Wall murals a perfect backdrop
Bored with plain walls? Bring out your inner artist with a bespoke painted mural in your home, writes
Painted wall murals are a great way to enliven a room, but if you’ve always been a little fearful of the idea, remember they don’t need to be overpowering.
Interior designer Laura Lynn Johnston suggests trying an ontrend ‘‘mini-mural’’ to highlight a particular area in an open-plan space.
‘‘Mini murals are fantastic for those odd walls that feel like they’remissing that certain ‘something’ but you’re not really sure what to do with them,’’ she says. ‘‘They can be an affordable alternative to hanging large scale artwork.
‘‘Your mural doesn’t need to be especially detailed, either; abstract compositions of freeform shapes, and even simple geometric designs can work a treat.’’
Johnston says a guest bathroom is the perfect place to try amural. ‘‘They’re usually smaller spaces, and since they’re always closed off, you don’t have as many sightlines to consider – which means they don’t need to necessarily tie perfectly into the rest of your home’s design.
‘‘If you like to entertain, a cool bathroommural makes a great icebreaker for dinner parties. As soon as the first person visits it, everybody else is going towant to check it out.’’
Johnston says it’s common to be wary about mixing multiple patterns within a space, but it’s a lot easier than you may think. ‘‘The trick is to layer patterns, but firstlymake sure they each share one to three different colours in common.
‘‘Then, you’ll also want them to vary in scale. For instance, if you have bed linen with a small floral design, be sure that your other patterns aren’t too small or bitsy – go larger, or try a ‘blown up’ version of those same flowers for yourmural in colours that match or co-ordinate. Similarly, if you have a bold, graphic rug, choose smaller designs for the other patterns in your small [mural] to balance it out.’’
How to do colour
‘‘What makes a successful mural is the same thing that makes a successful artwork – you need a mix of light, medium and dark hues. It shouldn’t be all lights or all darks, or all brights. If you’re creating a monochrome design with colours from a single Resene swatch, for example, pick at least one from near the top, one from the middle and one from the bottom so that you’ll know you’ll have enough contrast in your end design.’’
Johnston recommends looking at fashion colour fandecks if you want to stay ontrend.
‘‘If you’re worried that the coloursmight be ‘too trendy’, remember that it’s only paint, so it’s quick and easy to change
‘‘Pick what resonates with you and don’t stress so much about whether you are going to want it to be on your wall forever.’’ Laura Lynn Johnston
Interior designer
things up if your taste or style evolves.
‘‘Pick what resonates with you and don’t stress so much about whether you are going to want it to be on your wall forever.
‘‘Be brave. Most ‘mistakes’ happenwhen you try to hold back too much because you’re scared of messing up or making too much of a splash.
‘‘And don’t worry so much about what other people do or think. It’s your home, and the only person who needs to love what you’ve done with the place is the one living there.’’
Kids’ rooms can be fun
‘‘Kids’ rooms are another great place to have a bit of fun with creating murals,’’ Johnston says. ‘‘You can even let your kids collaborate with you on the design to make it more special and give them that sense of ownership over their space. Take them with you to pick up your testpots and supplies, so they feel like they’re part of the whole process.
‘‘The beauty of using testpots to create your mural is that you’re sure to find the perfect colour to co-ordinate with your scheme, instead of having to search around for the right size, shape and colour of artwork,’’ says Johnston.
Then, of course, there are the ready-made murals, which are not quite as personal, but are sure to bring plenty of wow factor where you want it most.
What about those brushes?
If you want to personalise your space yourself, Johnston recommends high-quality paintbrushes with soft bristles. ‘‘It might seem counterintuitive, but if you need to freehand a nice smooth curve, you need a wide brush.
‘‘A lot of people feel nervous about doing that and will gravitate towards a small artist’s brush to paint their curve, but those sorts of brushes are much more sensitive to small wobbles, and it’ll be a slow and likely frustrating process if you take that route.
‘‘For larger areas that aren’t masked off, startwith the outline and ‘feather’ your inward edges towards the centre as you go so that you’re not left with a hard edge on the inner side of your brushstrokes. Then, use amini roller to fill in what’s left.’’
And Johnston says always go for a very high-quality tape, such as Sellotape Washi Advanced or Sellotape Premium+ Washi, which she uses for her murals.
This article was produced in partnership with Resene.