Faux painted marble varieties including black Portor, yellow Siena, and red Cerfontaine by Sylvie Bilger.
This was her first project after immigrating from France to New York City in 1986.
Especially when an artisan's career is as storied as Sylvie Bilger's, it's inspiring to look back through the years with them to the time when they felt that initial draw to their craft. For Sylvie, it was a moment that ignited her passion for decorative painting and set her on a path marked with experiences such as training with the masters at the renowned Van der Kelen school in Brussels, and painting faux finishes throughout the Château de Versailles.
Read our conversation below as she delves into her formative years as a decorative painter, and take a look at some of her work ranging from murals and painted floors to faux finishes.
Explore this faux painted parchment wall finish by Sylvie Bilger for SuperStrata in collaboration with Alyssa Kapito Interiors. Photo by Nick Glimenakis.
Will you tell us a bit about the moments in your life that led you to becoming a decorative painter?
I was about to finish four years of art school In Paris at Olivier de Serres when a dear old friend of mine came back from the Van der Kelen Logelain school of decorative painting in Brussels and showed me his portfolio. I instantly fell in love with his trompe l'oeil panels and knew that I had to go there and study that old painting craft.
The training at Van der Kelen was intense back then. The 75-year-old teacher was very old school—we had almost no heat in the studio and were never allowed to sit down. He was just trying to prepare us for harsh conditions on future job sites. It was a man's world as very few women were doing this back then so we had to be tough. It was a little bit like going to the army and I learned how to push myself a lot. It was hard, but it was a great experience.
1. Sylvie Bilger in front of her wall of samples in her New York studio. Photo by Nick Glimenakis.
2. Flamed faux mahogany sample on paper, painted by Sylvie Bilger of Metamorfaux while training at the Van der Kelen Logelain school of decorative painting in Brussels. Photo by Nick Glimenakis.
When it comes to decorative and faux painting, what elements of these art forms interest you?
What appeals to me the most is the playful aspect of creating an illusion, and how with a few brush strokes I am able to transform any blank surface into something else. The best is when I add trompe l‘oeil moldings to create a three-dimensional effect. My old teacher at Van der Kelen once told us to find that fine line between deceiving at first and then revealing that it's just painted.
1. Brêche Violette faux painted marble fireplace by Sylvie Bilger.
2. Faux wood grained panel painted by Sylvie Bilger with SuperStrata in a Los Angeles home.
1. See this hexagonal faux malachite hand-painted floor design by Sylvie Bilger for SuperStrata in collaboration with Ceara Donnelley Ltd. Co. in a NYC home. Photo by Laura Wheatley.
2. Sylvie Bilger showing her decorative painting samples in her studio. Photo by Nick Glimenakis.
During the formative years of your decorative painting career, you worked on a team to paint faux marble and stone throughout the Château de Versailles. What was it like to work together with other artists to beautify the interiors of such a monumental place?
It was because of my faux granite sample that I was hired by the company Dupuis—they were in charge of all the decorative painting at Versailles and were also restoring the Château de Compiègne at the time. They had to paint a lot of faux granite there so that was how I got my foot in the door.
Later they taught me the technique of “peinture à la colle,“ which involved a mix of lime and rabbit skin glue that we painted directly onto oak wood carved walls. The mix had to be warmed using a double boiler, so we had it set on an electric pad up on a 25-foot-high scaffolding...no need to mention that you couldn’t be afraid of heights.
Regarding the faux marble, I painted a lot of that on the wainscoting throughout the rooms, and the fireplaces were always real marble so we matched it to that. Our boss let us paint the first few layers and he came to finish after us. Versailles had the most exquisite collection of marble—often from Italy—though those quarries with their unique colors are long gone.
After two years of training they let me paint an entire staircase with trompe l‘oeil moldings on my own in The Petit Trianon. It was a special experience.
1. Faux painted marble wainscoting in the Salle d’Introduction aux Galeries Historiques of Versailles by Sylvie Bilger and team. Photography by Robert Polidori.
2. Faux painted marble wainscoting in the Salle les Campagnes Militaires at the Château de Versailles by Sylvie Bilger and team. Photography by Robert Polidori.
Wallpaper designs have been one of your focuses lately—can you tell us about some of your inspirations for those and the new patterns you've been exploring?
I'm obsessed with geometric designs so I've been working on a series of tumbling cube patterns with faux malachite—in green of course, but also in magenta and beige. I love marquetry, so I want to explore inlays with all kinds of wood grain colors.
My dream came true this year when chef Daniel Pepperell commissioned us to create a custom faux tortoise shell wallpaper for Neptune's Grotto, his new restaurant in Sydney, Australia. Now I'm exploring this design in several colors including silver and gold leaf, and I'm also integrating different patterns.
1. Faux malachite tumbling cube wallpaper design by Sylvie Bilger.
2. Geometric faux tortoise shell wallpaper by Sylvie Bilger in the powder room of SuperStrata founder Jonas Everets’s home.
1. Faux painted amber tortoise shell wall coverings by Sylvie Bilger in The Carlyle hotel. Photo by Natalie Choy.
2. Faux painted tortoise shell Dutch gold leaf wallpaper design by Sylvie Bilger.