Robin's Egg Blue Office

With carefully measured use of a 4- by 8-foot sheet of MDF, interior designer Frank Fontana creates 34 panels, all the chair rails and crown molding for the entire room. To make it look like real wood paneling, Frank paints the MDF with long strokes of a dark brown paint to create the illusion of wood grain. He lightens the color by brushing on glaze while the paint is still wet. Then he uses a dry-brush technique to add more texture. Once the paint is dry, he protects the paint with a sprayed-on coat of clear polyurethane gloss.

The clock's antique finish is done with a simple mix of paint and acrylic medium-gloss varnish. Edwards uses a flat brush to apply the thinned paint to the surface in vertical strokes. Then she applies another layer of the paint mixture in horizontal strokes. This technique creates a classic, antiqued linen texture.