Maybe it’s time murals got a chance

It is true, many people love their house walls plainly white or in any other colour, yet at times, it may take that splash of colour to change the feel and mood.

Often, an interior designer may recommend an art work or two, a brilliant and costly idea in some cases. Yet, if one wants something that is customised or tailored to tell their own story, a wall mural may be a solution.

Wall murals are some of the oldest decorative treatments to walls that combine art and architecture, since each painting or drawing is applied directly to the wall.

Common with historical buildings, mural art has always been applied on walls and the ceiling. Then, the main purpose was to pass on a message or have a specific narrative.

But today, much as many still have a message to pass on, murals are majorly a creative way of taking care of gigantic spaces with a uniform pattern.

They are art that many house owners value for being part of the house as opposed to hanging in it.

For many people that have had murals applied to their spaces, it is one of the best decorative solutions because they had a say in topic and colour choices.

Where to put murals

Bedroom

Fatima Hassan, a visual artist responsible for a number of murals around town says most of the works people put in their bedrooms are very personal.

“In the bedroom, people will ask you to draw things that speak to them in a certain way,” she says.

A bedroom is where people start and end their day, thus, the murals in these places are most times a reflection of themselves and what motivates them.

Children’s rooms

Children love colours. This probably explains why these are the commonest murals homeowners are applying.

Some will be looking for random pictures of different animals, while, with the demand of some children, the drawings range from their favourite animals, cartoon characters to super hero action figures.

Fatima says, besides a few children that insist on characters such as Batman, Spiderman and other superheroes, most bedchambers for children easily look good with fun, versatile and gender neutral designs.

“Some designs can be inspirational, for instance, there are parents that will want a design that will interest their children in science and technology. These may, for instance, want a mural of space, the stars or spaceships.

Dining

The dining room is a place people come to feed and at times network.

Murals are common in eateries and thus, it is not surprising they are also common in dining rooms.

Much as many would imagine such murals being foody, they are never about food.

Most eateries, restaurants and dining are diverse with pictures of cities, close up of faces and, at times, graffiti.

Most of the dining room murals tend to achieve a mood different from the rest of the house.

Costs

If the client buys their own paint, Fatima says they may charge about Shs300,000 but it may come down to the type. Some works demand more than the other, thus, even when some works can be priced at Shs300,000, there are others that may stretch into a million and more.