More Than Meets the Eye – Bishop Master Finishes
For Bishop Master Finishes, “creating visionary finishes for visionary designs” is more than a motto – it is a family legacy. Since pioneering Venetian and polished plaster in Australia in the 1970s, the family business has carefully honed unparalleled natural finishes, developing a strong reputation for innovation and unmatched execution along the way.
Travelling from London to Melbourne more than 45 years ago, John Bishop was surprised to find the classically European polished plaster finish did not exist in Australia at the time. Seeking to recreate the timeless walls of history, he sourced and perfected recipes for what would become his trademark lime finishes. Drawing on his time at Porter’s Paints, he experimented with the traditional Venetian natural finish, blending tints and colours to create unique and entrancing effects. Over time experimenting with different grades of marble dust and aggregates and more recently incorporating the beauty of clay, Bishop Master Finishes has perfected a range of 14 distinct finishes, each made using environmentally-friendly materials.
At its heart, Bishop Master Finishes is a family. John and his wife Christine have been united in their shared vision for the company since its inception more than 30 years ago. Their son, Eddie, has been a part of the business for almost 20 years, now managing the construction arm. Eddie’s wife, Maryke, has also joined the Bishop Master Finishes family, bringing her skills as the Business Manager. As such, family is at the heart of everything that they do. As well as their immediate family, the team has grown through the years, working with some of their artisan finishers for over 10 years – “we love [them] like family,” she proudly explains. The magic of these finishes is not only in the trowel and the recipe but, most importantly, in the hand finessing the lime with painstaking care. Each artisan is specially trained under the Bishops and has years, if not decades, of experience in working with these finishes. It is easy to see in the final product that there is more than mere skill to the achieved effect, as Maryke explains. “We are artists, the only difference is that our
medium is lime and marble plaster.”
Putting people at the core of their work reveals something integral about the family – for Bishop Master Finishes, the main focus is the client. Committing entirely to realise their clients’ vision, the Bishops try never to say no; instead, they see any challenge as a problem to solve and an opportunity to hone their craft. “We help our clients realise their vision, no matter how bold their ideas,” Maryke says. Decades of knowledge and experience means the company can colour match its lime plaster to any paint colour. When this is combined with a willingness to experiment with textures and aggregates, the answer is almost always yes.
Ultimately, it is the completed installations by Bishop Master Finishes that speak for themselves.
This enthusiasm and commitment stems from the Bishops’ passion for their craft, stemming from total reverence for the execution. The family takes immense pride in what they do, manufacturing, mixing, applying and installing the finishes exclusively themselves. Their expert preparation and application of plaster and render is unmatched, effortlessly recreating the serene gravity of polished natural stone. The process is thorough and precise, trowelling three coats of the blended plaster onto a finished substrate, after which the final product is burnished to create a smooth, glass-like polished finish. The surface is then sealed using a natural beeswax for longevity, emphasising the family’s dedication to sustainable materials. The company’s understanding of what is relevant now is what has led to Bishop’s latest product, a seamless rendered Acoustic Plaster ceiling range. Offering effectively invisible acoustics, this range reduces reverberating noise levels, which leads to a calmer and more welcoming space.
Ultimately, it is the completed installations by Bishop Master Finishes that speak for themselves. The sphere at Pharos Wing in Mona in Hobart, the luminous pastels at Masani Boutique in Armadale and the innumerable projects delivered for Australia’s leading architects and designers like Bates Smart, YSG, Flack Studio, Woods Bagot, Mim Design and many more – each surface tells the story of multiple generations of a family committed to delivering an incomparable finish, every time.
