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
Make an Impression with a Feature Wall!
Pictured above – Custom Stencils in the foyer of Belle Époque, a sultry absinthe lounge in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Guests are greeted by two stencil designs on the walls as they exit Bourbon Street (a world away.) The designs we created were inspired by...
Tadelakt – Moroccan Lime Plaster
All-over tadelakt in a master bathroom arch and skylight in a Baton Rouge residential project. Here, we are applying a dry application of this traditional, versatile, and beautiful Moroccan plaster technique.Sylvia T Designs is the New Orleans and Gulf Coast area’s...
French Quarter Creole Cottage – Dramatic Plaster Finishes and Gold Leaf Ceilings
Pictured above – Shot of the billiard room with a view of the parlor. Featuring a “dragged” plaster finish that combines the plaster and embedded gold tints. You can also see part of the gold leaf ceiling. We’re excited to share this terrific project we did in an...
Several Sylvia T Designs Hospitality Clients Honored
Pictured above - Claret Wine and Cocktail Bar - Photo Courtesy of Sam Hanna/New Orleans Magazine. We are honored and thrilled that fully five of the hospitality spaces we’ve worked on recently are included in New Orleans Magazine’s “Best Bars” issue! We are also...
Claret Opens in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans
Pictured above - Claret Wine and Cocktail Bar in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. Photo courtesy of Sam Hanna. Sylvia T Designs Delivers Another Great New Orleans Space! Claret, the new wine and cocktail bar by Latter Hospitality,...
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
Here is phase one of two of a project we completed a few months back in Atlanta in the AIG corporate office hub. This is on the first floor where we delivered a beautiful plaster finish in the reception area and conference room. The design is slick and, yet, warm, with the plaster on the ceiling, continuing on the cove, and then down the wall.
The designers had picked two colors that were extremely close in tone and quite subtle to begin with. So, the challenge was to ensure that both came through as they should. We opted for an interesting approach where we used a heavier grain of Marmorino on the first coat then used a finer grain Marmorino on the second. We skimmed that coat tight and compressed it well on top of the heavier grain plaster. The result is a gorgeous finish showing lovely movement that exhibits both color tones well without being over-the-top. More from phase two coming soon!
Sylvia T Designs is your decorative and functional plaster experts, having offered full-service decorative arts materials, techniques, and solutions for decades. Based in New Orleans, we serve not just the Gulf South but points beyond. Whether your project is large or small, residential or commercial, reach out, share your vision and we can make it happen! Let us make your space a work of art!
Lime paint is an in-demand look these days and here at Sylvia T Designs, we’re your experts on it! Sometimes referred to as “lime wash,” it delivers a beautiful “brushed” look that can be both subtle yet welcoming and cozy! It has a softness that is generally not found in other modern paints. One thing that lime paint is not is a “cheaper alternative” to plaster – we’ve been hearing that floating around in certain circles lately. It is its own unique thing bringing a unique aesthetic – namely its organic brushed look. It is suitable for a wide range of interior and exterior settings, from historic buildings and rural environments to modern, minimalistic spaces.
Pictured here is a recent project on Magazine Street in Uptown, New Orleans – in a high-end clothing boutique. The client wanted a subtle, pillowy effect that has a comfortable and clean feel allowing the clothing and accessories to shine. We applied the custom-colored lime paint on the walls as well as the merchandise shelving. The abundant natural light that comes through the large windows allows the paint to glow while the light fixtures and shelf lighting create great shadows on the lime paint adding to its exquisite depth.
Thanks to @hivecompanies and @reformation for the terrific project!
Sylvia T Designs is the Gulf South’s premier decorative arts and plaster including being the region’s lime paint experts! Our expertise and product knowledge are unmatched. Reach out to us to see if beautiful lime paint might be right for your project and let us make your space a work of art!
It’s been a minute! We have been so busy and have so much to catch you up on these days! Lots of great projects (and more) including the major renovation at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel in the French Quarter, the historic Gallier House Museum – also in the Quarter, New Orleans’ St. Raymond and St. Leo The Great Church, the AIG Corporate Offices in Atlanta, all along with numerous residential and commercial spaces around New Orleans and points beyond! Additionally, we conducted a certification plaster training in Seattle through our sister business, Gulf Coast Plaster Artisans and, also through GCPA, we just announced our Spring 2026 Workshop Training Schedule!
Pictured here on Royal St of the French Quarter, Master Artisan and Owner, Sylvia Thompson, shares the sample we created for the exterior façade of the Gallier House Museum project.
Much more on all this coming soon – stay tuned! Sylvia T Designs is the Gulf South’s premier decorative arts and plaster firm. Our artistry, technique, and product knowledge are unmatched! Let us know how we can make your space a work of art!
An exciting project in a newly opened New Orleans restaurant, Spicy Mango! We delivered both the application and design of the space’s key areas. The owner wanted a “Tulum-like” look with a lot of consistent color use. We created a custom color match to a specific “crème caramel” tone. A critical concept was creating some variety and interest while working with one primary color tone in the main dining/bar area. So, we employed different textures and looks using plasters, paint, and lighting (based around that tone) to create a dynamic vibe! More…
Main Bar – Everything is custom color matched to the primary tone. It’s a lovely Marmorino Medium plaster on the walls and back bar. The bar top and front utilized Pastellone, a beautiful and durable plaster. The top is finished smooth while the front has a specialized vertical notched application. We coordinated the design of the bar including bringing in walnut wood for the back bar top. Creatively, we used the left-over pieces of wood to create a funky base to the bar front!
Main Dining Area – The feature wall is a special Travertino plaster finish using three custom colors blended together. This process takes great skill and timing to execute. The remaining exposed brick walls are lime paint bringing a different sheen from the plaster. We also glazed the ceiling tiles, selected the wall sconces, and bar pendant lighting.
Restrooms – Something different! The sap green bathroom is microcement showing lovely motion with a modern look. This special material (we’re the only ones in the region that offer true Microcement application) offers exceptional durability as well as stain and moisture resistance. The burnt rose bathroom uses a custom color Venetian Façade plaster, also a durable and lovely material. These material selections are critical, as the restrooms are located off the open courtyard and are subjected to considerable humidity.
Sylvia T Designs is the Gulf South’s premier decorative arts firm delivering unmatched skill and artistry. We utilize various materials and techniques, both decorative and functional, which are unique to us in this region! Let us know how we can make your space a work of art!