Billet Collins

Murals - Not Just Landscapes

2011-08-03T08:30:00.001-04:00

When I tell someone that Billet Collins is a decorative painting studio, I usually give them a list of things we paint (it's a looong list). "Murals" is the one item that really makes it click for them.

The term "mural" refers to any style of painting either directly on the wall or on canvas that is then applied to an architectural surface. A landscape mural is usually what comes to mind first, but any image will do: think of lyrical, organic vines and birds, or graphic designs like the Cinema mural below.

Updating the murals at The Birchmere

Cinema Mural and layout drawings by Roberta Marovelli

Layout drawing for Chart Mural

(Special thanks to Roberta Marovelli for sharing images from her personal portfolio. And thanks to our designers Missy Walsh, Fiona Weeks, Lisa Vandenburgh, and Susan Pilchard for bringing decorative painting to their projects.)

DC Design House 2011

2011-04-07T15:20:00.013-04:00

Our 10th showhouse in 15 years! This year we were invited to work with Liz Levin Interiors who jump started us with her design plans for the foyer, with a great rug and chandelier, aome pattern thoughts and then let us "do our thing"!

We're big fans of the rhythm and flow found in a hand painted pattern, this time pumped up for a more contemporary energy in the foyer that was originally pretty dull and lifeless. Subtle color and energetic patterning is respectful to the architecture of the room, centering over doorways and repeating evenly over each wall. A lot of brain-bender math, but well worth it!

We're known for our color and pattern expertise here at Billet Collins and selected Farrow and Ball's Skimming Stone and Cornforth White for the perfect contrast. We got Liz just the shimmer she was looking for by painting the pattern with a higher sheen than the background color.

As you flow through the room into the rest of the house notice the "wabi sabi" aesthetic or beauty of the hand made and know that every inch of the room was lovingly hand painted wit the intention of creating a space that draws you further into the home.

DC Design House benefits Children's National Medical Center.

Opens April 9th through May 8th.

3134 Elicott Street, NW

Washington, DC

The Whirlwind at DC Design House

2010-02-19T19:30:00.021-05:00

Whoo-wee! All showhouses are a little crazy, but this is getting rediculous! I get a phone call from my partner, Barbara (otherwise known as Mom) that she's quitting a "little early" because her paint is literally about to blow right off the edge of the scaffolding she's barely hanging on to in a spring thunder storm. I can't really hear her because of the crashing thunder and gale force winds, but I'm sure it will be all right. We always finish a project on time.

Now, I want you to remember this when you look up at our glazed ceiling in Andrew Law's outdoor porch at the DC Design House. Oh, it's all glamour when you get there, Andrew's spaces are always impeccable with all the right details, the candles lit, the flowers arranged; and just the right room layout with three doorways and a stair to the gardens. So you would never know the work that goes into these projects!

You have to remember this house is over 100 years old and needed a little loving before the top designers in our region got their hands on it. I'm hoping you all saw the before pictures from Bare Bones day. Did anyone see the master bedroom? Sally Steponkus generously worked her magic in there (and I do mean magic). It went from startling red walls and black carpeting, to subdued creams and little blue.

Sally (very cleverly, I thought) agreed to let us have our way with the built-ins which were straight from the 80's and stuck out like a sore thumb. A little glaze, some lovely handwork and voila! A pretty piece of furniture with some classic charm and style. Tucked behind that great mantle is more Billet Collins handiwork in the form of a faux stone firebox.

So remember all the hours spent, the imagination and the people who made this historic home a work of art...And say hello to the Eagle for us!

For a sneak peak, check out these two blogs: Apartment Therapy and DC by Design.

Valentines for Haiti

2010-01-20T16:31:00.019-05:00

While making our Valentines this year I had my mind on the disaster efforts in Haiti. There is so much devastation there that my donation seemed so small! But, I realized I had something to offer through my artwork so I made these cards for Haiti.

The design for the card was inspired by a traditional Haitian symbol for love which can be used for Valentine's Day, or simply as personal stationery. Each card is hand painted with Erzulie, the symbol of love, and printed on the back tells the story of how the donation for these cards will benefit the relief efforts in Haiti.

Please support the help and rescue efforts by purchasing these Valentines. 100% of all proceeds go directly to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

Donation: $10 for a set of 6 cards

Click on the "Donate" button on the right to pay by credit card through PayPal and enter your shipping address. If you have trouble with this, contact me directly at Kellie@BilletCollins.com or 301-670-5550.

Floorcloths - Design Solutions for Under the Table

2010-01-06T15:41:00.012-05:00

Yay! Spaces Magazine featured one of our custom painted canvas floorcloths on the cover of the January issue! If you don't know about canvas floorcloths, you should. They are a design blessing for under tables and other high traffic areas like kitchens and hallways. They wear like iron, clean with soap and water and can be resealed or even repainted as often as you like.

We like to use an especially heavy weight of 100% cotton canvas that is heavy enough not to roll at the corners and can withstand a great deal of traffic. Floorcloths are sealed with a minimum of 2 layers of acrylic sealant which protects the rug while still allowing for some flexibilty.

The fun part is the the design of course! Some of our patterns are inspired by historic rugs or taken from the fabrics or design elements in the room. What about a momento from your recent travels? Hand painted along the border on the rug (see top) are the names of the cities one family had visited on a vacation.

You can do any size or shape. This Neoclassic inspired rug was designed and hemmed in a round shape for under a round table. The canvas is smooth enough to let chairs glide across the surface, more like a wood floor. Spills are easily wiped up with soap and water.

And don't forget the hard wearing rug in front of your sink or hallway. A nice way to add color and pattern in your style and palette.

Thanks Ava's Choice!

2009-10-19T12:04:00.003-04:00

The design selection team at Ava Living chose one of our rooms for Ava's Choice this week! This room was a great project, and seems to really resonate with a lot of people. It was also chosen as the award winner with Spaces Magazine this year. The room had a lot of great energy with all the patterns and colors. I loved the fact that most of it was hand made and hand painted. Somehow the energy that comes from something hand made is so much more powerful that something that is machine made! Go wabi sabi!

Beautiful Day at the Studio

2009-10-13T15:48:00.008-04:00

Isn't today beautiful! This is the studio where I get to work every day. How lucky am I? I can hear the wind blowing the dry fall leaves. They're just starting to get some color and turn the studio a lovely golden hue.

Potomac Day Demonstrations

2009-10-12T16:01:00.004-04:00

Get ready for holiday entertaining with faux finishes and hand painted patterns! From invitations to hostess gifts, and holiday decorating tips to table top ideas. Join Billet Collins in front of our friends at Strosniders for demonstrations to make your next party one-of-a-kind. We'll be working on ideas like:

Wall finishes and patterns
Hand painted table linens
One-of-a-kind invitations

Don't forget to bring your fabric swatches and color questions for some quick answers from award winning designer and color expert, Barbara Billet.

Potomac Day in Potomac Village, Maryland
Saturday, October 24th
11:00 - 3:00

Fabulous Foyer Floors

2009-09-18T16:42:00.013-04:00

Hand painted foyer floors have always been a favorite for me. They add so much interest and presence to a space that is the introduction to your home. This foyer was painted for Skip Sroka's house and published with Traditional Home.

This pattern was more of a round medallion in the foyer. The scale was what really made it fun and interesting. Lisa Vandenburgh was the designer on this one. Lovely.

Intense pattern, what we call an Octagonal Key pattern. The room was actually an octagon which made it all the better design choice. We entered this into a competition with ASID and won Grand Prize!

Circle makes a square, another Sroka job. It's always a lot of fun to work out the math and the layout for these patterns. We make sure that the repeat starts and ends "on a whole" so there isn't a sense that the design runs off, but was made especially for that room, which it was!

Painted Fabrics as art

2009-08-31T14:20:00.022-04:00

This is a dupione silk (I love the way it shimmers) hand painted with a koi pattern. Hand painted fabrics are like artwork to me. There is a certain soul you can't duplicate with machine made patterns. I'm the kind of person who likes everything in the house to be custom made: crusty bread, my wedding dress, personal stationery and wall finishes. There is something so much more interesting to a hand made piece.

Hand painted fabrics can go anywhere. Think about table linens, napkins, and table runners. We've done outdoor fabrics with accent pillows and umbrellas. How about inside window treatments, upholstered chairs, pillows, and slipcovers. Don't forget the bedroom! Bed linens, duvet covers, all washable, durable and beautiful.

Faux finishes

2009-08-30T16:18:00.001-04:00

A faux finish can make such a difference in a room. Sometimes we use it to completely dominate the design of a space, like with a painted floor in a foyer. But what I like more is when it is used as a detail to make a room sparkle. Like a bamboo finish in the back of a bookcase that compliments the bamboo blinds. Or the wonderful sheen of a venetian plaster in a dining room that glows with candlelight. Or here in the photo above with the troweled metallic glaze in a two story foyer, reminds you to look up!

Design a Quilt Square

2009-08-28T16:36:00.005-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

I got a great email from the Textile Museum today. They're inviting all students, artists and visitors to participate in a really great project.

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities presents The American Quilt 2009: An American Masterpiece, in partnership with The Textile Museum. They ask taht you uplaod your design ideas for a quilt square that will be crafted into a community quilt and hung at the Textile Musuem. Way to bring the neighborhood together!

Make it your own with custom finishes

2009-08-19T16:21:00.022-04:00

We love this house! We were in here many years ago when it was originally designed (and published in Architectural Digest, what a compliment!). And now a new family has moved in and wants to put their mark on it to make it their home. Some major new construction (what else would you call installing an indoor basketball court?) and some minor changes to paint, color and pattern. That's where we come in.

The dining room is a beauty with the custom mural. Sometimes painted on canvas, in this case painted directly on the wall. The homeowner had us include a few personal touches like images of her children. The kids loved watching that go up!

Walls inspired by Charlotte Moss. These limestone blocks are actually painted in tones hinting at the bottle blues and stone greys in the house. A great techinique for a large space like this foyer. Something on the walls without being too much.

Fretwork is so hot right now. We painted below the chair rail with a honeycomb fretwork pattern. The homeowner had great artwork of knot garden designs, nice relationship in the patterns.

Green! Great color. This family room is over the basketball court, so it's pretty big. The color brings down the size nicely and gives it a friendly feel. Strie finish on the walls keeps a strong linear quality to the space too.

Do you see the pop of orange in the mirror? Great technique, that pop of color really annimates the space.

Finally, the music room. We designed the wall finish to be similar to the crewel drapery pattern, but not "matchy matchy". The pattern was stenciled up and then hand shadowed. The great shadow brought in the stone color from the fireplace.

Sisal Rugs

2009-08-11T13:40:00.004-04:00

Hand painted sisal is the hot ticket at the WCD Design House this season. We'll be designing and painting a chunky pattern along the border that will bring the room's colors and design elements together. Sisal is a great natural fiber rug that accepts paint nicely. Patterns can be graphic or organic and soft like in the photo above. Check out the scrolling samples on the right for more photos.

WDC Design House 2009

2009-08-07T12:55:00.011-04:00

We're getting ready for the Fall Design House at the Washington Design Center. This year we'll be working with Tydings Design in the living room, a space inspired by one of DC's most chic neighborhoods, Kalorama. Tydings has called in Billet Collins to design and hand paint the sisal rug. A natural fiber, sisal takes paint and patterns beautifully and wears just as well. Our design incorporates the colors and patterns already in the room for a cohesive and unique style.

Painted Kitchen Cabinets

2009-07-24T14:12:00.006-04:00

"Despite the precision of modern appliances and technology, it is important to incorporate the hand, and remind the eye of the individual," says the designer, referring to hand-painted fabrics, glazed custom-made cabinetry, stenciled crown moldings and the paintings hanging on the walls.

Here is the link for the rest of the story from Trends Ideas.

http://trendsideas.com/ViewArticle.aspx?article=10577&region=4&topic=13

Decorative painting vacations

2009-07-12T15:51:00.006-04:00

Why not stay local to the DC area and take a look at some of the great museums and commercial spaces we have to offer? Billet Collins has worked on several of these during the renovation and design stage. Here are the links to their sites:

Image by edwhitaker via Flickr

Lincoln Cottage http://www.lincolncottage.org/index.htm An amazing project with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Oakwood Restoration. They had uncovered some original faux bois of white oak that we were asked to duplicate. We woodgrained the trim and doors of the first floor and stairway.

Image by glass window via Flickr

Decatur House

http://www.decaturhouse.org/ Another Historic Preservation job with Oakwood Restoration. We worked on the the foyer floors which had been painted over a century before and had to be removed during the renovation process.

Image by thomwatson via Flickr

Hillwood Museum

http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org/. What a fantastic home and such beautiful gardens! We cleaned up and duplicated much of the original decorative painting which had worn over the years.

Tiny Jewel Box
http://www.tinyjewelbox.com/ Check this store out for some of the best jewelry designs as well as award winning retail design.

Award Reception with Spaces Magazine

2009-06-27T21:38:00.011-04:00

So much fun! Spaces Magazine hosted a reception for the winners of the Best of Interior Design competition at Mortons Steak House last week. Their blog shows pics of the guests and award winners including Whitney Stewart, L&M Designs, Custom Design Concepts, ColePrevost, Whitney Stewart and us! http://www.washingtonspaces.com/blog/ That's Heather Heider presenting the award to Barbara and me. Love Mom's big smile! My big head is blocking Trish Donnally who so kindly announced the awards and Mary Sue Jedele was there also, who has to be credited for signing us up for our very first series of advertisements...ever!

Mimosa

2009-06-11T21:50:00.001-04:00

Pantone's color for 2009 is "Mimosa". So for my brunch this weekend why not make some? My favorite Mimosa recipe includes a splash of Grand Marnier. Sunshine in a champagne flute, Good Morning!

Welcome!

2009-06-08T15:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my first post! Please excuse any bumps that may occur!

Billet Collins is a full service decorative painting studio with a boutique philosophy. Our recipe for success is full service: starting with the base painting, heavy on the decorative painted finishes and patterns, and a squeeze of interior design. Stir in a lot of customer service and there you have it: Billet Collins! Check out our website for our online portfolio, http://www.billetcollins.com/