An experienced/professional painter has no problem cutting in 99% of a room without tape or other gadgets. All it takes is a steady hand and lots of practice. If you don't want to use tape, and you aren't a very good painter, you can always use some sort of screen. They sell paint guards that you just put up against the edge, paint, and then move. Of course, that is a lot more time consuming than taping, so most people spring for the rolls of tape. If you are doing a lot of rooms, you might want to buy it by the box. Actual paint stores sell in bulk for much less than $6/roll.

Well, I guess I should ask my DH, since he's the one that did the shopping around. He asked around for recommendations and looked into 3 different ones. They all did good work, but what it came down to was price and interest. By that I mean, were they even interested in doing the job. One guy that came highly recommended, came in at a good price, but he didn't think we should paint, but rather re-stain, because that's a look he prefers, and it's his specialty. They guy we went with had good references and we saw some of his work and liked it. Different people use different kinds of paints too, so you need to know what you want. We went with a lacquer, but I don't know much about that, hubby made that decision. We did all the prep ourselves, other than sanding. Cleaning with TSP, a good scrub and rinse, and all the dismantling of cabinets and delivery to the paint shop. I think that helped us get a better price as well. I think we paid about $2000 for the whole kitchen. It's not completely re-installed yet, but I am really happy so far.

LB~ I agree. Holly is a decorating wonder. Her kitchen is really gorgeous. HOpefully she'll see your request and be able to share a few more. :O) hoosiergirl~ Yes, dh really liked the velvet bronze also. I really wanted him to do that on the ceiling, but he was afraid there wouldn't be much contrast between ceiling and walls, and he wants a contrast. He'll have crown molding in that room, which will be lighter, but he still wanted more contrast. He rarely gives an opinion on decorating, so the fact that he has a preference is rather cute to me. :o) On holly's photos above, she shows the sitting area in her master bedroom. It's the LHB. Her ceiling in that area are also LHB. But then her tray above the bed area is the AB. So they are not in the same photo exactly, but she used them in the same space. I saw photos of that space long ago, and I believe the areas are open to one another (rather than a seperate type room like yours). Sorry to put you on a wild goosechase of scrolling photos for the exact combo. :o) LOL! That velvet bronze is going to go somewhere in our house. DH has a 3rd floor office as well, so maybe in that room?! It looks like velvet, doesn't it?! YUM! ;o)

Jennifer's suggestion is pointing you there. You need sponges, stiff stipple brushes and glazing to 'thin' the paint. The technique is fading the colors together. If you want to try, just need practice on some scrap boards and a little Youtube. However, if you are not "aging" the remainder of the groin vault or using a too-contrasting color on the groins (edges), it may not look natural. The example you show "aged" is what would cause the groins to look like that for all plaster construction. Typically though the groins would be brick, stone or wood with plaster inside for the vaulted portions.