By Lauren Tyda | Photography by Steve Craft
As a decorative painter who works with Valley interior designers and homeowners, Anna Sadler is no stranger to receiving grandiose requests. Whether it’s a bedazzled wall, hand-painted fabric, a fancifully festooned ceiling, a graphic fireplace or draperies flecked with gold-leaf brushstrokes, Sadler can transform ordinary surfaces into crown jewels that rival the beauty of any art on canvas.
“People often imagine that what we do is akin to rolling paint,” she says. “They don’t realize that the complexity and depth of our hand-applied finishes is the result of multiple layers and dry times in between.” Together with her husband, Scott, Sadler has tackled hundreds of residential projects, from great rooms and nurseries to kitchens and foyers—and has even dabbled in creating highly detailed antiqued mirrors.
“I like to compare the process of our work to a theatrical performance,” she explains, tracing the path from the “audition” with the homeowners to the final act, the big reveal. “Either way, we’re going for that Tony Award and, if we’re lucky, an encore.”
Old Meets New
Ornamental painting has grown up since the days of sponged, stippled walls and faux French farmhouses. Here are five trends Sadler has observed.
- Organic, softer and more matte. Instead of the waxed Venetian plasters in deep golds and dark colors found in many ’90s homes, Sadler says homeowners and designers are requesting “subtle, sophisticated movement and organic, eco-friendly, mineral-based plaster.”
- Fabrics and focal walls. “We are seeing contemporary textural linen- and grass cloth-type finishes. There is also a high demand for focal walls, versus entire rooms. Less is more, and it makes a huge impact and can add a real ‘wow’ factor to a room.”
- Walls as canvases. Among the Sadlers’ requests are abstract art walls, geometric patterns, concrete plasters, textural plasters, overscale florals, large geode-type finishes and finishes inspired by high-end wallcoverings.
- Gilded surfaces. “I am receiving more requests for gold leafing,” the designer notes. “When done properly, it is so timeless and elegant.”
- Eco-friendly. “We abandoned working with anything harsh or toxic years ago. Today, we have so many green products in our numerous plasters. Everything we use is water- and mineral-based instead of oil-based.”
SOURCES
Anna and Scott Sadler, Surface Refinements, Scottsdale, (480) 313-3191.
