the look of a rare marble into a library fireplace surround or camouflaging a hardware accessory with faux painted marble, we can create a unique finish to match your vision.
