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Wall Murals: An Affordable Luxury
(ARA) - It's considered the top trick of the trade by most interior decorators: the surest way to change the look of a room is to add color, depth and drama to those white walls. But with fears of a sluggish economy making consumers increasingly cost-conscious, many are turning to budget-friendly wall murals to inject high style into their home decor.
If money were no object, an artist could come into your home and spend a week hand painting the scene of your choosing for around $3000. Or, if you have confidence in your artistic abilities as well as plenty of patience, you can buy a large-scale stencil kit (starting at $250) and devote a couple weekends to your quest.
A simpler, and less expensive option, is the growing category of printed wall murals, some of which take only a few hours to apply and can cost as little as $100.
Murals can help homeowners create a balance of color and texture in any room. They are an easy way to create fixtures on any wall. Hopkins, Minn.-based Environmental Graphics has created many soothing wall murals depicting outdoor scenes that have the ability to drastically change not only the decor of a room, but also its energy and mood.
"Murals transform the look of a room quicker than anything else you can do," says Linda Meyer, a project designer at The Home Depot. "The ones we carry offer huge bang for your decorating dollar."
Meyer adds, "In an afternoon, you can turn your bedroom into a woodland retreat or make your library a whimsical storybook land, and that's why they're catching on with our customers."
Each eight-paneled mural comes with non-toxic paste, similar to what's used for wallpapering but the murals are much easier to apply than wallpaper. Simple instructions enable even "home improvement" novices to apply the murals with easy and success.
You may have actually seen one of the company's murals without knowing it: three of the space scenes were featured in the summer flick "Space Cowboys." The popular map of the world has decorated the sets of such movies as "Thirteen Days," "Clear and Present Danger," and "Navy Seals."
Also popular, says company president Todd Imholte, are scenes featuring a lighthouse, soaring eagles, a garden scene, a desert scene and clouds.
"People want their homes to be relaxed and murals can help do that," Mr. Imholte says. "Murals help create a harmonious environment, blending the elements of Feng Shui or aromatherapy." They also, apparently, can inspire envy, as customer Susan Pelletier of Andover, Mass. reveals:
"My youngest son is a Boy Scout so we used the Morning Forest mural in his room. When his 19-year-old brother came home from college and saw this, he asked if we could put a mural in his room!"
As a quick, easy and inexpensive way to add visual interest into any room, wall murals by Environmental Graphics are enjoying unprecedented popularity in homes around the country.
The impressive, 8'8" by 13-foot murals from Environmental Graphics, which sell for less than $100 at Home Depot, Lowe's and Sherwin Williams stores. To see all of the company's scenes, visit www.egproducts.com or call (toll free) 1-888-205-0914 for a brochure.
Courtesy of ARA Content, www.aracontent.com, e-mail: info@aracontent.com
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