Gulf Coast Plaster Artisans was formed in 2022 as a natural extension of its sister business, Sylvia T Designs. The latter has been delivering plaster and decorative finishes as the Gulf South’s premier decorative arts firm for over 30 years. With our deep experience in application, we have used numerous materials over the years. Before becoming US distributor for Stucco Italiano, we began using their artisan level products on our own project sites with great success – loved by both our professional application team and clients alike. Our long-running track record as high-level plaster applicators allows us to provide top-flight customer service, education, and technical support to our clients. We proudly offer Stucco Italiano to artisans in the US and serve as their certified US trainer, hosting hands-on, certification workshops at our shop in New Orleans and points beyond.

Sylvia Thompson-Dias, owner, founder, and master artisan of Sylvia T Designs and Gulf Coast Plaster Artisans, has been in the plaster and decorative arts game for over 30 years. After achieving her degree in architecture from Louisiana State University, she jumped into the worlds of fine and decorative art in the New Orleans area. Though plaster has been used in this part of the world for generations, real lime plaster was becoming scarce. The scene had become dominated by acrylic and gypsum plasters. She became fascinated with true artisan lime plaster and picked up its mantle in 2017. She never looked back. After discovering Stucco Italiano, Sylvia trained with their founder and master artisan, Giovanni Polistena, in both Italy and New Orleans. Today, Sylvia has led both Sylvia T Designs and Gulf Coast Plaster Artisans to new heights and is widely seen as the region’s preeminent decorative and functional plaster artisan and is also a world-class instructor.