If you’ve ever wanted your child’s bedroom to look like it’s straight out of a fairy tale, or your living room to look like a southwest sierra, then Fauxscape Studios just may add the color and life you want in your decor.
Kate Kogelman, owner of Fauxscape Studios in Leonard, started her faux painting and mural business 12 years ago after designing a set for a church play.
She had worked in veterinary medicine for the Michigan Humane Society for 10 years and said her gift of painting seemed to just sneak up on her.
‘It was one of those things I kind of just fell into,? she said.
Now Fauxscape Studios is a thriving business, taking her skills to lavish homes out west, the Le Bear Resort in northern Michigan and even into numerous celebrity’s homes.
But Kogelman is still very proud of her work closest to home. She’s revamped the decor in four downtown Oxford businesses, bringing them to life.
The warm yellow indoor bistro-setting at Victoria’s Delights, as well as the window mural behind Bella Casa Interiors, was done by Kogelman and her crew.
More recently, she’s created the colorful Mexican village mural seen on the walls at Casa Real by using photos from a real village.
Kogelman also recently finished the store front decor at Beadifferent Boutique using her style of painting called a drifted glaze on the pillars and archway.
Drifted glaze incorporates any amount of colors together, giving a marbling effect. Tints, stains, metallics and venetian plasters can be put into the glazes to give off multi-dimensional textures.
‘It’s something that’s kind of our signature,? she said. ‘You have to know how the products work together so you don’t have a finish falling off the wall.?
To make sure she’s up to date and certified on her faux painting, Kogelman attends various workshops across the country.
She began her training of faux finish painting in 1996 at the Rocky Mountain Studios and attended a Toronto Painting and Decorative workshop in 1997.
Kogelman continues her advanced studies by taking courses at the Chicago Institute of Faux Finishing and at the world-renowned Decorative Finishes Studio of Martin Alan Hirsch.
‘There’s more to faux finishing than going to Home Depot and taking a class or watching the how-to shows on TV,? she said. ‘It really is an art form in a world of its own.?
Kogelman’s specialties are creating beautiful, real-life looking murals.
She’s turned children’s rooms into jungles and under water seascapes.
She’s even mastered the art of Trompe l’Oeil, French for ‘trick the eye,? which creates the optical illusion that something on the wall actually exists.
Depending on the detail Kogelman’s murals only take three to four days to complete, which is something she and her clients both like. ‘You can only work so long because it’s mentally taxing,? she said.
Helping Kogelman create her masterpieces is one assistant, a couple of paint crews and various designers.But when it comes to the intricate art details and mural work, Kogelman makes sure her ‘hands touch the wall on every project.?
Fauxscape Studios offers in-home consultations for anyone interested in sprucing up their home or business decor. For more info on Fauxscape Studios, visit their website at www.fauxscape.com, or call Kate Kogelman at (248) 628-5703 or (586) 996-2090.