Decorating with wall murals

If you have just a little bit of artistic talent, decorating with murals is a fun and affordable way to spice up a room, and especially a children's bedroom.

 

ABOVE: Add a touch of elegance to a glam bedroom with chandeliers painted on the wall above the bed.

 

ABOVE and BELOW: A simple black design on a white wall in this dining room makes a dramatic statement.

 

At first glance you might think that this is wallpaper, but upon closer inspection this truly inspiring design is a hand painted mural. The black branches with birds painted on a white background make for a very interesting atmosphere.

How to paint your own mural wall
The easiest way to create is wall mural is to hire a projector for the day. Using your PC or laptop to create a design, this is then projected onto the wall to be painted to make drawing the design so much simpler.

carrie can

Enlarge the reflected image so that it fills the wall and then use a pencil to draw the design out. You can use any acrylic paint to paint over the design, but a satin or sheen is best if you want washability. Using this method you can create wonderfully intricate designs without too much artistic ability, as long as you stick to silhouette images.

ABOVE: Just love the black detail added to the wall above the cot.

This wonderful nursery is decorated in shades of green with black and white accents. As you enter the room, a silhouette of a little girl blowing a dandelion is the first thing that you see. Wall murals offer an easy and affordable way to decorate a nursery - or any room in a home - with a personal and unique touch.

If you have photo design software on your PC you can browse the Internet to find suitable images for wall murals. Use Photoshop - or similar - to desaturate the graphics to black and white before using a projector to reflect your chosen design onto the wall.

 

After painting the wall blue, Bee in our Bonnet used a projector to transfer the design onto the wall by tracing with a pencil. If using a lot of different colours, it helps to label the colours to create a lifesize "paint by numbers" project.

Have a selection of artist's paintbrushes handy as you will need various sizes and shapes to paint a wall mural. The snow design in this snowboarding mural was painted first, and bear in mind that you may need to apply two coats when using lighter colours.

BELOW: A fascination for owls was the inspiration for this pastel garden bedroom. The wall mural and soft furnishings all feature beautiful hand painted owls.

 

 

ABOVE and LEFT: This artic theme bedroom features penguins, polar bears and snowflakes to create a winter wonderland.

The white furniture and bedding provide the backdrop for pale blues and a touch of black.

Use the template below to create your own "Bird on a Branch" mural in a dining room, bedroom, bathroom or living space.