Decorators have lots of tricks up their sleeves and decorative painting is a big one. When it comes to creating rooms that feel layered and atmospheric, and most importantly, like they’ve always been that way, faux finishes are key. We utilize some sort of decorative painting on almost every project we work on — from subtle colored stries and murals on walls to light reflecting silver leafing and lacquers on ceilings. On an apartment in Tribeca, we recently used a venetian plaster finish on the walls throughout the public areas of the home with a white gold leaf strie lacquered ceiling in the hallway. The walls now have a magnificent glow day and night and the reflective ceiling is the perfect foil for the white plaster shell form hanging light fixtures.