Angelo Bruno (pictured at left) and Raphael Perez at Perez's home, where their work includes Perez's fleur-de-lis stencil and faux wood panelling and Bruno's marbleized tabletop.

In the home of Raphael Perez, things are not what they seem. The limestone blocks in his bathroom require no special cleaning; the wood panelling in his living room becomes one-dimensional when viewed up close; and a rap on his black marble fireplace yields an unexpectedly hollow wooden thunk. Perez's home is also the medium for his artistic expression: "I use my walls as a canvas for my own art."

To visit Perez's home is to step directly into a portfolio of work that represents the best of what Perez and his business partner, Angelo Bruno, have been doing for their most discerning of clients for nearly two decades.

Perez and Bruno are decorative painters. For design neophytes, that means they do faux finishing. They paint things to look like other things. Sheetrock is graced with rocky bumps that aren't really there. Wallpaper gets painted-on wood panels. Wooden fireplace surrounds become grand marble showpieces.

But words can't do justice to these delightful deceptions; one has to experience them first-hand. Seeing is believing, even when what you are seeing is not real.

Much of their work is inspired by historic homes elsewhere. "When we travel to Europe, we just absorb everything," explains Perez as he shows a French-inspired fleur-de-lis faux-flocked "wallpaper" he designed and painted in his dining room.

Back home in Kingston, these New York City natives practice their craft not only for the most illustrious of clients, but also when they buy and renovate properties for resale. These "blank canvases" they fill with designs that strike their fancy. And they almost never leave a space untouched, Perez admits: "It becomes kind of an obsession."

On the job, however, they prefer to have clients with exacting specifications; those who give them free rein are their "toughest." One way to ensure they are given a clear mandate is to work with top interior designers rather than with homeowners directly. Even then, there are no guarantees that the finished product will reflect the owner's visions. Having a good rapport with designers and clients alike is crucial. After all, they are creating illusions: Clients must trust them to get it right. Bruno calls it "an emotional business."

The two artists make an effective team. "Where one of us is lacking, the other has strengths," says Perez. "It just worked out that way." Perez's talent is creating stencils: "I don't do random," he says, smiling ruefully. Bruno often sees the big picture: envisioning the overall design. Color selection and faux woodgraining are his specialties. So like the authentic hardwood is Bruno's work that sometimes clients find the originals inferior to his creations.

Sometimes subtle, often magical, and occasionally thrilling in its verve, this team's work is not so much faux as it is flawlessly finished.

Interior Concepts: The Painted Finish, (845) 339-3907.