Hi Friends! Lots of excitement on the horizon both in work and in life. I am having to gear back into the wedding planning mode as my baby girl Sammy’s big day is just around the corner. We made all the initial plans last year, have all the vendors secured and now are having fun with all the details!

Work has been just as exciting! One of our favorite homes to date is with designer extraordinaire Kara Childress for a long time client with a vision. Meeting at the planning stage, this Belgium inspired design was to incorporate natural elements that seamlessly blended one onto the other, accentuating the home’s architecture. The Segretostone counters, plastered walls, ceilings, showers and slurried stone, are effortless complements to the reclaimed beams, flooring and cabinetry. Her interior plaster finishes bring the whole project together.

Europeans have plastered showers for years, but have a different viewpoint on age. Living with cracked, stained and obvious repairs on their century-old surfaces are commonplace. In the US, we crave the look but like things a bit more pristine. With countless hours of testing and research, we feel we have developed a system that will lessen the effect of wear and tear to interior plaster finishes in a shower. Using a beautiful natural stone for an accent wall, a floating bench over the drain and backlit walls, this was quite a collaborative effort with Byer Builders.

The efforts were well worth it, as this seamless design is such a calming organic feel without the multitude of grout lines that tile creates. We love to learn and do the very best for our clients, which is why we take time to study the best ways to go about installing interior plaster finishes. I am proud of my Segreto Team who went above and beyond to ensure this client with a vision was able to achieve the look he loves!

These are some samples for a different client who encouraged their kids to select phrases that would be personal and inspiring to them. We are going to paint them on their walls! So cool!!

The warehouse has had a flux of new pieces they are trying to get out. It gave me great joy seeing them literally whistling while they worked! Look to the back at the long looking painting in front of the window. Imagine that painting on a dining room ceiling or powder bath walls!

We refinish a lot of painted finishes but also can transform the look of a stained piece. The homeowner called us in to see if we could paint her dark coffee table. The wood was beautiful, so I suggested stripping, bleaching and finishing it to look more natural. She was all in!

What a difference. I didn’t even notice all the character of the wood when it was dark.

You can see how large the table is. The lighter more natural look really brightens up the space and gives an eased elegance to the room.

Stripping and bleaching are not just for furnishings. Nest & Cot totally transformed the look of these very dark floors by using a similar technique. Floor Designs of Houston did an amazing job! Segreto’s part. Segreto Paint was used throughout the entire home and became the transition color dividing the different floors. One of my favorite combinations. The walls are Kempwood and trim, Radiant Oyster.

If you don’t have inlaid floors but love the ideas of a design, a graphic can be created using stain or paint. Designer Cindi Graham, wanted a three-toned stained design to really set off the new look she had in mind for this study! We lay something down over the floors first to start drawing out the graphic.

Cindi’s inspiration came from this Art Deco-inspired art piece she found on Redbubble. We needed to simplify the design to stay on budget.

I love it when we start cutting out elements. The client really begins to see it take shape.

It was hard to get the whole floor in the shot but what a statement it made in this room. I also love the fact that Cindi has a one of a kind floor for her client. If you’d like to see any more examples of our work, wood or otherwise, you can go here: https://segretofinishes.com/finishes/.

I hope you all liked following me along for the week! This Tuesday night, Wednesday and Thursday during the day, Segreto will be at Chapelwood United Methodist Women’s Spring Thing Market with art, samples of finishes, displays of our new SegretoStone line and of course, the newly released, Segreto Impressions. We even have some super scented candles and playing cards which any design enthusiast would love.

This is one of the largest and oldest shopping markets in the Houston area, and for 59 years portions of its proceeds have gone to children’s and women’s causes, both in our area and across the globe. How fun and rewarding to shop with some of the best curated vendors all in one place and know you are helping women and children all at the same time!

The evening Preview Party  Tuesday, March 3rd from 5-8:30, features light bites and desserts for $15, when purchased in advance or $20 at the door.  Bring your teen and they pay $10.  Children 10 and under are free. Come shop Free Market days Wednesday and Thursday and don’t forget to enjoy a delish lunch in Betty’s Tea Room.

Hope to see you there! Till next week! XO Leslie