AVE-MD, LLC

Revamped French Provincial Ladies Desk

2012-01-20T12:11:00.000-08:00

Zees French lady is suffering from an identity crisis....

I mean ... she's got the french accent but she's not dressed like

zee belle femme, No?...

I feel my pepe le pew accent coming on!!

Zee front....

Zee back....

Hmmm..... zome nice panels to do zomething nice, no? ...

It's makeover time!!

We wanted to do something daring with this piece.

Go big or go home, No?

Zuh Reveal!!

We found 2 amazing complimenting french scences

(that I briefly imagined myself in) and adhered them on the back panels.

Here is a close up, look at the quality of the finish.

Huh! Huh! Oui! Oui!

The details were hand painted with a fine brush.

This was truley a labor of love or should I say labor of "amour"

We could of gone with clear glass knobs but these scarlet color pulls are like that finishing touch of red lipstick, they really add interest to her "face" No?

C'est Magnifique !

BAM!!!!!

We crackled and glazed the beautuful french scene to give it an antique feel.

For the finishing touch we hand painted the scroll accents in a metallic bronze.

We applied several layers of topcoat for a durable finish.

Another beutiful makeover, Isn't she a knock out!!

Pepe le pew said it best when he said....

We really enjoyed the process and creativity of this project, but we cannot become too attached to this little lady, for we will be parting with her.

Oui ! ... She is For Sale !

Contact Mitch 816-516-4824 for inquires

www.kcfauxdesign.com

Zee End....

Tango Classes

2012-01-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

Tango Classes for Beginners & Intermediate Dancers Sundays from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm Location: 1325 Odd Follows Rd, Liberty MO, 64068 Ph: 816-200-1811

New class schedule begins Jan. 2012

at the Belvoir Winery located in Liberty MO . Annette and I will be teaching Tango for beginners and intermediate dancers starting Sunday Jan 8th, 2012. The classes begin at 11:00 am will last until 12:00 pm. The class will be on-going every Sunday.

No partners needed all are welcome

The link below is of our TV demonstration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSCt3AKOYeE&feature=player_embedded

Tango Video

2012-01-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

It takes 2 to Tango

We invite you to take a look at our recent interview regarding our love of Tango

The link below is our interview and tango demonstration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSCt3AKOYeE&feature=player_embedded

The link below is a beautiful example of a milonga,

In an earlier posting we list and describe tango definitions.

Please look in our archive for the information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p6GiX84-_s&feature=player_detailpage

Oak or Pine Cabinets Transformed

2012-01-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

Old World Aged Cabinets

Below is an example of a typical builders grade cabinet unit, which can be purchased from any number of DYI home stores.

See how we turned these low-end cabinets into a one-off high-end look

We base coated the raw wood to seal it up, then applied a texture medium, ( secret sauce & special application ), which can be seen on the right side of the cabinet. This created a distinct pattern which is used later when rubbing back the final layer of paint. We then applied a gold metallic layer, shown here on the left side of the cabinet.

The following close up shots shows how the texture is highlighted by the metallic paint.

We then applied a special paint compound ( more secret sauce ) which allowed for a mild rub back with a damp cheese cloth. Notice this effect is different then sanding back to your subsequent layer.

The effect is amazing and creates the Old World Aged look that can be hard to achieve

You can see more of our work at:

www.kcfauxdesign.com

Ralph Lauren paints

2011-12-30T12:50:00.000-08:00

We love metallic paints

Some are easier then others to apply. This project required a special roller to apply the Ralph Lauren paint. When applying metallic paint be sure to use a fine fabric heavy nap roller. Always roll your metallic paints in the same direction. Never changing the position of the roller. For example, if your handle is faced to the right, always roll with the roller cage to the right.

Notice in the image below there are no hard lap lines

After the base coat was applied I troweled on a heavy pearlized acrylic textured medium. Then stained and glazed it, which creates depth.

This is another example of a beautiful finish using the same Ralph Lauren paint color but with a different treatment. Below we used a plaster compound to give the walls considerable texture.

I then glazed the walls, which causes the texture to pop-out.

This dining room was commissioned by a well known regional builder and was featured in the Kansas City Homes Tour.

You can see more of our work at:

www.kcfauxdesign.com

How to paint French Provencial Furniture

2011-12-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

So I'm flipping through some pages of the June 2011 Architectural Digest Open House addition and saw this priceless corner cabinet ...... and I wanted it! BAD!!

Yep, wrap it up and ship it to my house asap, also I'll take an oompa loompa, a live in helper and mama needs a pony...

Ok back to reality!!!

What's a girl to do?.......

Oh Honey!!!!!

I showed it to my Husband/Artist/Chef/love of my life and Faux finisher,

He fell in love with it as much as I did.

Alright then, I gave him his mission which he gladly accepted

Your mission Mitch ... If you choose to accept it.......

We found this beaut on craigslist

Its solid, nice curves, it's french provincial and in great condition

Let the Games begin!

He Striped it down, cleaned it, sanded it, and primed

b.t.w. who needs a formal dining room when you can have your very own indoors warm paint studio which you can paint to the wee hours of the night

I'm going to miss it when the tile is installed.

We used faux effects Kettle glow which is a metallic charcoal color.

Drawers and side panels were painted in faux effects metallic Pewter Gold

(My Fav)

Which was aged and glazed with Vandyke Brown

Then detailed and pinstriped the drawers with metal glow Toasted Coconut

It's starting to take on a personality now

It's ALIVE!!!!

We chose a beautiful french scene and adhered it to the panels.

We sealed the front surface and a used a clear 2 part crackle to give it depth and texture.

Then lightly glazed it to give it that antiqued

"I've been around since the 18 th century" look

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

It takes my breath away beautiful! This piece for me really shows a persons creativity and most important... Love Thank you Honey Are you ready for you next mission ... Mitch?

Fireplace re-do with Faux tumbled tile

2011-12-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

There she is!!!

The eye sore in our living room. We painted the fireplace in a beautiful metallic finish then softened it up with a walnut stain but now the tile doesn't go.

OK..... I'll just rip out the existing tile a replace it with a tumbled marble tile ..... pretty right?

Yeah pretty expensive!

This is my inspiration so..... It's time to raid the paint vault!

Step 1. Clean the tile with a tsp

Step deux. Sand with 150 grit sandpaper

Step 3. Clean tile with tsp

Step 4. Prime tile with Styx water base adhesion primer (good stuff)

I filled the existing grout lines with a high end synthetic venetian plaster

A good tip I learned the hard way is make sure your tile is room temperature if it's too cold the venetian plaster will droop and sag.

Ughhh... Those are the worst words a lady can hear.

I then rolled a "scratch coat" layer of plaster over the entire surface and re-filled my grout lines because the plaster shrinks as it dries.

Patience young grasshopper ... we will let dry and finish in the morning

Having no concept of time I pull my Husband into my timeless world....

Wake up Mitch and wash my brushes PLEASE!!!...

that's 12:03 am

And like a good Husband .... he does it

I think his eyes are still closed

I purchased a mosaic tile stencil online for 11 bucks!

I then applied a thin layer of plaster with a Japan scraper

I use a level and measure as I go

Here is a close up of my faux tumbled stone mosaic tile

I sanded the finished product with a sanding block to get excess plaster off and smoothed out.

And here is the finished look!

This project was very inexpensive but looks like a million

New Faux Finishes for 2012

2011-11-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

We are very excited about these new looks.

These are unique textured treatments utilizing new italian rollers with contemporary combinations of color and stencils.

Sometimes pictures do no justice, these rich colors and textures are breathtakingly gorgeous! We can't wait to show you before and after pictures of upcoming projects.

This new croc roller is going to be a hot look which can be customed in any color

A pair of French elegant chairs with a kick

2011-11-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

Don't you hate it when you have the vision of a piece of furniture but can't find it anywhere? It just must not exist !! Let me introduce you to the vision that was keeping me up at night...

We were looking for a set of contemporary french provincial chairs but could only find them with traditional fabrics like the one you see below.

BORING..........

OK so we purchased them!

Now let the makeover begin....

We stripped them and of their boring dress and painted them a metallic silver.

Is it cold in here?

We found this amazing croc embossed silver and chocolate

brown metallic vinyl fabric

Love....

A helpful tip....When removing existing fabric on your project always save your original fabric. This is beneficial for tracing your pattern for reupholstering your furniture. It eliminates guess work.

Here is my vision brought to life.

We added over 400 silver studs for that special bling.

Baby got back!!

I love our new dining chairs!!!

French Provincial Furniture

2011-07-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

French Provincial Makeover

Have you ever seen something average and knew it could be better. Well, when I saw this desk, I saw more then just a plain , white average desk.

Who wants to be average anyways?

We started by cleaning and prepping. Starting with a clean surface insures a long lasting durable finish. We sprayed the entire desk black as well as the inside and outside of the drawers. This gives it a more professional look. After which we top coated it with a high-sheen water based poly-acrylic. Then we used a bronze metallic paint and cut it with a cream glaze medium which was brushed on and then wiped off with fine cheese cloth.

And Wallah!!!!

Ladies.... You know when you go to the beauty counter and ask for the

"Smokey eye" look??? We've all tried it at some time and come home looking like raccoons.

Well, Here is my rendition of the " smokey look" It's sultry, mysterious, it's sexy!

New Looks In Cabinetry

2011-06-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between old and new old?

This is the difference!

Great way to keep your old cabinets

current with some fast and affordable treatments

Take a look at our website at: www.kcfauxdesign.com for more ideas as well as before a after images of fun projects we have completed

This is a great way to update your old oak cabinets. With the right HPLV sprayer you can make your old oak cabinets look amazing

Glazing can be fun and a great way to change the look of your cabinets with having to break the bank

The base coat is sage green with a dark brown glaze

Tango Classes

2011-05-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tango Classes

for

Beginners & Intermediate

Dancers

Sundays from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Location: 1325 Odd Follows Rd, Liberty MO, 64068

Ph: 816-200-1811

Call regarding summer classes

It takes two to TANGO!

The most romantic dance there is....

Most people are so intimidated by this dance but if you can walk....

You can Tango...

Most people that come to one class and fall in love with this simple but beautiful

art form.

Our Classes are held at Belvoir Winery, which is located in Liberty, MO.

This historical site is a beautiful back drop that sets the stage for an enjoyable experience.

See their Belvoir website at: www.belvoirwinery.com

panama

2011-03-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

We just got back from an amazing trip to Boquete Panama, where we felt like we were in a monet painting.

Time felt like it stood still, there was so much beauty to be appreciated

Our morning view, ahhhhhhh.......

Meet Ricky! Our 5 am alarm clock

I wanted to cook him by the 3rd day

We will be back

Cabinet re-finishing

2011-02-01T14:42:00.001-08:00

We love this look. I have used it on furniture, cabinets and vanities. It is a high-end look that makes anything it is on appear elegant.

Harrison Crackle

This weathered look is great for vanities and furniture pieces.

Tidewater Mist

This is a great look that was develop by the a talented instructor here is Kansas City. Training is very important in this industry. We spend so much time in the field that we forget the world moves forward with new trends, treatments and fashionable looks. The center application is an Italian style ornamentation provided by a local company that produces thousands of designs for trim, frames and more. This ornamentation can be applied by steaming it, which activates the adhesion proprieties. Take a look at our website: http://www.kcfuaxdesign.com/ under the furniture section. Look closely at the before and after images of the French Hand Painted Zebra Writing Desk. We used these applications to dress up the desk

Copenhagen Blue

Crackled finishes

2011-01-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

These cracks here, although appear random, are much harder to achieve. This was hand rolled and applied very carefully to the surface. After which it was glazed to back fill the cracks

These cabinets were sprayed with two or three coats using a two step crackled process. After which two coats of French red were spayed and lightly glazed to bring out some of the details.

This is a beautiful effect.

This effect was achieved by spraying the two part crackle through an HPLV sprayer. The second part of the process, the black crackle, was watered down enough to get it through the sprayer. A 1.5 mm or 3.0 mm needle was used due to the thickness of the material. Only a single coat was used here resulting in smaller hairline cracks

Tango definitions

2011-01-25T13:15:00.001-08:00

Milonga: ( Has two meanings) 1. A tango dance party where people dance Argentine Tango, Tango Milonga and Vals. 2. It is a kind of tango dance where the music is played at a faster pace. Milonguero Style: Tango for crowded dance floors, Milonguero Style is the reigning standard for social dance today, from the halls of Buenos Aires to the packed ballrooms US and Europe

Salon Style:

The elegant and expansive tango from the 1940's, salon style originates for the time when dances were held in more expansive, less populated venues. The embrace is close but flexible, opening slightly to make room for various figures while always returning to the initial "V shape" close-embrace to finish a step.

Tango Nuevo:

With movement more specific to the modern era, Tango Nuevo emphasizes fluidity, creativity and the exploration of all the possibilities for tango vocabulary. Tango Nuevo grew out of the classic Salon Style as an adaptation of the complexities of improvising to modern tango music

Affordable window treatments

2011-01-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

I would like to entitle this little number the "Drama Queen"

Whats a queen style room without the drama?

This living space is grand!

18 ft high ceilings and 22 ft wall of dramatic windows

How do we add the "drama" without losing the beautiful architecture?

I know..... I will Create something Fab

We decided to compliment the architectural features by attaching medical tracks to the ceiling, which made them fully functional, then build a facing with the same crown molding that is already featured in the room.

We felt like trapeze artist hanging these puppies up. Don't try this at home kids!

How many yards for this dramatic effect you ask? 250 yards of rich chocolate silk fabric and liner, triple pleated baby!

It felt like I was sewing a parachute at one point, I was swimming in chocolate silk. At any time of the day these drapes can be shut close for a complete blackout effect, also a great insulator from the outdoor elements which is huge plus for those heating and cooling bills.

Ciao for now

Tango Classes

2011-01-21T14:26:00.000-08:00

Tango Classes

For

Beginners and Intermediate

Dancers

You can see an older demonstration video of Annette and me dancing at Fedora's on the Country Club Plaza. Attached is a link to the web page. Go to "About Us" and click on the "Other Interest" bottom under our picture and it will take you to the video page.

www.kcfauxdesign.com

Belvoir Winery is located in Liberty MO and is one of the most beautiful places to visit. Annette and I will be teaching Tango for beginners and intermediate dancers starting Sunday Feb 20th, 2011. The classes begin at 1:00 pm will last until 3:00 pm. The class will be on-going every Sunday throughout the summer.

Visit their website at: www.belvoirwinery.com , Great site for weddings, parties, summer picnics and more.

Free Personal signatures - cool!

2011-01-20T10:02:00.001-08:00

TEXTAREA_ID

Inexpensive window treatments

2011-01-12T20:22:00.001-08:00

OK.... How do I get a high end look on a low end budget?

I know.... I will build it myself.

So begins my next quest to get that WOW factor I love so much.

Window treatments are like picking out a dress for a party,

It has to go with the rest of the ensemble.

There are also ways to accentuate certain features.

So in this case I want to make these average size windows

appear larger than what they really are.

Ahhhh!!!! Look at this naked window!!

before image

We constructed a frame using your basic 3/8 inch black foam-core.

Yeah, I could of made it out of wood but remember that low budget?

We measured the windows and drew a simple template.

We cut the foam core board with a razor knife and hot glued the pieces together. As you can see in the picture below we cut some triangle pieces to brace it.

It doesn't have to be pretty on the backside, no one will see it.

Then we wrapped and glued the batting on the front surface.

Next, we wrapped it in a designer fabric, pinned and hot glued the fabric edges.

To hide the ugly back side of this masterpiece just take a solid piece of fabric use hot glue to attach it for a clean finished look.

This image shows the construction of the cornice without the finished backside

This is the final look

It is so light weight it only took two small screws to hold it up.

The foam core board was FREE from a local company that was

going to throw it away

Foam core: Free

Batting: $1.50 per yard

Pins: $2.00

Wholesale Fabric: $3.oo per yard (sells for $16.00 per yard)

Time and Creativity..... PRICELESS

How do you like them apples?

Ciao for now

Ant scuplture inspiration

2011-01-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

I love conversational art.

The unexpected element of......What in the world!!!!

I was inspired by an artist by the name of Joseph Paragine who is responsible for this cool art display at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta Ga.

So began my ant sculpture quest....

They come in all different sizes, What do you think? Is this too big for my living room?

Are you itchy yet?

ahhh hah! Just the right size!

These are little outdoor patio wire ants I purchased at a local hobby and crafts store. They weren't more than a few dollars a piece.

1)I marked the wall where I wanted them

2)I bent the little legs

3) Drilled three to four little holes in the wall where I wanted the legs to go in

and there you have it.

I nestled them in the corner, again, I want that element of .... Surprise!!

I have had many reactions from the heeby jeebees to the shock look on peoples faces.

Ciao for now

pillars and pillars

2010-12-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

We had white pillars everywhere in our house so we decided to give these some glam.

Metallic on a pillar?

Metallic paints can be "loud" on their own, but put a little glaze or stain on them and they say "psss....here I am" without screaming "HERE I AM!!" We loved it so much we did our crown molding as well. I absolutely love the look. You can achieve this same look with many different colors of metallics. hmmmmm.... what can I do with pink metallics? Ciao for now

Red Hot Apothacary chest

2010-12-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

OH NO!!!

What are we to do with this hot mess?

I found this on craigslist. I couldn't wait to get her home and play.

BAM!!!

Slapped some red lipstick on this girl and she is ready to go! This piece was so much fun to paint. I layered and layered paint with special embossing applications (see travertine on our website) then distressed it for some character. I parted with her and it "SOLD" within days. These types of pieces sell for thousands of dollars at the black bamboo in downtown kansas city. That's were my inspiration for this piece came from. Theres' of course are hundreds of years old and have original paints and laquers. But with a little paint and technique those laquer looks can be easily duplicated and save yourself a lot of cash. Ancient Chinese Secret ; ) Ciao for now

It Takes Two To Tango

2010-12-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

We love to dance Tango. The art form is beautiful. The style of Tango we dance is typical of what you would see in Argentina. There is no choreography with Argentine tango, it is all impromptu and is based on the foundation of lead and follow. This is how we met, and the rest is faux finishing... I mean history....

Now this is LOVE....

Take a look at the follow link which shows one of our most favorite tangos:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwmWcTRY6BM Ciao for now

French furniture obsession

2010-12-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

We love French Provincial design.

This hutch we picked up was in need of some love and care. The little girl who owed it wrote every phone number she ever received all over the surface.

Currently it at a store in Leawood, KS called Vintage Market waiting for a new owner to take it home with them

This desk was great find. It matches the hutch above. Black and cream are wonderful together. It's a very classic elegant look See more of the before and afters on our website at: www.kcfauxdesign.com

Crackled Oak Kitchen Table

2010-12-09T07:35:00.000-08:00

This table belongs to a client that wanted me to crackle the top of the table only. The base of the table has beautiful legs with large claw and ball features.

This pictures shows the crackled table top towards the final stages of the project. There are various types of crackle mediums, as many of you know. All of them can be tricky to apply, however, I like to spray them. This allows the cracks to spread out more evenly. If you brush and rolls, it tends to elongate the crackle, which can be seen on our bog header, (the zebra with crackle and glaze). You can see other examples of crackled furniture on our website at: www.kcfauxdesign.com

Room Make Over on a Small Budget

2010-12-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

This was a room that my sister and I decorated for our mother.

My mother is a cross between Peg Bundy and Lucille ball.

And she's gorgeouse!! So we surprised her with a beautifull pink and chocolate color room make-over.

It's an apartment, so we were limited on what we could do with flooring, fixtures and paint but we worked around that.

Like the padded headboard?

It's cardboard covered in padding and rich color fabric.

We were on a very limited budget.I think it's a great example of what we can do with a little imagination and guts.

My sister and I had a lot of fun.

This metallic snake skin table was originally white with ugly flowers.

Now it has sass!

And here is a picture of my mom holding in her hands what she

holds so precious......

Shoes......

awww... a girl after my own heart

She loves her new room !! We love you mommy....

Zebra stripe

2010-12-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

Look up! See the Zebra stripe on the header of the blog?

This is actually a table we hand painted.

We used a crackle finish then glazed it.

I love Zebra stripes! I love them in every shape and every color.

Ok, Look down.......

This is the sad table, which is too classy to be looking like this!!

So we gave her some sass and some class!

Isn't she a beaut!

These sexy legs are finished with a stone pull off, topped with metallic foils and beautifully glazed with a pearlized finish. The ornamental features you see are italian accents that we added for that extra character.

"SOLD"

It was hard to let her go..... She went to a good home in less than 24 hrs.

So were off to our next project

Warm Up Your Mantle

2010-12-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this fire place mantle. We cleaned and prepped with denatured alcohol, sanded it, applied two coats of dark gray primer, and then started our next steps.

This is a great look for any living room. Believe it or not we used two coats of pewter metallic as our base coat, then stippled it with dark brown stain and seal to give it a metalized look

Matching columns flank the other side of the room

Warm Up Your Mantle

2009-04-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

This is an example of how we can take a new construction home and turn it into a custom jewel! Everybody has these stark white mantles. Below is how we used faux finishing to create a warm, rich focal point for the room.

Types of Faux Finishes

2009-04-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

We just completed this look in a dining North of the River in Kansas City, WOW, what difference in the look of the room. Take a look below.

This is the new Tribecca Bronze. A great treatment which can be seen on our website at: http://www.kcfauxdesign.com/ in the Gallery" section on the "Rooms" page. There you will see before and after images to show how these types of finishes can change a room.

Many people are surprised by the different textures we can create. Following are a few examples of finishes we can put on walls, furniture, mantles, you name it!

Interior Design for Any Budget

2009-04-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

My wife is soooo talented....... She can stretch a dime into a million bucks on her worst day. Here is a room she did using foamcore to make panels wrapped in silk fabric. She found both paint and fabric that matched up perfectly. She designed the room, notice the mirrors on the night stands. They are attached to the night stands , so they look like they are floated away from the walls. This room was featured on the HGTV website. This is a project we really enjoyed working on. Our client wanted big style, but had a very limited budget. We were able to deliver a unique look all her own and she could not have been happier with the price!