100 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM she explains. Once, Caroline paid $20 for a vintage two-tiered table. She applied gold leaf to the edges, painted it chartreuse with little magnolias, then added a crackle finish. An interior designer offered her $1,200 for the piece. The experience emboldened Caroline to study wood restoration in Florence, Italy, which led to an apprenticeship with a decorative painter in San Francisco’s Mission District to learn about lacquers as well as creating marble, lapis and chinoiserie designs. In the present day, Caroline and her work have thrived, gaining recognition in publications such as House Beautiful, Architectural Digest and The New York Times. One favorite PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ASSUNTA SIMONE “There are a lot of very bold people in the Bay Area,” Caroline points out. “There’s just a lot of ‘Go for it!’” She recalls a Peninsula project from two months earlier: “This woman wanted me to pour black resin drips down her wall!” She laughs, delighted by the audacity of the request. Caroline’s own brazen decorating spirit started young. “I used to save all of my money babysitting, and I would buy really beautiful furniture for my dollhouse,” she reflects, adding, “I just gave it to my daughter for her birthday, and my mom said, ‘This is crazy. It kind of looks like your house!’” An early thrifting habit also swayed the future of her career. “I’ve always been a flea market rat. I have a really hard time buying new things,” {home & design} ABOVE: Caroline Lizarraga’s bedroom; the decorative painter against the backdrop of her work.
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