Sylvia T Designs is the premier New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Gulf South’s decorative arts firm. We have been honoring tradition and progress and delivering our clients’ vision for 30 years!
We’re a New Orleans-based firm with unparalleled experience in commercial, residential, and historical projects, both small and large-scale around the Gulf Coast region. We use only artisan-level products with an emphasis on eco-friendly options. Our highly trained and skilled team of applicators is the best in the business!
Please note – We are closed for Mardi Gras and will reopen on Wednesday, March 18. Happy Carnival, You All, from Sylvia T Designs!
Home of Gulf Coast Plaster Artisans. The Gulf South’s leading decorative and functional plaster and microcement artisan firm. Application and Distribution.
“Premium Materials – Master Artisans”
“Sylvia T. Designs has been honoring tradition and progress for nearly 30 years in the New Orleans and Gulf South areas. We’re dedicated to respecting and perpetuating the craftsmanship and artistry that built the city. We celebrate NOLA’s history and culture through our work on every single project, every single day!”
~ Sylvia Thompson-Dias, Owner & Artist, Sylvia T. Designs
@SylviaTDesigns | #YourSpaceasaWorkofArt | #HonoringTraditionandProgress
Phone: (504) 435-8081 | Email: Contact “at” SylviaTDesigns.com
Homeworthy Home Tour – Amy Schumer’s French Quarter Creole Cottage
Being based in New Orleans and having this special place be the location for much of our project work, we often don’t “name names.” That's how roll here. But since this is now out in the universe, here you go! We did the plaster and decorative work in Amy’s home – her...
Sylvia T Designs is a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise!
Sylvia T Designs, the Gulf South’s premier decorative arts and plaster firm has been “honoring tradition and progress” for nearly 30 years. Since the company’s inception, it has proudly been a woman-owned and operated business. Sylvia T Designs has been recognized and...
Stunning Plaster Work in New Orleans Four Seasons Residence
At Sylvia T Designs, we do all sizes and types of jobs – large and small, commercial and residential, and historic and new construction. We truly run the gamut! Our full-time, highly trained, and insured team are the best in the business whether we’re doing a...
Microcement is Here!
We have been teasing this for a little while now. But we here at Sylvia T Designs and Gulf Coast Plaster Artisans are proud to announce our exclusive partnership with Topcret™, the world’s leading producer of microcement! We are their exclusive applicator in the...
Sylvia Thompson-Dias of Sylvia T Designs Receives 2022 Design Master Award
Sylvia Thompson-Dias, Master Artisan and Owner of Sylvia T Designs, was recently acknowledged as a “Design Master” in the “Decorative Finishes” for 2022 by New Orleans Homes Magazine! This prestigious award is given to a single individual each year across a few design...
This is the last of the elements we delivered in this new construction residential project in Covington, just north of New Orleans. This is the living room fireplace (you can see our previous posts on the wine room’s open fireplace as well as the stairwell feature wall and art niche.)
We used Marmorino Fine, a classic Venetian plaster. This is the finest grain of Marmorino that offers gorgeous movement and a lovely, polished sheen. The homeowner wanted something tending towards a deep black tone. We custom color matched the plaster to Benjamin Moore “Willow.” This is a brown toned black – which fits the bill perfectly showing the desired movement and contrast. We achieved the look, in part, by applying tinted beeswax. The overall look of the fireplace complements the home’s modern look and provides a striking distinction from the space’s lighter tones. It also shows wonderfully whether in the room’s abundant daytime natural light or in darker times of day in artificial light.
Sylvia T Designs is the Gulf South’s premier plaster artisan firm! Whether you are looking for a focused centerpiece element in your space, like a fireplace or stove hood, or are seeking to make a statement with stunning plastered walls and ceilings throughout, let us know how we can make your space a work of art!
Here’s a bit more from a recent project in Covington in the Greater New Orleans Area (see our previous post of the home’s wine room open fireplace). In this part of the residence, we delivered two beautiful plaster finishes using Marmorino Fine – a classic Venetian plaster.
The two elements are the feature wall located on the landing of the split stairwell and an artwork niche leading up to the stairs. With both, we did a custom color match of Benjamin Moore “Coastal Fog.” The plaster exhibits soft highs and lows, boasting a soft gloss sheen. The stairwell’s feature wall plays wonderfully with the bursting natural light that comes through the large window. In the artwork niche, the plaster perfectly complements the feature wall and frames the artwork terrifically. It all fits marvelously with the home’s modern look and feel! We’ll have one more element from this project to share – the living room fireplace. Stay tuned!
Sylvia T Designs is the Gulf South’s decorative and functional plaster artisan expert! Let us know your project’s vision and we’ll guide you to the right materials and techniques to make your space a work of art!
Gilding (or “leafing”) is a timeless technique that adds elegance to any space – whether it’s an entire ceiling as the centerpiece of the room or merely accents on shelving, furniture, or even signage! We only use top quality gold and silver leaf. These are premium and professional materials that require an artisan’s hands to achieve success. The technique requires a keen eye and great teamwork to deliver effectively. The result is durable, lasting beauty!
Sylvia T Designs is the Gulf South’s premier full-service decorative arts and plaster firm. We are the region’s top-level gilding experts! Let us know how we can add a touch of this refined style to your home or business and make your space a work of art!
Here’s a look at the sultry Three Maries Jazz Club located in the historic Omni Royal Orleans Hotel in the heart of the French Quarter! This is the second phase of three of our work at the hotel. Here, we delivered a gorgeous plaster finish on the main stage wall. Like the first phase (see our previous post showcasing the Grand Ballroom Domes), we used a special lime plaster called “Seta.” It means silk in Italian and the material, which contains milled marble, plays wonderfully with light!
We custom color matched to a spec’d color for the project. Also, importantly, our highly skilled artisan team troweled in a specific way giving the plaster a bit more texture than usual. This was done to ensure the plaster stands out behind the woodwork and greatly enhances its playfulness with the stage lighting.
If you are an interior designer, architect, contractor, or applicator interested in learning more about this plaster and using it on your projects, reach out to our sister business - @gulfcoastplasterartisans.
Sylvia T Designs is the Gulf South’s premier decorative and functional plaster and full-service decorative arts firm. We leverage our unmatched skill, artistry, and product knowledge to bring your project’s vision to life – making your space a work of art!
Here is part of a terrific project where we delivered several elements to a residence in the town of Covington north of New Orleans. The home has a lovely wine room that they wanted showcased by bordering it and their dining room with an open EcoSmart fireplace that centers the space. We applied plaster to the “floating” wall above the fireplace as well as the surround below it. We used Marmorino Fine to really show the soft highs and lows of the color tone – a custom color match to Benjamin Moore “Coastal Fog.” The look, with its gorgeous soft gloss sheen, demonstrates lovely depth for a dramatic effect that enhances the look of the wine room and complements their artwork perfectly.
Thanks to @studiomv for including us in this wonderful project! More on the other elements coming soon!
Sylvia T Designs is the Gulf South’s premier plaster and decorative arts firm with years of experience. We bring your project unparalleled artistry, product knowledge, and artisan level materials unlike anyone else in the region. Let us know how we can make your space a work of art!
We are often reminded of the tremendous opportunity we have working in special spaces, particularly here in our homebase of New Orleans! This resonates even more with us during Carnival Season when we celebrate the rich culture of the city and region on so many levels. It gives us a deep sense of pride and gratitude to be entrusted with such work!
Currently, we are doing artwork restoration at the Tremé’s St. Augustine Church – thought to be the oldest Black Catholic parish in the United States, first established in 1841 by free persons of color. Its important role in the city, region, and nation’s history is unmistakable. We will have much more to share on this amazing project as well as a similar one we recently completed at another New Orleans historic church – St. Raymond and St. Leo the Great Catholic Church.
Wherever we are working, it is always an honor and a privilege to do so – whether in an historic space or, simply, in your special space! Happy Mardi Gras, You All!
~ The Sylvia T Designs Team
This is beautiful Seta Plaster! We applied this to the three ballroom domes of the historic Omni Royal Orleans Hotel in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Seta means “silk” in Italian. This special lime plaster achieves its look by containing milled marble. This creates a shimmering effect similar to how light plays off of silk fabric. The aesthetic is both classic and contemporary and works wonderfully with both natural and artificial lighting. It can be a bit more subtle than metallic plasters.
We tinted this to a custom color spec’d by the project’s interior designers. On all three shallow domes, we troweled the plaster in a radial pattern coming out from the cap of the chandelier to the perimeter of the domes. This produces dynamic movement highlighting the beauty of these accent pieces on the ceiling. Your eyes move up, flowing over and following the movement. They boast a beautiful reflection showing highlights, especially of the domes’ rim lighting, and depth while not being overly flashy.
We also used Seta in the hotel’s music room – more on that coming soon! Sylvia T Designs is the region’s only applicator of Seta, an artisanal plaster created in Italy by Stucco Italiano. If you are an interior designer, architect, contractor, or applicator interested in learning more about this plaster and using it on your projects, reach out to our sister business - @gulfcoastplasterartisans. We are the US distributor of and certified trainer for Stucco Italiano, a terrific family-run plaster and decorative arts manufacturer creating top quality traditional and contemporary materials that are very competitively priced!
Sylvia T Designs is the Gulf South’s premier decorative and functional plaster and full-service decorative arts firm. Let us know your project’s vision and let our unparalleled skill, technique, and product knowledge bring it to life – making your space a work of art!
Venetian Plaster – AIG Atlanta Corporate Hub – We incorporated two, subtle color tones using two different grained layers of Marmorino. The slick, yet warm finish welcomes guests and employees to the reception area and 1st floor conference room. It is a continuous application from ceiling to cove and down the wall! More in our previous post…
#plaster #venetianplaster #limeplaster #interiordesign #marmorino