How Murals, Materiality and Storytelling Are Redefining Interior Design

From Background to Centre Stage

We don’t see walls as background. In most of our projects, they carry the space. They hold the visual weight, they control how light moves, and increasingly, they define how a room feels the moment you step into it.

Across hospitality and residential interiors, there’s been a clear shift—but for us, it’s not something new. It’s something we’ve always designed around.

Walls are no longer something you “finish” at the end. They are often where the design begins.

Immersive Murals as the Starting Point

When we use murals, we’re not thinking about feature walls. We’re thinking about how the entire room is going to sit around them.

A mural sets the pace. It determines whether a space feels calm or energetic, intimate or expansive.

In a restaurant, something like Seasons of the Vine introduces movement and warmth—it naturally lends itself to spaces where people gather, talk, and stay. The room doesn’t need much else. The mural does the work.

In contrast, Wisteria Rainfalls softens a space immediately. We would use this in a bedroom or boutique hotel setting where the atmosphere needs to slow down. The furniture becomes quieter, the palette more restrained.

For more minimal architecture, The Japanese Tree: A Living Sculpture gives structure without heaviness. It allows the room to remain clean, but not empty.

And then there are designs like Willow Mural, which create a sense of stillness—ideal for spaces where you want to remove visual noise entirely.

These aren’t decorative choices. They are decisions about how the room is experienced.

Botanical Design as Atmosphere

We’ve always worked with botanical themes, but not as pattern. For us, they are about building an environment.

When we design something like Birdsong by the Lake, it’s not about florals—it’s about placing the room within a landscape. There’s depth, distance, and a sense of quiet.

Citrus Trees works differently. It brings a Mediterranean warmth—more energy, more light. It suits spaces where you want a sense of openness and informality.

Then there are softer compositions like Blossom Veil or Magnolia in Blossom, where the focus is tonal. These are less about statement and more about atmosphere—spaces that feel settled and cohesive.

What matters is that these designs don’t sit on the wall. They extend the room beyond it.

Materiality: What Holds the Room Together

Not every space needs a mural. Some need restraint. But even then, the wall still matters.

This is where material comes in.

We use grasscloths and textured wallcoverings when we want the room to feel grounded—when the focus is on how light moves across a surface rather than what is printed on it.

Mirage Grasscloth is often where we start. It’s neutral, but it has enough variation to stop a space feeling flat.

Dune Grasscloth introduces warmth. It works well in interiors that lean into earth tones and natural materials.

For something with more presence, Pale Rose Marble Grasscloth adds depth without becoming pattern-led. And Green Marble Grasscloth sits somewhere between natural and refined—it works particularly well in spaces that need both.

These materials don’t compete with the room. They allow everything else to sit properly within it.

Pattern: Where We Use It—and Where We Don’t

We’re more selective with pattern now.

There’s less need to fill a wall with repetition. In many cases, a mural replaces that entirely.

But there are still moments where pattern plays a role—particularly in transitional spaces or where a mural would be too dominant.

Structured Chaos Wallpaper is a good example of where we sit with this. It has rhythm, but it isn’t rigid. It introduces movement without overwhelming the space.

We tend to use it:

• In living areas where a mural isn’t required

• In hallways or connecting spaces

• As a secondary layer alongside more dominant surfaces

It acts as a bridge—something that adds interest without taking over.

How We Build a Room

Every project is different, but the approach is consistent.

We’re always balancing three things:

• What defines the space (often the mural)

• What supports it (material, texture)

• What connects everything together (colour and tone)

  
  

  A dining space might be built around a mural, with grasscloth on surrounding walls to soften it.

A bedroom might use a mural on one wall, with everything else pulled back so the atmosphere remains calm.

A living space might not use a mural at all—but rely on texture and tone to carry it.

Nothing is applied in isolation. Everything is considered in relation to the room.

From Product to Space

We don’t design products to sit in isolation.

Everything we create is intended to be part of a space—something that interacts with light, with furniture, with architecture. That’s why the same design can feel completely different depending on how it’s used.

A mural can be immersive or subtle. A textured wall can be quiet or defining. It’s not just what you use—it’s how the room is built around it.

Final Thought

A space feels complete when nothing feels added on. When the wall, the material, the light and the objects all sit together naturally, there’s a clarity to it.

That’s what we’re always aiming for. And increasingly, that clarity starts with the wall.