A picture might be worth a thousand words, but for discerning design enthusiasts looking to bring some additional personality to a room, murals have become the decor feature du jour. As the style pendulum has swung comfortably in maximalist territory over the past few years, many interior design pros are eschewing wall coverings, papered repeats, and peel-and-stick decals for a more permanent fresco.
“It’s almost like a tattoo,” says Molly Torres Portnof of DATE Interiors. “It’s a really cool way to bring creativity and color into a space.” The New York-based designer recently employed murals in a pied-à-terre on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The mission: Bring a dreamy edge to the primary bedroom—quite literally.
“My client told me about a dream that she had where she was standing under a waterfall, and it left her with such a peaceful feeling when she woke up,” she explains. “It really stuck with me. We were thinking about wallpaper [for the bedroom], and nothing felt quite right because we both kept thinking about this dream.” Portnof tapped decorative artist Patrice Yourdon to create a tropical oasis that spans three of the room’s walls. Meanwhile, a mirrored-fronted wardrobe on the fourth wall and aquamarine accents throughout create a cocooning effect, blurring where the panorama begins and ends.
If a mammoth floor-to-ceiling mural feels too commanding, however, take a cue from Rebecca Amir. For a children’s bedroom at the 2024 Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse, the designer worked with Robert Christian to create a continuous fresco on a duo of closet doors—a move, Amir says, that deftly bridges the gap between form and function.
“They were particularly large doors that took up the whole side of the room to the point where you couldn’t place any furniture,” she explains. “Instead of masking them by painting the doors the same color as the wall, I wanted to lean in and make it a feature.” Inspired by vintage postcards from Block Island, the floral-filled landscape enhances the room’s storybook quality on a smaller scale.
Designers like Portnof and Amir might be putting a fresh spin on frescos, but a mural isn’t exactly a novel idea. “It fascinates me that 40,000 years ago, humans were painting figures and animals onto the walls of the places they lived, using the natural earth pigments available to them,” says Tess Newall, a decorative artist in Sussex and London. “The paintings served no obvious purpose other than the telling of stories and the joy that wall paintings bring, both in their creation and in living alongside them.”
The 20th century saw a proliferation of artists treating lived spaces as canvases, with Jean Cocteau’s walls at Villa Santo Sospir and the Bloomsbury Group’s work at Charleston Farmhouse bringing the tradition into more intimate settings. “Murals were no longer seen as confined to places of worship,” Newall adds. “They could—and should—also be in domestic places for everyday people to enjoy.”
But today? In a world where virtually everything is accessible with a tap or swipe, a mural offers a reminder of how beautiful slow decorating can be. “I feel like it’s so important to have evidence of the hand,” Amir says. “Whether that’s in a metal finish or a paint finish—or when you can see that somebody created something, not a machine—it creates a one-of-a-kind feeling that really can’t be replicated.”
In fact, Bay Area decorative artist Caroline Lizarraga argues the mural is the antithesis of our automated future. “Our clients want something unique, and having exactly what they want made just for them is becoming more important in this A.I.-driven world,” she explains. “We are all traveling so much and are exposed to so many stunning places and spaces, so our design game is quite elevated.”
Floor-to-ceiling friezes might be in fashion, but designers insist they won’t fully replace wallpaper. Despite their appeal, murals aren’t conducive to a tight timeline. “When creating custom murals, imagine creating a custom couture dress,” Lizarraga explains. “You can really do anything, so there are a few things that help start and dictate the look of the mural.”
After considering factors such as location, natural sunlight, and the mood a mural should evoke, Lizarraga will present several ideas to her client. Once all parties agree on a concept, Lizarraga will create custom samples, or smaller renderings of the painting. “If everything looks incredible in the space then, we transfer the concept to the actual walls,” she says. Depending on the size and scope of the mural, the entire process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.
Cost is another factor to consider. While wallpapers and coverings are available at various price points, Lizarraga says her murals range from $40 to $250 per square foot. And since these paintings are expensive and oh-so-precious, Amir recommends keeping murals far away from kids’ “spaghetti hands.” “I probably wouldn’t do it in a high-trafficked space,” she says. “I love the idea of it in a bedroom where it’s tucked away for you to enjoy.” Meanwhile, Lizarraga says entryways, powder rooms, and formal dining spaces are also popular canvases.
No matter where you install a mural, however, selecting a concept is often the most challenging step. With so many ideas to consider, how can you possibly choose just one? Naturally, it all depends on your personal style. Landscapes, like the ones in Portnof and Amir’s murals, might deliver on-demand wanderlust, but Newall says the ceiling’s the limit.
“Decorative painting can be a linear pattern, hand-painted as a border along the top of a wall, or around joinery details such as the frames of kitchen cabinetry,” she explains. “Decorated architraves can add interest and elevate a space, working to divide rooms and make them feel more spacious.”
To help narrow your options, Lizarraga recommends letting a home’s architecture inform the mural. “Sometimes people get obsessed with something they have to have in the space, and honestly it doesn't work for the architecture,” she explains. “The room has a say, too, so I think it's important to listen. You don’t want to do Art Deco walls with Gothic architecture.”
Perhaps the most important painting pointer? Have fun with your display. Murals might have a sense of permanence—but like a tattoo, they shouldn’t be taken too seriously. “It’s meant to be something that’s going to add color, creativity, and joy to your life,” Portnof shares. “I think that’s the best way to get a good result.”
Read more at Vogue
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