San Diego's best faux finishing experts! We offer all kinds of custom painting, tuscan plaster, concrete staining, plastering, Italian style finished and much more!

View more work: Interiors | Residential | Commercial

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DECORATIVE PAINTING

Humans have decoratively painted the walls of their surroundings since prehistoric time. The first artists used pigments extracted from the earth's resources to produce paint used to depict tribal rituals.

Decorative painting can be found in Egyptian tombs, in Greek and Roman murals and frescoes, and as religious iconography in the castles and churches of the Middle Ages.

The coming of the Renaissance brought glamorous Italian frescoes by such luminaries as Raphael, Michelangelo, and daVinci. Funded by European aristocracy, painters of the 17th century began to perfect the techniques of gilding, marbleizing, and tromp l'oeil.

The Palace of Versailles is one of the most stunning examples of this time. Interest in decorative painting accelerated during the 19th century as the middle and upper classes yearned to lavishly decorate their homes.

The popularity of decorative painting has continued to grow throughout the 20th century, from the earlier interiors of homes, to both interiors and exteriors of offices and retail businesses. Today, some form of decorative painting exists in virtually every home and business.

WHAT ARE FAUX FINISHES?

The term faux is French for "false" or false finishes. With a variety of techniques and tools, one can create endless texures such as brick, stone, granite, marble, and wood. Styles can be traditional, contemporary, European, Asian, or any combination. These finishes are durable as well as luxurious.

WHY SO POPULAR?

Decorative painting techniques are affordable and inexpensive relative to original materials such as colored plaster, fine woods, polished marbles, and stonework. The prevalence of faux is due to the easily available materials and readily available classes for the general public about faux finishing.

The most wonderful feature about faux finishing is that one can change what has been done or add new changes with a simple fresh layer of paint!

AVANT PALETTE INVITES YOU TO DISCOVER THE WORLD OF FAUX.

Celebrities, sports figures (including San Diego Chargers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers), designers, architects, and the government are among the many clients who have commissioned Avant Palette to add WOW to their personal and business environments.

General painting and maintenance are available. We can also WOW you with our service and professionalism if you merely need a “regular” paint job or any type of painting maintenance.

Since starting out in San Diego and Colorado in 1995, Avant Palette has become the U.S.’s premier finishing company, featured in numerous publications. Principal Margarette Johannes is a master-taught artist with a fine arts degree from UCSD who is also LEEP AP certified. She and her team are the creme de la creme of faux finishers…excited about customizing and adding value to your environment. We've got your WOW FACTOR!