Artisan Enhancements Retailer Spotlight on Total Homes
Total Homes, a family business that opened just over a year ago in Corpus Christi, TX strives to offer their clients everything they could possibly need for home decor and remodeling. Kim Benavidez grew up in the Home Furnishing Industry and though she has always had a natural eye for design, she admits that she had never considered herself an artist. When she discovered Artisan Enhancements products, she knew she had found something special. For a decorator who could visualize the perfect finish for a piece of furniture, but didn’t have a background in faux finishing, Kim loved how easy the Artisan Enhancements products were to work with and how they made it possible to achieve the look she was after. Kim knew her customers would feel the same.
As soon as Kim received her first shipment of Artisan Enhancements products, she eagerly opened one of everything and experimented with them all. Soon after, Kim and her daughter traveled to Artisan Enhancements headquarters for an extensive product training and Kim now offers workshops at Total Homes for her customers who are ready to take their painting skills to the next level.
Kim introduces Artisan Enhancements products at the end of every introductory paint workshop. She says it definitely gets her customers excited to come back for more!
Kim encourages and inspires customers to try new finishes by incorporating different techniques on furniture displayed throughout her store. She recently used a Croc stencil with VP Antico on the top of an accent table. After a coat of Leaf and Foil Size, Kim accented the Croc design with Copper, Pewter and Blue metallic foils for a unique, eye catching finish that gets customers talking and asking questions! When asked which products were top sellers at Total Homes, Kim responded without hesitation, Clear Topcoat Sealer, followed by the metallic foils. Kim’s customers especially love CTS for sealing dining tables, cabinetry and outdoor furniture. Leaf and Foil Size and the metallic foils are popular because Kim says, Shiny is big in Texas!.
The Corpus Christi sea air really takes a toll on outdoor furniture and fixtures. Time and again Kim uses exterior grade Artisan Enhancements Fine Stone and Clear Topcoat Sealer to restore finishes that have corroded and worn away. Here she shows an example of an outdoor light that had seen better days. After Kim stippled the fixture with Fine Stone and painted over it in Graphite, she layered on thin coats of Clear Topcoat Sealer. Kim says after several months outdoors, the finish still looks great.
Total Homes also offers custom cabinet refinishing. Kim’s husband is the man on the job for cabinetry and he uses Clear Topcoat Sealer to provide a protective finish on all of his painted bathroom and kitchen cabinets. He finds that CTS also comes in handy when he needs to block a stain from ink or candle wax on a cabinet prior to painting.
For someone who didn’t consider herself an artist before, Kim has sure found the confidence to tackle some pretty detailed artistic finishes. She is currently working on a bathroom wall with a raised stencil design! We can’t wait to see the finished product! Thank you for your enthusiasm for Artisan Enhancements products, Kim! We are honored that our products are on the shelves at Total Homes and we look forward to watching your business continue to thrive and grow!
