Is there anything that says 'polished, refined, luxury' more than black marble? I'm taken with this natural finish right now. The bold contrast and organic variations are strikingly beautiful. With a subtle nod to the goth chic styles of the 90's, black marble is the next big natural stone trend. Calling it now.

As I've mentioned probably every. single. year. since starting this blog, I don't care for the color orange (like at all) but I love Halloween and want to feel all the seasonal feels. Each year I look for stylish alternatives to embrace the season while still staying true to my aesthetic. You can catch last years glittery pumpkin here, and the blue and white splatter pumpkins that I topped with gold leaf (!!!) here. Want to learn how to make this year's glamorous faux black marble pumpkin? The way-easier-than-it-looks step by step directions follow.

Materials:

Pumpkin

Black acrylic or latex paint (I had leftover black, high gloss latex paint from a home project which worked beautifully, producing a thick, jet black finish with minimal coats. If you go this route, a sample size from your local hardware store is enough for the project.)

White Paint (I used a light gray and white interchangeably but plain white works great.)

Feather or very thin, fine-tipped paintbrush for white veins.

Flat paintbrush for broad black areas.

Dry paintbrush for blending.

Directions:

The easiest way to think about creating this faux finish is to work from vague to specific. Create vague areas of dark, medium, and light through layering the paint as described below. Once those regions are defined, you'll continue to work in the specific details.

Step 1: Paint your entire pumpkin with black acrylic or latex paint. Allow to dry completely between each coat. Apply 2-3 coats for best results.

Step 2: While the final base coat of black paint is wet, use a feather to paint wiggly vein lines in white.

Step 3: Use a dry paintbrush to gently dab at those vein lines to blur the edges into the black.

Step 4: Reapply black paint into the spaces between the vein lines and use a dry paintbrush to blur the black edges into the white.

Step 5: Use the feather to reapply the white on top of the now faded white, to bring out the highlights even more.

Step 7: Use a dry brush to blend and dab the white again. Continue to repeat this layering process. Adding black into the spaces between the white, blending, and then adding more white with the feather on top of the faded white until finally the white lines are very thin and defined. 

Step back and enjoy! How pretty would these look on a candlelit table for a festive harvest dinner? Speaking of fall dinner parties, we're pinning tons of autumnal inspiration over on the Making Mealtimes Beautiful pinterest board. Come hang out!