In my career as a decorative painter, I have had the opportunity to paint elements that represent this European style that imitates a fantasy driven, Chinese-like decoration, but never an entire room or with this level of detail. Going into this project there were certain things that I knew, certain things I assumed, and a couple surprises from the technical end of painting Chinoiserie for a room this grand. Fortunately, I had the confidence and guidance of designer Amy Hirsch of Greenwich, CT. Together we communicated with the client, creating a truly custom Chinoiserie mural for her master bedroom. Boasting almost 400 square feet of Chinese-esque pattern, the master bedroom was transformed into a personal paradise consisting of over 20 birds, 25 butterflies, and hundreds of flowers and buds on an aged green background, all hand painted on canvas that was later installed by master wallpaper installer Joe Shea. Additional canvas was painted and aged with a tea stain for the vaulted ceiling. The subtle layers of color, technique, and style used to create this Chinoiserie decoration is why it is such a costly process. This was the first Chinoiserie mural that I had painted for Amy and it wasn’t until a year later that I had another opportunity to paint in this style for her. This next project had a dark charcoal back ground which made the floral design pop even more. The final effect of this next project was breathtaking and I am slowly becoming addicted to painting in this style. I am looking forward to the next project for Amy that includes a hand painted Chinoiserie mural.
