One of the latest trends in interior design is customizing your home to make a personal statement. And a great way to make a personal statement for less is to faux finish your walls, furniture or cabinetry.

With so many options in faux finishing, the possibilities are endless. Add interest to your walls by creating the illusion of depth with plaster, stucco or a textured surface like leather. Why not paint a marbled or leather look on a desktop or tabletop to enhance its look? How about updating your furniture, cabinets and light fixtures with a new coat of paint and glaze to make them appear brand new or wonderfully aged? Or be creative in a child’s room with a mural or stenciling?

Sound too difficult to attempt or you don’t want to risk making a mistake? If your answer is yes, then hire a professional faux finisher. But if you have a little artistic flair and you’re feeling a little daring, try out a couple of techniques on a wall or an inexpensive item.

Let me give you a couple of examples of how to faux finish. First, let’s talk about an aged leather look on your wall. After applying a base coat of paint to your wall, let it dry. Then, add a layer of glaze to the wall and place a large sheet of plastic drop cloth type material over the glazed area. Smooth the plastic into place carefully and lightly. Next squeeze, twist and crumple the plastic to create textured walls with lines and creases that look like leather. When you have the look you want, remove the plastic carefully, and throw it away. If you like you can use a large brush to soften the look on the wall until you’re satisfied.

For faux finishing light fixtures that are worn out looking or just dated, like brass, lightly sand the fixture first. Then, select your base acrylic paint color for the fixture. Rub the paint over the metal decorative part of the fixture. Next, let the paint dry and apply a color glaze or second acrylic color like burnt umber over the base coat. Wipe away enough paint for the base coat to show through and spray with a clear satin acrylic sealer to keep the color on the fixture. Now that I’ve given you a couple of tricks to faux finishing, why not update your home with a look that says you?