Above: "A limestone plaster wall treatment called Marmorino adds Renaissance beauty to an exuberant living room in Boston."

Left: "The Mamorino walls compliment the colors of a document-print paper covering the ceiling. A conservatory located off the living room has a doorway embellished with an acanthus frieze ornament. A vintage shell console holds antique sconces and an antique fishbowl."

"The labor intensive process took five days and involved applying two coats of a special primer, troweling on two layers of Marmorino (natural limestone with coarse marble dust mixed in), then finishing with a thin coat of carnauba wax. 'Natural oxide pigments give the marmorino its color,' says Everets. 'The walls are all one color, but there are naturally occurring variations in the hue that come from slight changes in pressure during the hand application.'

...'One nice thing about Marmorino is that, because it’s natural, it breathes,' he says, 'It acts like stone and is a natural air conditioner. In Renaissance Italy, nearly every surface in a home would be coated with natural limestone.'

For the owner-decorator of the 1840’s townhouse, the walls intensify the room’s sunny outlook. 'This is a wonderful morning room where I often do some telephoning,' she says. When she and her husband host evening parties here, they use candlelight for illumination, brining out the marmorino’s ancient aura."

- by Jill Connors