One of my favorite trends right now are textured wall finishes. Whether a wallpaper or a paint technique, a subtle texture can give a modern space an old world touch. Portola Paint and Glazes is a family owned and operated eco-friendly paint company based out of California that specializes in textured wall finishes. Textures such as Lime Wash, Roman Clay, Royal Satin, Coppersmith and a Wrought Iron Finish are available in a variety of unique colors all with zero to low VOC’s. My favorite Portola Specialty finish is the Roman Clay collection. This collection consists of beautiful eco-friendly plaster finishes which are applied to a smooth wall using a putty knife. When working with textured wall applications, darker colors tend to perform better over lighter because the shadows are more prominent, enhancing the appearance of the texture. This being said, even a light color gains a lot of character with these specialty finishes.

Here’s how I used textured wall paint in Saltwater House! Since the layout of the store and the art on the walls is always changing, I needed a wall finish that was flexible, simple to maintain and easy to touchup. I am lucky to work with a great painter who was ready to take on this concept, and knock it out of the park! He first painted the walls with Benjamin Moore “Simply White”. Then added another layer of Simply White, this time cut with water and a textured additive which was applied to the walls using a sponge. You can see the subtle texture this technique gave to the walls and I am so happy with the results!