What kind of feeling do you want to have when you walk into a room, a store, etc? My theatre training makes it a lot easier for me to focus on the story being the important thing, not my concepts or opinions. I never push a client into my ideas... we always discuss things until we're in agreement, and then they still have the right to speak up when something I've done doesn't work for them!
A rich, warm, oil-based glaze on textured walls
This was to be a background for a Tuscan style floral area. Real, old brick was not in the budget, so we took cheap paneling and "aged" it with a series of techniques.
Tri-color glazing on orange peel texture. The owner chose a purple grape theme. I "toned the purple down" by using a burnt umber and a mossy green glaze within.
We gave an old world flair to the original plain industrial bathroom, with faux marble painted on the vinyl paneling and glaze added to the top for an aged look. The bars on the sides are actually the industrial steel bars required in public bathrooms that we faux finished to look like wood.
Oil-based glazes can make new construction appear warm and used.