Murals and Decorative Wall Painting

Give your guests the impression they are dining on a lush hilltop with a country hillside mural. This scene complements the exposed wood beams and the farmhouse table. Refer to books, photos, or old maps for scenes that mirror your home's decorating style.

Murals are great for bringing a taste of the exotic into the home. This built-in buffet takes its style cues from the familiar graphic shapes used in Middle Eastern design. Limiting the scene to a small area provides just enough character without being overwhelming.

Up close, the scene is full of colors that pop against the room's terra-cotta red walls.

Each wall of this dining room is wrapped in a soft landscape of trees and rivers. To keep the scene inviting and not overbearing, vary the scale of the elements along each wall. In this dining room, smaller scenes to the left of the windows contribute to the overall scene but do not distract from the window treatments.

A playful mural depicting rolling hills can be the perfect fuel for the imagination of a miniature farmer or anyone who appreciates the great outdoors and rustic countryside.

A striped wall treatment adds lots of color to this bedroom. Horizontal stripes also make the room appear wider and larger, which is a great trick for small bedrooms.

A blue-on-blue mural adds a focal point to this modern nursery. A sprawling tree such as this one takes advantage of angled ceilings by stretching out for a larger-than-life effect.

Add a fancy flourish to plain walls with a simple stenciled border. Using two coordinating wall colors is a simple way to customize walls and add interest to a room.

For a fanciful flourish, paint a trompe l'oeil headboard. This handcrafted beauty mimics the ornate scrolls of a wrought-iron version without any hard edges to impede peaceful slumber.

Fun and bold, these graphic painted flowers liven up the study area in this teen girl's room. The flowers were hand-painted freestyle in colors to coordinate with the bright furniture and surfer-girl theme throughout the room.

A menagerie of zoo favorites meanders along the wall of this bedroom. A foliage border replaces molding and covers the wild creatures as they capture hearts and imaginations.

Use a children's book for decorative inspiration. This friendly animal grouping is sure to brighten any mood as soon as you step into the room.

All things aquatic come to life in this colorful detail of a marsh-theme young boy's room. Get the look by painting two-tone waves and underwater plants and animals.