Karen Oakley

Karen has been a professional faux painter since the mid 1990’s when the industry – through The Finishing School of New York – began offering water-based “green” products safe to handle and safe to use inside client’s homes and businesses.

Earlier in her career, Karen was an art therapist, working with children and adults in the mental health field, then as art director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County, Texas. Later, when her children were young, she offered her own art program, “Art in the Barn” — located on a historic property in Stonington, Connecticut. Karen taught children's art for seven summers. She’s most pleased when parents tell her, years later now, that they still have the art work their children created there.

A graduate of The Finishing School in New York, Karen also has a BA in Psychology from Bethany College. She has attended graduate school at Hahneman University, studying art therapy, and continues to perfect her art at the Rhode Island School of Design and The Finishing School of New York.

Faux Real Decorative Painting has been featured in Traditional Home Magazine and Ink Magazine.

Faux Real Decorative Painting

Cost Saving Problem Solver
No need to rip out and replace unwanted cabinets, counter tops, vanities, floors, trim or doors. All these and more can be made to appear new, original to your period home, or completely different if you wish.

For instance, instead of stripping off countless layers of paint, let woodgraining techniques unify wood trim, doors and mantles. Or rejuvenate counter tops with ultra-thin, ultra-durable concrete simulated to mimic marble, granite, wood, tile and more.

You can also use faux painting to:

• Harmonize furniture or select one special piece for a focal point.
• Age flooring repairs with custom stains to match existing/period flooring.
• Coordinate new fiberglass or polymer architectural details with existing wood or metal design elements.
• Transform the look of ordinary cabinets into mahogany, cherry or birch; into a different century; or into a new “country” style, including French, Italian and Scandinavian.

Safe & Durable
Only safe, water-based “green” products, manufactured by Faux Effects Inc., are used inside your home or business. These products represent the most advanced technology available for long-lasting durability. This way you can count on your high impact kitchen and bath surfaces, high-traffic floors and scuff-prone walls to resist wear and look fresh for years and years.

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