Sometimes the simple answer is the perfect answer. My client in this elegant Fairfield, Connecticut home had a section of wall that just glared, needing an solution that wouldn’t look too contrived. The wall was formed when the 12′ height of the kitchen dropped back to 8′ in the foyer and hallway. Here’s the kitchen before I started.
Hanging a large painting just felt awkward.
Thank you again for the always imaginative ( and superb) painter, Dino Tetu, who was on the job and suggested that I might be the solution. A discussion with the homeowner led to the direction of a painted window for the space. I noted that there were several window transoms in the home and thought the added architectural interest would look better than a big picture window.
So, what to paint, what to paint? We discussed vistas that had appeal to the family (beaches were high on the list) but again, not feeling natural. As I walked through the first floor of the home, I was struck by the lovely trees I could see from every room and Voila! There is was. The painted window would just be another opportunity to view the outdoors.
Here’s my final sketch
It included a now absent huge weeping cherry that the children had played beneath the drooping branches. It was a family discussion, and one of the daughters had requested it. I added a few trees from the back yard and a pine that was Mom’s favorite. To make sure my clients could visualize, I added the approved sketch to the kitchen photo.
Note that the perspective in the window matches what you would actually see if you were looking up at the space. Also, just the upper portions of the trees are visible.
Soon, it was time to paint. I rolled a baker’s scaffold over the granite countertop. The spacious dimensions of this kitchen made access a breeze. The owners had taken the glass domes off the light fixtures for my comfort, and it also allows you to see the work with less interference. I taped off the window and started blocking in the sky background.
And without further ado, here is the finished mural.
The pine on the right might end up being one of my favorites. My reference came directly from the front yard. This might be one of my favorite pine trees ever!
As dramatic as this painted window (measuring 44″x88″), it feels completely natural in the kitchen.
I’m quite caught up with the idea of a painted window with a view. Think outside the box ( or in this case, thinking off the wall!), it’s a great way to bring in the view where you want a window in a very simple way—on a canvas. Pictured here
is the first in a series of seasonal views I am painting for one of my clients. The canvas, measuring 30″ x 40″ , was a solution to add interest for a space everyone in the family sees at the top of the stairs.
Here’s a picture of the view they would see there if there had actually been a window.
I’m waiting to get photographs as soon as the autumn colors come in!
Surrounding yourself in a mural, whether small or large, is a wonderful way to give yourself a gift of your environment. It can be the real world as you see it, or a memory of a place to visit again and again. Amazing, such a small amount of paint can guarantee so much enjoyment.
Painted solutions….creating a mural that adds enormous warmth while remaining a subtle presence.
Makes me think it’s been there forever. Call me if you’re thinking if that might be an answer in your home.
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