Trompe Loeil Italy

Book excerpt: Italy possesses a mythical aura: in no other country do antiquity and modernity, history, art, landscape, and the graceful art of living coexist with such elegance, providing a rich cornucopia of images for creating striking interiors. In this third volume in the trompe l'oeil series, Ursula and Martin Benad offer Pompeian motifs for stylish entrance halls. Venetian vistas for luxurious bathrooms, and Tuscan landscapes for kitchen and dining areas, as well as tips on painting technique. They show how to design and build up a landscape step-by-step ; create authentic-looking antique frescoes ; paint a ceiling in the style of Tiepolo, ande ; re-create the popular "Mediterranean" atmosphere by using trompe l'oeil painting in a way that is practical and at the cutting edge of modern-day design.