Chroma Lab

Behind the Scenes at This Old House, Pt 2

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a peek at the day we filmed for This Old House and the installation process for the stenciled canvas. It was pretty interesting to see how a tv show is shot, and I'm still amazed that the crew is able to get it all done in the middle of a very busy and very loud construction zone.

We had all of our demo materials set up and ready to go, so Tony and TOH host Kevin O'Connor had a quick rehearsal of what they'd say on camera about the project and the making of the wallcoverings:

The demo segment was shot in three takes, then lighting and tables were set up in another room of the house so we could apply wallpaper paste to the back of the canvas:

Since it was still a crazy construction zone and space was limited, the producer let me watch the camera feed on a small monitor in the kitchen while Tony and Kevin shot scenes:

Thankfully wallpaper paste stays wet for awhile and allows you to peel off the canvas and readjust it, because we had to stop and redo parts of the installation to make sure the director had the shots and audio he wanted. Once the filming was done, we put up the remaining three canvases with the guidance of Mark (in blue), our expert paper hanger. Guys, he's amazing. I peppered him with questions all day about the various materials he's worked with--silk, beaded paper, mural panels--you name it, he's hung it. He truly raises wallpaper hanging to an art form and we really couldn't have done it without him. Thanks, Mark!

Here's Mark cutting out holes for the electricians so they could wire in the sconces:

The first sheet of canvas that goes up on the wall has to be centered top to bottom and left to right; subsequent sheets are aligned with the first sheet in order to continue the pattern seamlessly around the room:

Then the excess canvas is trimmed at the corners with a razor:

Once the canvas was hung and trimmed, we did our little touch ups by hand where necessary:

All told, after the filming, it took about two hours to finish the installation, sponge off the excess paste from the walls, and touch up the paint:

We should be seeing the completed room in the final episode of the season which airs next week. Click here to find out when it's airing on your PBS station. Thanks to the crew at This Old House, the homeowners Becky and Joe Titlow, and the design firm Terrat Elms for bringing us onto this project!

Behind the Scenes at This Old House, Pt 1

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a peek at how we designed and made our custom stenciled wallcovering for This Old House's Bedford project.

The interior designers at Terrat Elms kindly asked us to design a modern wall pattern for a newly constructed powder room that also acknowledged the history and aesthetic of the attached 1720s house. Wall stenciling was one of the earliest and most financially accessible forms of decorative painting in New England during the Colonial period, so I looked into designs that were in use at the time of the house's construction. I found a lot of floral medallion motifs like these:

Reproduction stencils from MB Historic Decor

Early American Wall Stencils in Color

(Sadly, the internet is fairly bereft of early original stencil patterns in situ, but if you're interested in seeing more images, I suggest checking out American Wall Stenciling, 1790-1840.) Typically, the repeating floral medallions were laid out in rows and were surrounded by a lot of negative space and often a stenciled border. To make our design feel more like modern paper, we tightened up the overall layout of the shapes, introduced an interlocking circular motif, and simplified the flower:

After our design was approved by the designers and the homeowners, Joe and Becky, we cut three stencils by hand out of Mylar: a concave diamond shape, a flower, and a small circle. The design is applied to large sheets of solid canvas which are later cut to size to fit the room.

At this point you're probably wondering why we would apply this pattern to canvas rather than directly to the wall, right? The reasons are both historical and aesthetic. Because plaster walls were prone to cracks and easily damaged, canvas was often used to stabilize a wall's surface. Decorative painters of the era stenciled directly over the canvas, and modern decorative painters like us still use the technique because the wallcoverings provide a texture, warmth, and durability that you can't get from mass-produced wallpaper.

Before we were able to start the design, we had to apply a primer to both sides of the canvas to stabilize it and prepare the surface for color (the Prussian blue and wheat yellow, by the way, were selected by the designers because they're historically accurate for the period). The background color is rolled on like you'd paint any wall:

Tony used a ruler to create a carefully measured grid all over the canvas. Using the registration marks from the grid, he lined up the diamond stencil and applied the first layer of the shape with a small roller brush:

The diamond shape is repeated several times until it forms an interlocking design, and then we added a final layer of diamonds inside the negative space:

We then stenciled in the blue flower shape onto each diamond, followed by a circle. As a finishing touch, the small brown dots between the diamonds are Tony's fingerprints. We repeated this process onto four sheets of 5' x 7' canvas, then prepared a sample canvas so Tony could demonstrate the stencil technique on various layers for the show's cameras (see the bottom right section of the photo below):

Tomorrow I'll be posting Part 2, which will show you what went on during the installation and filming for This Old House.

This Old House 'Final Touches'

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Our episode of This Old House: Bedford, 'Final Touches,' is airing now on PBS and online. Click here to find out when to watch Episode 15 on your local station, and click here to see it online now. Skip to minute 4:30 to watch Tony show Kevin O'Connor how we made and installed our stenciled canvas wallcovering for the homeowner's newly constructed powder room. Here's some screencaps I made because I'm a big nerd:

It looks like we'll be seeing the finished room in the final episode next week. I'll be putting together a behind the scenes blog post for tomorrow so you can see the whole process start to finish. Let me know what you think of the episode!

The Beard Show at Aviary

2011-11-30T13:50:00.001-05:00

If you're in Boston (heck, even if you're not), you're invited to come to the opening of The Beard Show at the Aviary Gallery in Jamaica Plain this Thursday from 6-9pm. There's no false advertising--it's a show about beards. Tony (who does have a beard if you were wondering) was asked to participate and painted a reproduction of a Hans Holbein the Younger portrait from 1532:

This bearded dude was in service in Henry VIII's court (hence the livery) and was, inexplicably, a fan of The Watchmen. I hope you'll come see his painting in person if you can. Bonus: If you bring a drawing of Ava, the resident greyhound of Aviary, you'll be entered into a drawing for two early bird tickets for Bazaar Bizarre Boston.

The Next Big Small Brand: Sweet Loren's

2011-11-28T10:35:00.001-05:00

My friend Ricky Ferrer, designer of our (best ever in the whole world) logo, recently worked on a fantastic branding campaign that I want you to see. Rooster Design Group, the firm at which Ricky is a senior designer, runs an annual competition for small brands that need help with identity, packaging, logo, and site design called The Next Big Small Brand (if you have a small business, your design-y senses are tingling already, I know). This year's contest winner was Sweet Loren's, a ready-to-bake dessert company, and will you just look at their new branding?

Amazing, right? Ricky, you old so-and-so. Sweet Loren's should be on the shelf at Whole Foods now, so I'm gonna go pick up some dessert (and like a huge nerd, probably display the box for awhile so I can admire it!). The Next Big Small Brand begins accepting submissions for the 2012 competition starting in January, so if you want to have Ricky and the rest of the team at Rooster Design Group take an expert crack at your branding, you should check it out!

Rewrite by Gam Fratesi

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

When I saw this cave-like desk designed by Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi on Swiss Miss' blog over the weekend, I actually sat up in my chair and looked closer at the screen. I'm declaring it my new ideal desk because it can re-create in my office the only environment I've ever been able to successfully work and write in--a library carrel:

If you're a complete silence, no-distractions-tolerated kind of worker like me, its simple enclosed shape and neutral colors are perfect. And it's also big enough to fit a little bed for a kitty or two to curl up in, because let's face it, they'll want to take it over, anyway. Rewrite is available at Ligne Roset.

Chroma Lab TV

2011-10-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

We've been hinting around for awhile now on Twitter that we have some tv-related news, and here it is: We're going to be on This Old House!

Some weeks back, the interior design firm Terrat Elms asked us to come on board a This Old House venture they were undertaking in Bedford, Mass. The house being renovated dates from 1720 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. I don't talk much on this blog about my enormous nerd love for Revolutionary War-era history, but holy moley, the house once belonged to Nathaniel Page, a standard bearer in the battle of Concord in 1775! The battle flag, which according to every sign in Bedford is the city's crowning glory, remained in the house for a century before it was donated to the local library. It's a fascinating building and thankfully it's being both lovingly preserved and thoughtfully updated by its owners, Rebecca and Joe, and the team at This Old House. For more on the house and the project, check out the site here.

I don't want to give away any surprises, so I'll just say that we've been working on a special project off-site which we'll be installing for the show's filming tomorrow (see if you can find us on the webcams--we'll wave). The season focusing on the Bedford house will be 16 episodes long; you can watch the first three episodes that have already aired here. Our episode probably won't be airing for a few months, but we hope you'll enjoy seeing everything come together before we arrive on the scene. And of course, we'll let you know when it's scheduled and give you a behind the scenes look at how it all happened.

Modern Vases

2011-10-24T10:29:00.003-04:00

These handmade vases are speaking to me through their clean, crisp lines and color. They're saying, "Take me home...no, the cats won't knock me over...."

Red Cross porcelain vase by NestingEmily

Strand Vase by TannerGlass

Half Dipped Porcelain Bottle Trio by SuiteOneStudio

Thank you to Liz Smith of MadeInLowell for sharing TannerGlass on Twitter!

Retiring the Clocks with a Smile

2011-10-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! This is a note to let you know that starting today, we're retiring our clock production. And that's a good thing, honest! We've been contemplating this for some time now and these past few months it's become a complete necessity. We've been extremely fortunate to consistently have more than full-time specialty painting work--so much that we can no longer keep up with clock orders.

We've had a great time making and selling the clocks these three years, and we're incredibly grateful to the many, many customers who now have a little piece of Chroma Lab in their homes, classrooms, and offices. The clocks have provided us with consistent capital to reinvest in our business through items like power tools, shelving and equipment for our studio, and gadgets like the iPad which we use to show clients a huge number of sample panels and images from our portfolio on the go. The clocks have also allowed us to be visible in some wonderful publications like Dwell, House & Home, and Better Homes & Gardens, and we're really proud of those results.

We'll be making and shipping out the final orders we received last week on time, but I'll be removing the clocks from our website soon, and I'll be emptying out the Etsy and Supermarket shops today. Of course, I'll keep our accounts active so I can continue to find great items, chat with friends and buy awesome things (add us to your circle, if you'd like). Tony will also be adding work to his Etsy shop as he makes it in his free time. In the meantime, we're excited to continue growing our specialty painting business here in Boston, blogging about colorful stuff, and meeting great people both online and in person. Thanks so much for supporting us and we can't wait to show you more of our work moving forward!

And now back to our irregularly scheduled rainbow fest.

Paintings by Yangyang Pan

2011-10-04T12:15:00.000-04:00

I stopped in my internet tracks when I saw these beautiful giclee prints of paintings by Yangyang Pan. These are just the kind of color palettes that make me happy to see every day and would easily inspire an entire room:

Sunlight

7 pm

Orchid Garden

Warm in Winter

The artist studied painting and design in China but is currently working out of Markham, Ontario. Visit her Etsy shop Siiso to pick up a print and bask in their warmth, and see more of her work on her portfolio site.

Blue Gingham Walls

2011-09-30T12:46:00.000-04:00

I just came across this painted gingham dining room on House and Home's website:

Gingham is traditional pattern but it can easily go modern when you play with a larger scale and choose a bold color. Tony and I would love to take on a project like this in someone's home because we've run out of walls in our own--just throwing it out there!

Vibrant Rugs by Sonya Winner

2011-09-28T15:03:00.000-04:00

With three cats and a dog, we've simply given up on the idea of having rugs in our house. I guess that's what I find so many I can't live without, like nearly every single design by Sonya Winner:

Are you holding your breath yet? It looks like there's a signature in some of her rugs, which is fitting for the works of art that they are. Everyone else can stop making rugs now, I think Sonya's got it, thanks.

Right Round

2011-09-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

I've been seeing a lot of circle-shaped housewares that are really appealing to me. Captain's mirrors seem to be having a surge of popularity, but I don't use mirrors much. These would be more functional for me:

Vintage Mid-Century Black Metal Magazine Rack

Blackwood Circle Shelf

Round Chalkboard with Bamboo Tray

The chalkboard is on my "must buy" list. What's on yours?

New Work by Tony at Jamaica Plain Open Studios

2011-09-23T14:40:00.001-04:00

Tony, along with other Boston-based artists, will be showing new work at the Aviary gallery for this weekend's 18th annual Jamaica Plain Open Studios. If you're in JP, stop by the gallery at 48 South Street from 11 am to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday to view and buy original oil paintings, drawings, and digital prints like these:

R2-D2 with Crystal

Skull Study with Cube

Miss

Fool's Gold

Ghost Mask

We just did a major update to Tony's Etsy shop, so if you can't make it to Aviary this weekend, you can buy online. Hope to see you either way!

Pendant Lamps by Studio Snowpuppe

2011-09-21T12:42:00.000-04:00

Nellianna and Kenneth, an architect and an industrial designer respectively, make beautiful paper origami pendant lamps by hand in the Netherlands under the name Studio Snowpuppe (I'm not sure what a snowpuppe is, but I'm sure that I want one). The lamps are fascinating to look at from all angles, making them perfectly suited for installation over a dining table or a seating area in the living room. Of their three available designs, here are my two favorites:

Signature White Paper Origami Lampshade, size XL

Chestnut Paper Origami Lampshade in Yellow, size S

The Chestnut lamps also come in pink, grey, and white, and they're all available on Nellianna's Etsy shop.

Felt and Gravity by Amy Hunting

2011-09-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

I spotted yet more rainbow-y furniture recently on the always fantastic Shoebox Dwelling blog. These Felt and Gravity pieces are by London-based product designer Amy Hunting:

You could store any number of things in the super-saturated felt pockets of these tables and sideboards and still have an overall look that's colorful and neatly pulled together. Also awesome is Hunting's Ottoman design, which features hand printed fabric covered in Norwegian motifs:

See more photos of the Felt and Gravity series on Shoebox Dwelling and Amy Hunting's site.

Pebble Table by Nada Debs

2011-09-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

This Pebble Table, designed by RISD graduate Nada Debs, really caught my eye in the September/October issue of New England Home:

It's easy to see why, right? I love the clean lines, the modular style that can be rearranged in any space, and the candy colors table tops that can be changed around. That means if you have--ahem--a compulsion to put things in rainbow order, you can easily satisfy that need (clearly Debs is a designer who understands the rainbow-impaired). The table is available in other finishes, but lots of color just makes me smile.

Chroma Lab in Design*Sponge at Home

2011-09-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

We were delighted to learn that our "Deep Sea Dresser" was included in the recently released book Design*Sponge at Home. Grace Bonney and Co. contacted us back when the book was first being put together in 2009 and asked if we wanted to be involved (of course, we said yes), but we didn't realize we made the final cut until a few days ago. Many thanks to our friend Laurie for alerting us!

I got my copy over the weekend and I must say, it's a gem of a book that will take many days to read through and absorb. The book's layout by ALSO Design is fantastic, and a few of the sneak peek house tours finally inspired Tony and I to stop dithering and pick a new paint color for our living room (Ben Moore's China Blue). If you've taken a look at the book, I'd love to know what you think, and if you haven't yet, I hope you'll get your copy soon.

Singing the Vintage Blues (And Yellows, Etc.)

2011-09-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

I don't spend a lot of time looking for vintage housewares online because our apartment is full already and I'm almost always too late. I see it, it's sold, and I'm left crying in my cornflakes. But this vintage yellow lamp, my friends, is still available!

Vintage Clip Light from EarthSeaWarrior

Design a Custom Lamp Kit from EarthSeaWarrior

Ursula, the EarthSeaWarrior shop owner, also sells a put-a-pendant-light-together-yourself package that includes a cord in the color/design of your choice, a fixture and a bulb. I'm pretty sure I posted this kit before, but what the heck. It bears repeating and I just can't resist a rainbow of options.

Colorful Bookstores

2011-07-22T09:00:00.002-04:00

This article from Flavorwire featuring unique bookstores contains two complete architectural gems. Poplar Kid's Republic bookstore in Beijing features rainbows in the ceiling (their site is super rainbow-y, too):

And the Livaria da Vila in Sao Paulo is a knock out:

Amazon.com can't do that, now can it?

Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Fundraiser Auction

2011-07-11T09:00:00.003-04:00

Some of you may already be familiar with what I consider, indisputably, the Best Blog on the Internet: the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee. Laurie Cinotto, author and Martha Stewart craft staff favorite, devotes her free time to fostering kittens in the Tacoma, WA area, photographing the kittens as they get ready to be adopted from her nest. Laurie and her foster partner Kim raised our kitty Maddie:

Photo by Laurie

Enough said, right? They are experts at turning out healthy, happy, cutest-ever kittens and finding them perfect families. For the third consecutive year, Laurie and the IBKC community are participating in a fundraiser for her shelter partner, the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County. The IBKC team has raised--wait for it--over $71,000 in the last two years for cats and kittens at the shelter. $71,000! All the money raised goes straight to the cats for food, vaccines, bathing supplies, adoption, spaying/neutering, and to two special funds for senior cats and foster kittens. The shelter has also been able to build a new quarantine facility largely because of the IBKC's funds. Isn't that incredible?

This year's goal is $50,000 and we're about 70% to the total as of today. To help with the fundraising, we donated a Red Petal clock to auction off on eBay:

The auction ends today around 4, so hop on over and bid if you'd like to support the IBKC and get one of our clocks. View the clock auction here, and check out other items that will also benefit the IBKC here. If you'd like to make a tax deductible donation to the IBKC fundraiser and check the progress towards the goal, see the team's page here. I hope you will donate and enjoy the IBKC like so many others do every day!

Update: The auction has closed and the clock was sold for $139.50!

Cy Twombly 1928-2011

2011-07-08T09:00:00.002-04:00

The great American painter Cy Twombly died Tuesday. I don't know a single painter that doesn't count him as an influence, and it was always a pleasure for me to study Twombly's work as an art historian. In 1995, in my hometown of Houston, the Menil Collection opened a Renzo Piano-designed gallery devoted to Twombly's work. I urge you to visit if you get the opportunity. It's typically very quiet and is a wonderful place to just sit with a representative collection of the artist's beautiful work:

UM Project by François Chambard

2011-07-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

On sale today through Thursday at Fab.com are some delightful furniture pieces from François Chambard's Brooklyn-based UM Project (that's UM for Users and Makers). My favorites, surprising no one, are the Milking Stools and Candy tables for their colorful finishes and pleasantly rounded legs:

Last week our studiomate Nick was kind enough to trade space and help us expand our studio, so we have a nicer space than we did before. But dang, based on the pictures on UM's site, I've got some studio envy in addition to colorful furniture envy!

Boon Inc.

2011-06-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

Have you seen the drying racks by Boon Inc. that look like patches of bright green grass? I use one in my office as a holder for bits of paper I need to keep on hand, like invites (and, full granny disclosure, coupons):
Boon is now making a larger size of the Grass rack, called Lawn, of course. We have a super colorful kitchen, so this would fit right in and be a lot more fun than the standard wire rack we have now:
Boon makes a lot of rad, design-forward gear for babies, but there's a subset of the so-called adult population who have similar needs. Some adults, possibly me, need to carry snack foods at all times in a snack ball:
I draw the line at a sippy cup, but this is definitely the coolest sippy cup ever, right?:

Move over, babies, I'm coming to get your stuff. Thanks to Chez Larsson for mentioning the new drying rack on her always-inspiring blog.

Congrats, New York

2011-06-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

What print could better represent the happiness and pride of so many people after New York State Senate's legalization of gay marriage last Friday?

Be Positive print by I Love Doodle

Congrats, New York, and welcome to the club. Here's hoping it becomes less and less exclusive.