Resources We Love: Artist Peggy Del Rosario

MAGICIAN WITH A PAINT BRUSH

The feeling that one has when stepping into a space transformed by artist Peggy del Rosario is that you've just taken a sip out of Alice's bottle in Wonderland, and been shrunk small enough to fit into Tiffany's Christmas window and walk around in a miniature diorama of delightful, artistic surprises to your heart's content. But, in fact, you’ve stepped into Peggy’s own reality, her home, where design fantasies have come to life.

Every surface of every room is the beneficiary of the delicate hand of a true artist as Peggy orchestras a palette of copper, rust, verdigris, celadon, and dusty miller like a conductor, blending and mixing the colors into a harmony for all the senses to enjoy. The walls are textured so the softly fauxed, multi-colored paint absorbs light rather than reflecting it, giving rooms a dream-like quality.

Windows are draped with transparent silky fabrics so the natural light is gently diffused, adding to the dreamscape. And even in the daytime, Peggy lights candles so their soft glow casts a magical spell on the tableaux of interesting objêts d'art that delight the eye at every turn.

Beautifully arranged objects create tableaux for the eye to settle upon and rest.

Upholstered furniture is an extension of the softness of the walls, and invite by virtue of their gentle lines. Wood furniture that isn’t of excellent antique quality becomes another venue for Peggy’s paintbrush; she adds layers of interesting finishes so even the most mundane piece of reproduction furniture takes on a newfound glory.

Days after visiting her home, the dream-like feeling returns in waves like an addictive desire for a magical potion and I want to return to her cocoon of gentle illusion and stay forever.

People wishing to have a little piece of this heavenly effect in their own homes can purchase refinished furniture that Peggy sells through several shops in the Portland, OR area. And, in addition to the furniture, Peggy has a collection of her paintings available for purchase as well.

Of course, should you want to have a room faux finished by Peggy, and several of my own client’s rooms have received this special treatment, the airport isn’t too far from her home and her bag and paint brushes are always packed and ready to go.