Eclectic to elegant, murals make the scene

When Susan and Ken Root of Arlington bought their home last year, they wanted a cozy wood stove in the living room.

Terms

Mural: An image applied

directly to a wall or ceiling.

Trompe loeil: A style of

painting that creates an

illusion of photographic reality. It fools the eye into seeing a

three-dimensional image.

Faux finish: A replication of other finishes such as aged plaster, marble, limestone or wood with paint. If the effect is done well, no one should notice this finish isnt real.

What they didn’t want was the bare white wall behind it.

At first they considered framed art and a mirror to fill the space. They finally settled on something they say is far better looking and a solid home investment: a mural.

The $1,500 trompe l’oeil, painted by local artist Gina Ribaudo, mimics the stonework of a fireplace. The Roots added a mantel above the faux river rocks. Next to it is a woodland scene reminiscent of the Roots’ wooded property.

“You can’t buy a Thomas Kinkade for that price and it wouldn’t cover your wall,” said Susan Root. And real stonework would have cost much more.

“It’s just gorgeous and we love it.”

Murals have been around for centuries in European homes, but Americans haven’t rushed to embrace painted scenes across walls and ceilings. That’s changing.

Local muralists say business has never been better and there’s a style and price range for almost anyone.

Muralist Linda Englet, who specializes in realistic images, paints a lot of children’s bedrooms. It’s the way most people become comfortable with murals, she said.

She recently painted a giant wave splashing across one wall of 15-year-old Tess Cuadro’s Lake Steven’s bedroom. The teen was thrilled with the effect.

“A mural is there to stay. It looks more real,” Tess said. “It makes me feel like I’m in Bermuda.”

The cost of commissioning a mural varies. Expect to pay between $10 and $70 per square foot, depending on the expertise and experience of the muralist, Englet said. She charges $35 per square foot.

Edmonds-based artist Michael Rohani paints only a handful of murals a year, charging $3,000 to $10,000.

A finely painted mural adds value to a home, he said, and that’s something many Americans, especially those who’ve had the opportunity to see murals in European homes, are beginning to understand.

When choosing a subject for a mural, he suggested considering ambience, color and texture rather than just a particular scene. A mural can be one of many layers in a room.

“Hang paintings on it, push your furniture in front of it,” he said. “Murals add a certain lushness to the room.”

He attributes the interest in murals partly to a “monoculture” that leaves Americans craving individuality.

“They want their home to look different and have more meaning to them,” he said. “That’s just something you can’t buy off a shelf.”

A slew of Web-based companies sells a less expensive version of the art mural.

One of the largest of these, Murals Your Way, doubled its custom mural business last year.

The company reproduces stock images or customers’ photographs on commercial grade vinyl in any size – “literally as large as a house” if the customer wants it, said Jackie Just, a spokeswoman for the company.

The murals are divided into strips and shipped in rolls. The customer hangs the mural-like wallpaper using wallpaper paste.

“People want customization now more than ever which is why murals have become so popular,” Just said. “Murals are an easy way for homeowners to add their own custom touch.”

Exposure on home makeover television shows hasn’t hurt the popularity of murals either. Murals Your Way had its products featured on “Extreme Home Makeover” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”

Homeowners are asking for fanciful castles in kids’ rooms, and vineyards and Tuscan villa scenes in kitchens and dining rooms, Just said.

Other popular images include “Hawaiian Sunset” and “Manhattan Lights,” a sweeping city skyline at night.

Similar products are available online from other companies. Homeowners can buy custom murals painted on canvas and have them shipped to their homes. These images can be hung on a frame or applied directly to the wall.

Other artists will paint custom murals on tiles that you can purchase and assemble.

For the do-it-yourselfer, other companies, such as Jan Dressler Stencils, create stencil kits that allow even the artistically challenged to re-create complicated images themselves. Dressler Stencils also sells wallpaper murals.

The price varies by the image, size and quality of materials. Murals reproduced on wallpaper or vinyl are generally less expensive than hiring a muralist, but not always.

A 7-by-8 foot Tuscan Patio Wallpaper Mural, sold by Dressler Stencils, costs $560.

A similar-sized Murals Your Way image called “Vineyard Terrace” costs $492.

Sophisticated mural kits can cost hundreds, depending on the complexity of the image.

The “Coconut Palm Mural Kit,” sold by Dressler Stencils, costs $580 and includes instructions, eight stencils, 40 paints and 39 brushes. The kit is used to create a 4-by-9-foot mural.

Gina Ribaudo, an Everett artist, paints murals for the Imagine Childrens Museum in Everett and for homeowners. She provided a few suggestions:

Find a muralist you feel comfortable with. A muralist should show prospective clients a portfolio and provide references, if asked. Examine the style and quality of the work.

Consider the muralists work habits. Ribaudo works on murals until their completed. I feel like I am a professional, when someone gives me a deadline, I meet it, she said. Some artists are more free spirited, so ask about their work habits.

Find out how much the muralist charges and what is included in the price. Muralists generally provide a preliminary sketch and an estimate. Most muralists charge by the square foot. Some charge by the hour.

Ribaudo adjusts her prices depending on the complexity of the design. A faux finish on a wall might be $2 or $3 a square foot while the most intricate design might be as much as $30.

Location is everything. Choose a spot that gets lots of eye traffic, such as an entryway or the focal point of a room.

Ribaudo finds clients also want trompe loeil windows in a bath or bedroom that has none. A mural is often more interesting than a real window (would be), she said.

When it comes to kids rooms, choose murals with staying power. Small children soon outgrow cartoonish images. Select themes that can grow with your children. Ribaudo suggested clouds on the ceilings or garden themes, for instance.

Resources

Jan Dressler Stencils

888-656-4515

www.dresslerstencils.com

Murals Your Way

888-295-9764

www.muralsyourway.com

Linda Englet

Muralist

425-931-7100

www.flyingswanimages.com

Gina Ribaudo