The Interior Design Move That Adds Luxury And Always Gets Noticed
Our experts’ advice: Spring for soft colour in a glossy finish on your ceiling.
Our experts’ advice: Spring for soft colour in a glossy finish on your ceiling.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING to put a room’s décor over the top, lacquer up, say interior design pros. The multi-layered technique yields a mirror-like finish, and when applied to a ceiling, says interior designer Mary Beth Wagner, it brings dynamism and texture to the space. “People notice an interesting detail above because, for the most part, there usually isn’t one,” said the Dallas, Texas, pro. “Most ceilings are white.” Here, Mrs. Wagner and other interiors experts weigh in on what the design move entails, and why you should consider it.
The Appeal: If you want to elevate a space and brim with decorating confidence, says Mrs. Wagner, look to your ceiling, a surface typically taken for granted. In the coming months, the designer plans to coat the ceiling of a client’s dining room in a deep-blue lacquer, with walls of pale blue Venetian plaster. As afternoons wind down in the Lexington, Ky., home of Matthew Carter, the interior designer admires the sinking sun’s reflections on the “fifth wall” of his recently repainted living room, the lacquered ceiling shown right. “It’s a little bit of drama,” he said. Mr. Carter had lived for a year with matte pink overhead, and though he loved the pale hue, “it needed a pick-me-up.” So he colour-matched the existing shade to a Fine Paints of Europe hyper-gloss (similar in colour to Farrow & Ball’s Pink Ground). Its reflective sheen conferred glamour on the entire room. “Everyone comments on it,” he said.
New York City-based interior designer Elizabeth Bolognino lacquered a barely-there peach onto the ceiling of her client’s Manhattan dining room. The impact floored her. “It’s not a bright colour,” she said. “It’s more of this curious little accent, but it plays a big role.”
Both designers wax lyrical about lacquer’s mirroring prowess. During the day, reflections stretch and bend; come evening, flickers of candle- and lamplight sparkle back reflectively. Even wall art gets a boost, said Mr. Carter. “Lacquer enhances the room as a whole and makes you more aware of the backgrounds,” he said, letting art pop.
The Tips: Also known as an automotive or museum finish, true lacquer isn’t an easy fix. But the many-layered process of repeated sanding and polishing pays off. When fully cured, “it looks like glass,” Ms. Bolognino said, watery and gleaming. The technique yields more depth and “wow” than simple high-gloss paint does, said Mr. Carter, noting that some find the effect addictive. If you’re tempted to douse a whole room in the shine, stand down, he says: “It can be too much of a good thing.” Besides, it’s the contrast of painted plaster and a glossy sheen that heightens the effect.
For a larger ceiling, try an uplifting but non-oppressive pale blue, shell pink or ivory lacquer, counsels Mr. Carter. If you want to start small, consider the ceiling of a jewel-box room—a foyer bath or a hidden-away butler’s pantry. In tighter quarters, even an emerald green or saturated yellow won’t overwhelm, he adds.
The Caveats: “There is definitely a price to be paid,” conceded Ms. Bolognino. Applying a lacquer finish is an endeavour best left to a professional. In the Midwest, a 12×15 ceiling will set you back approx. $9300 (or approx. $51 a square foot), reports Mike Foley, of Chicago’s DiVinci Painters. Prices are even steeper on the coasts, he says, averaging around $90 a square foot versus $1.50 for matte. Expect mess and a few weeks of fumes. “Generally speaking, most people tolerate it well when site protection is utilised,” Mr. Foley said, referring to dust- and fume-collecting machines, among other precautions. Fortunately, most people who opt for the specialty finish ultimately feel it’s well worth the cost and tussle, said Mrs. Wagner: “It’s a conversation starter.”
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
Excluding the Covid-19 pandemic period, annual growth was the lowest since 1992
Australia’s commodity-rich economy recorded its weakest growth momentum since the early 1990s in the second quarter, as consumers and businesses continued to feel the impact of high interest rates, with little expectation of a reprieve from the Reserve Bank of Australia in the near term.
The economy grew 0.2% in the second quarter from the first, with annual growth running at 1.0%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday. The results were in line with market expectations.
It was the 11th consecutive quarter of growth, although the economy slowed sharply over the year to June 30, the ABS said.
Excluding the Covid-19 pandemic period, annual growth was the lowest since 1992, the year that included a gradual recovery from a recession in 1991.
The economy remained in a deep per capita recession, with gross domestic product per capita falling 0.4% from the previous quarter, a sixth consecutive quarterly fall, the ABS said.
A big area of weakness in the economy was household spending, which fell 0.2% from the first quarter, detracting 0.1 percentage point from GDP growth.
On a yearly basis, consumption growth came in at just 0.5% in the second quarter, well below the 1.1% figure the RBA had expected, and was broad-based.
The soft growth report comes as the RBA continues to warn that inflation remains stubbornly high, ruling out near-term interest-rate cuts.
RBA Gov. Michele Bullock said last month that near-term rate cuts aren’t being considered.
Money markets have priced in a cut at the end of this year, while most economists expect that the RBA will stand pat until early 2025.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has warned this week that high interest rates are “smashing the economy.”
Still, with income tax cuts delivered at the start of July, there are some expectations that consumers will be in a better position to spend in the third quarter, reviving the economy to some degree.
“Output has now grown at 0.2% for three consecutive quarters now. That leaves little doubt that the economy is growing well below potential,” said Abhijit Surya, economist at Capital Economics.
“But if activity does continue to disappoint, the RBA could well cut interest rates sooner,” Surya added.
Government spending rose 1.4% over the quarter, due in part to strength in social-benefits programs for health services, the ABS said.
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.