In The News
From Stowe Reporter, Stowe, VT
By Lisa McCormack
Candy Thibault isn’t your typical artist.
Her deft brushstrokes and Old World-inspired designs aren’t exhibited in any art gallery. Instead, they decorate the walls and ceilings of homes in Stowe and throughout Vermont.
And, you’re more likely to find her painting while precariously balancing on an 8-inch plank suspended across a client’s stairwell than standing in front of an easel at her Waterbury Center studio.
Thibault owns Inspirations Custom Painting and Design. She and her assistant, Rachel Doohen, create faux finishes for walls, ceilings, floors, furniture, glass and anything else that can be painted.
They use decorative painting techniques and plaster and textural finishes to help clients design home interiors inspired by nature, favorite travel destinations, or European textiles and tile.
In a typical week, Thibault may find herself painting an antique-looking medallion for one client and a colorful rooster for another.
“It’s all about how to give a client the home they want,” Thibault said. “One client had been to Provence and the colors we helped her select — rich blues, yellows, and reds — reflect that fun, yet elegant, feel.”
Thibault started her business in 2005, but has been experimenting with different faux painting techniques in her own homes for more than a decade.
She initially found her passion for decorative painting in European design and honed her craft a few years ago by studying under master faux-finish designers in Long Island and San Diego.
Her clients are spread throughout Central and Northern Vermont and most find her through word-of-mouth.
Thibault begins her consultations by asking people about the look they are trying to achieve, and asking for photographs of home interiors they like. She shows them samples of highly evolved faux painting techniques — for example, an embedded finish where a chemical is added to the final glaze, creating deep, dimensional tones, such as chocolate brown with bronze spots.
“What we do is very different from the typical finishes you see in Vermont,” Thibault said. “So, sometimes my clients can’t visualize it until I show them a sample.”
Thibault often uses decorative concrete, a material that can be applied to virtually any surface — from walls to old laminate countertops — to create a warm finish that mimics natural stone.
She tints the concrete with pigments and applies it with different-sized Japanese trowels, creating intricate multi-layered designs.
Thibault believes paint is more than decorative; it can boost her clients’ moods, help them relax, and generally make them feel more comfortable in their homes.
Some of her clients have color sensitivities and can develop migraine headaches from looking at colors that are too bright or intense. She will often consult with them three of four times to make sure the colors are suitable.
“Straight paint is too harsh for some people,” Thibault said. “They need the gentle harmony and movement glazes can provide. We have to create samples large enough for them to live with to make sure they will feel comfortable with the finished product. It’s rewarding to help them find that.”
Thibault aims to help people feel more confident about using color throughout their homes, replacing white walls with colors that reflect their personalities and tastes, and adding decorative paint finishes to ceilings.
“I like the idea of a ceiling as a fifth wall because they can really change the mood of a room,” Thibault said. “If a ceiling is too high, for example, it’s hard to create a warm, cozy feel. But the right finish can change that.”
Her projects can take anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks.
“It depends on the finish we use,” Thibault said. “Some finishes have up to seven layers, so it can take weeks. Some ceilings take six hours to complete. There’s a lot of patience involved in faux finishes.”
Thibault is a perfectionist; she goes to great lengths to create exactly the look her clients want, whether they take their inspiration from the weathered stone walls of a Tuscany villa, or the leather binding on an antique book.
She painstakingly re-creates the look of animal skin by adhering tissue paper to a wall before painting it.
“If they want a rhinoceros look, I have to make sure the wrinkles are different than they would be on an elephant skin,” Thibault said. “It can become quite time-consuming.”
Thibault has won a reputation for finding creative ways to make new things look old. She might, for example, paint a new picture frame to match a baroque one that has been in a family for generations.
One client came to her with a custom-made coffee table, its sides made from a 200-year-old arbor and its surface made from a new piece of wood. The client wanted Thibault to match the new wood to the old, and was thrilled when she was able to pull it off.
Thibault takes satisfaction from the emotional effect her work has on clients.
“The psychology of faux painting goes deeper than people may think,” Thibault said. “The aesthetics of a room are a really important factor in motivating people.”
She witnessed that firsthand this fall, when she volunteered to paint the living room of the Lund Family Center in Burlington. It’s a residence for young single moms learning to live independently.
“I have a deep belief that what you surround yourself with and how that makes you feel will propel you in the direction of what it is you can contribute,” Thibault said. “When I saw the drab space at the Lund Family Center, I thought the women must be saying to themselves, ‘This is all I’m worth.’
“Having the faux finish and new furniture makes them say, ‘This is what I can do with myself and for my family.’ Warm spaces make people feel good about themselves.”
Would it be more gratifying to have her work displayed in a pubic gallery instead of in her clients’ homes? No, Thibault said.
“When I finish a project and a client says, ‘This is exactly how I want to feel in my house,’ it gives me an awesome feeling of satisfaction,” Thibault said. “I love that. I just love it.”
Article from Vermont Home Style:
Community Space
Local Businesses Pitch in to Redecorate a Communal Living Area
Vermont Home Style, Dec 2006/Jan 2007
Vermont Home Style readers nominated non-profit
organizations with residence facilities for a makeover of a communal
living space.
The building itself is fairly new and in excellent condition, but the decor of the communal living space left a lot to be desired. It featured two well-used oversized green velveteen sofas, a broken leather recliner and a table with a plant. The windows were covered only with the building regulated mini-blinds and the oversized entertainment center housed a tiny TV. The room lacked the feeling of “home”. Thus, Denise Whittier, of Room ReVisioning, began her quest to collect contributions from the local home décor community and completely revamped the space, bringing it much needed life, balance, warmth and coziness.
Candy Thibault and her assistant, Rachel Doohen of
Inspirations Custom Painting and Deisgn in Stowe spent many hours
gathering volunteers, including Yvonne Brown,
Furniture was brought in form generous local furniture
shops including sofas from The SuperStore, a red accent chair from
Wendell’s Furniture, coffee table and end tables from The Furniture
Place, and a table and four chairs from Myers New & Used Furniture.
New lamps from Tempo brighten up the space while adding
sophistication. Modern
Design donated a much-needed area rug for the children’s playroom and
HomeGoods supplied a beautiful rug for the main seating area.
Two reading chairs and an ottoman were also donated and create a
cozy nook in the corner of the room.
Artwork donated by Silver Maple compliments the space, making it
a true livjng room. Valances
were altered and hung by the
The end result is a simple, balanced, warm living room
that the women and their children can, and do, enjoy spending time in
together. Margaret Limoge, a
Residential Counselor at
“It’s incredibly amazing how the room changed. It’s more like home. It’s more inviting. It’s more inspiring,” says Pam, “It’s overwhelming that people were so giving with their time and their goods. These girls don’t know any of these people who are so willing to do this for them. It’s so amazing that so many people would be so generous and giving to make their lives a little bit better.”
Women Business Owners Network, Candy is the coordinator for the Stowe Chapter of WBON. Please visit www.wbon.org for more information on outstanding non-profit organization.
