Fluted plasterwork makes a strong impression by introducing a unique sculptural look to a room with texture and dimension. While this architectural element can be achieved by casting fluted plaster panels that can be transported to a site and installed, there are certain designs that can best be created by pulling the flutes in place directly onto the wall’s surface.
One such design can be viewed in the image above and below, where SuperStrata artisan Patrick Shoemaker collaborated with architect Alexandra Barker of BAAO to create a deep vaulted archway between the kitchen and parlor room of a historic Brooklyn brownstone. A custom handmade tool was developed to produce flutes with a high curvature that still had a gentle look, in line with BAAO’s vision. As Barker recognized, “The control needed was amazing. We didn’t want to have any wiggle in it.”
1. Patrick Shoemaker’s team shows the process of pulling plaster flutes in place along a large curve.
2. Immense focus and skill is shown by Patrick Shoemaker’s team when pulling such straight, consistent flutes inside a large curve.
Creating pulled-in-place plaster flutes is an especially challenging feat to accomplish, as it takes a practiced hand and finesse to keep the pattern of the flutes consistent throughout an entire space when incorporating them with doorways, arches, and corners.
Each "flute" is made by first applying wet plaster to a surface, and then guiding a scallop-edged tool along it so that the plaster fills the negative space of the tool. This creates the contours of the flutes, and the process is repeated until each flute is shaped perfectly.
1. Explore this pulled-in-place fluted plaster powder room wall by Patrick Shoemaker with SuperStrata for Joseph Vance Architects and ASR Studios. Photo by Scott Frances/OTTO.
2. View these pulled-in-place fluted plaster powder room walls by Patrick Shoemaker with SuperStrata. Photo by Evan Joseph.
Plaster flutes can give depth to spaces both large and small. While an entire room encased in fluted plaster will create a stunning result, flutes on just one wall in a powder room can also be transformative.
In interior designer Judy Dunne’s West Village townhouse we worked with Joseph Vance Architects to create pulled-in-place fluted plaster walls to frame the limestone fireplace and serve as a textural backdrop. Instead of having plaster flutes span the entire height of the wall, our artisan Patrick Shoemaker installed them between the baseboard and the picture rail.
Pulled-In-place fluted plaster walls frame the fireplace by Patrick Shoemaker with SuperStrata in a project collaboration with Joseph Vance Architects and interior designer Judy Dunne.
Photo by William Jess Laird.
Create harmony across multiple spaces by pulling flutes along the walls of adjoining rooms, guiding the flow from one area into the next. We collaborated with Townsend & Co Interiors in a coastal Connecticut home to do just that: Pulled-in-place fluted plaster walls tie the first floor rooms together both in function and aesthetic, as they seamlessly wrap around the walls from the kitchen to the dining area.
Some other unique elements of this home involve two doors that were concealed in the plaster flutes—one door connects to the open pantry within the kitchen, and the other reveals a powder room across from the staircase. The pattern and scale of the plaster flutes was designed so that the jib door edges lined up perfectly with the flute troughs for functional integrity and to be aesthetically pleasing.
1. Pulled-in-place fluted plaster walls and jib door by Patrick Shoemaker that wrap around from the kitchen to the dining area in a collaboration with Townsend & Co Interiors.
2. Details of the pulled-in-place fluted plaster jib door by Patrick Shoemaker with SuperStrata.
Pulled-in-place plaster flutes can be customized to have varying widths, curvatures, and textures. Thin, wide, and tall flutes are possible, and they can be made convex or concave depending on the look you want to achieve. Various finishes can be applied to the flutes as well: consider limewash for a softer matte finish, gilding, or even polished plaster to give it extra shine and reflect light throughout the room.
1. Sample showing narrow and low concave plaster flutes.
2. Sample showing wide and short convex plaster flutes.
3. Sample showing wide and low concave plaster flutes with a limewash finish.
4. Sample showing narrow and tall convex plaster flutes with a higher sheen.
1. Plaster flutes by SuperStrata gilded in gold leaf with a slight antiqued finish by Leah Beth Fishman.
2. Plaster flutes by SuperStrata with a textured metallic overlay by Eva Pep.
Make plaster flutes the focal point of a room by having our artisans incorporate other decorative techniques into your design, such as gilding or bas relief. Leah Beth Fishman can gild flutes with metal leaf like gold or silver, and Eva Pep can create a plaster bas relief over top to depict everything from flora and fauna to patterns and abstract designs.
The beauty of SuperStrata’s Artisan Collective is that so many of our artisans' techniques can be combined to transform your design into something you truly won't find anywhere else.
