This week the Skirted Roundtable welcomes Leslie Sinclair, who owns Houston based Segreto Finishes. Segreto specializes in paint finishes applied to walls, ceilings, and cabinets. These finishes include a newly engineered stucco application, glazes, murals, and faux paint jobs. Many houses I have shown in the past four years have been those where Segreto applied their magic. And magical is exactly what their finishes are. There is no way to adequately depict how beautiful Leslie’s finishes are in a photograph. You almost have to experience them firsthand to truly understand their worth. The finishes are subtle and textural – wrapping the room in a soft color while adding an air of sophistication.
This beautiful house with plaster wall treatment by Segreto is an example of the usually large, custom houses that they usually work on.
During the interview, we discussed what is trendy today in paint finishes and what is no longer in vogue. Wall treatments evolve with the times just as interiors do. Born with an artistic eye, Leslie left the corporate world to start Segreto which today has over 25 employees. Many of the more gorgeous houses in Houston have been painted by Segreto, for they truly are the best at what they do. As if running her own company and house, being a mother and wife wasn’t enough on her plate, Leslie recently compiled her portfolio into a gorgeous book – one of the prettiest design books of the year. Page after page shows these fabulous interiors, all with her wonderful glazes and stucco finishes.
This gorgeous kitchen by Kara Childress features the glazes that Segreto uses on cabinets.
Since doing an entire house in a specialty finish is not exactly cheap – most of the houses are large and quite luxurious. But, recently on her blog, HERE, Leslie showed a townhouse that is owned by a former employee of Segreto. The townhouse is now for sale for $385,000 – and is located in the Rice Military Section. The paint finishes in this townhouse are gorgeous – and one can truly see what a difference her touch can bring to house, no matter what size it. Since this house is more affordable than many of the Segreto’s usual million-plus customs, one can look at these photographs and imagine how one’s own house might look if given the Segreto touch. This difference is amazing to me.
Now, take a look at this townhouse – owned by a former associate of Segreto. Three story, with 3 bathrooms, it is located in the Rice Military area.
The townhouse was plain when it was bought by the current owner. Filled with builder finishes, the nondescript townhouse had walls with a blown on finish as did the ceiling. In the great room, Segreto applied plaster to the walls and ceilings which envelopes the room in the soft color. I think this picture truly illustrates what a difference the plaster makes to a room. This plaster is different from the plaster of years gone by – and is a finish that Segreto is known for. Look how gorgeous the ceiling looks! It is so luminous and rich looking. It’s as if the entire room is wrapped in this warm, glorious glow. The stucco finish makes a space look very custom. I just love the way this room looks now~!!
When the homeowner moved in, she had all her furniture slipcovered in neutral khaki and light blue fabrics. French accents such as the candlesticks and trumeau give the room character. The color of the plaster was chosen to blend in with the fireplace surround. Also, it was chosen to match the molding.
The plaster finish is my favorite one. I really love the sophisticated look it gives to a space. This townhouse completely illustrates what a difference this finish can make to a room.
Leslie helped the homeowner design the window treatments using a burlap fabric for the panels and the shades. A cornice brings in the French blue found throughout the room. I love that touch of blue. Notice how the cabinet is also painted blue.
The granite really stood out because the cabinets were painted white. Segreto applied a taupe glaze to the island and a blue glaze to the kitchen cabinets pulling in the colors from the living room. By applying the colored glazes, the granite becomes more sedate. In the breakfast area, a matching burlap shade was installed.
In the master bedroom – the walls were ragged in a soft blue. Stencils were added to the ceiling. Such a pretty room!
The walls in the master bedroom are painted in the same blue of the basecoat of the bedroom.
The guest bedroom is painted a soft neutral.
The downstairs sitting room is painted all one color – walls, molding, and ceiling. This creates that enveloping feel – soft and custom looking with no contrasting moldings. This is a great way to update your look – it’s more “today” than a white ceiling with white moldings and darker walls. Wall to wall seagrass is installed in all the bedrooms – which I love. Darling room!
This townhouse is for sale at $385,000. To contact the owner email her at lesliecarrigan@gmail.com
AND to order Leslie’s book, Segreto, go HERE.
Please be sure to listen to Leslie Sinclair’s interview on
The Skirted Roundtable – it’s a good one with lots of information to learn from, HERE.
psst. Guess who is our next guest on The Skirted Roundtable? He’s a Million Dollar Decorator, darling!!!
