Imaginative Murals

Thank you for purchasing an Imaginative Mural. The Stone Bridge Garden mural will look good in many settings and will add a lot of color and interest to a room. The trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) style is a great conversation piece. People often want to touch the leaded glass illusion.

Brighten any room in your home or office. The three-paneled mural is perfect for placement above a chair railing in a dining area. It will also work great above a couch or love seat. In the bedroom, you could use it above the bed instead of a big headboard. You can even drape swags and sheers to add to the illusion if you like.

Stone Bridge Garden has classic elegance that blends easily in formal surroundings. You can adhere it directly to a smooth wall or to enhance the mural's presence in a room, you can frame each individually in moulding that coordinates with your trim. If your walls are textured, you will need to either mount or frame the pieces before hanging. The mural's impressionistic style lets you imagine what flowers may be in the garden. Have fun decorating around it. You can play up the floral theme with botanical prints. Place real or silk flowers in cut crystal or glass vases to mimic the beveled glass in the mural. Set silver accessories and porcelain figurines upon lace doilies or perhaps a pretty teapot with cup and saucer. Bring out those items that you save for special dinners and find ways to showcase them.

The mural also makes a great accessory in "shabby chic" decor. The very popular shabby chic style is an eclectic mix of old and new, expensive and inexpensive, and elegant and whimsical. Its aim is to create a cozy, inviting environment perfect for "real" living. Try selecting colors from the mural to create a color pallet. Then, look for items in various solids, patterns and textures that match the pallet. Pillows and linens are a great way to do this. You could add lush trims and tassels if they don't have them (Fig. 2). Look for accessories that add warmth such as ceramics, candles and photo frames with snapshots of loved ones. Furniture pieces that match the shabby chic style are often vintage looking with distressed finishes and hand-painted embellishments. You can have fun creating your own from garage sale or thrift store finds. Many books exist at the library and at retail to help you create a one-of-a-kind piece.

When placing the mural panels, you can have them touch, but I think they look better with a couple inches of space separating them. If you are limited on wall space, try placing the main mural alone and the small murals flanking an item of furniture (Fig. 3).

I'm sure you'll come up with a lot of creative ideas to decorate your interior. If you get a chance, take a photo and send it to me. I'd love to see what you come up with.

Sincerely,
Trish Selgrath