One of my signature skills is the exact matching of natural materials such as marble, granite, and wood.  Often this is desirable for pure decoration, such as the first two pictures below.  In other instances, one can use the technique to make a plain material, e.g., a pine shelf, appear like a nobler one, say, mahogany or marble. 

Painted simulations are also useful for camouflaging ugly features, such as plastic outlets or ventilation grills set in the middle of a beautiful surface like a granite splashback in a kitchen.