Ex-model, traveler taps a menagerie of influences

"My passion for the decorative arts and design was stimulated at a young age," said Shirley Robinson, who credits her mother with teaching her "to think outside the crayon box." She recalled sitting beneath the piano in her childhood home in San Francisco, listening to her mother and designer Val Arnold discuss the merits of shellacked walls.

Robinson's family moved to London when she was 8. Speaking of the grand homes and historic places in England and Scotland, she said: "I remember being astounded by the eclecticism of the rooms, fabrics and color scale; such a menagerie, but it all worked." A trip to the Vatican was a true revelation. "I realized how completely drawn I was to architectural form and color through paint."

After studying art in New York, Robinson returned to London to pursue modeling. She then continued her education in decorative arts and interior design under such artisans as gilder Serena Chaplin and fresco painter Fleur Kelly. In 1991, she settled back into San Francisco. Within a year, she established Shirley Robinson Decorative Paint, now Robinson Finishes ( www.robinsonfinishes.com).

Robinson has participated in San Francisco Decorator Showcases; the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show; and worked with top interior designers. Last year, she also launched her own line of wallpaper. "To be able to earn a living at something one is passionate about is a luxury," she says. "To be able to collaborate with truly talented artisans every day in my work is truly exciting."

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This article appeared on page K - 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle