When designers want to pull out all the stops, they can count on these decorative painters to transform rooms into true masterpieces. From trompe-l’oeil to scenic murals, these exquisite wall treatments are more than just surface level.
Atelier Blundell & Therrien
Célina Blundell and Christophe Therrien, the Parisian artists behind Atelier Blundell & Therrien, have applied their mastery of classical decorative painting techniques to interiors old and new, creating faithful reproductions of historic works (like the stage set above, inspired by the intarsia studiolo of the Ducal Palace in Gubbio, Italy), taking on painstaking restorations at the Louvre and Versailles, and realizing one-of-a-kind modern masterpieces for the likes of Cartier.
Dean Barger
New York painter Dean Barger has become a go-to source for moody, transportive murals that make the room, whether that’s a buzzy restaurant (like Roman and Williams–designed spots Le Coucou and La Mercerie) or an intimate dining room (as in decorator Lauren McGrath’s 1804 Connecticut home, pictured here).
Agustin Hurtado
When Miles Redd wants to dial up the drama, he calls in Agustin Hurtado. A master of all things trompe l’oeil, the Brooklyn-based artist is as adept at creating large-scale murals (like the faux-tented room above) as he is at mimicking tortoise, wood, marble, porphyry, and more.
Bob Christian
With a roster of clients that includes Bunny Williams, Charlotte Moss, and the late Suzanne Rheinstein (her New York pied-à-terre is seen here), Savannah-based Bob Christian has garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the industry’s top decorative artistsover the course of his nearly 50-year career.
James Mobley
James Mobley’s wall murals aren’t your grandma’s scenics. The Los Angeles–based artist is putting a fresh spin on the art form, drawing the likes of Heidi Caillier, Jake Arnold, and Augusta Hoffman (who designed the Brooklyn Heights apartment above) with ethereal landscapes, playful sketches, and painterly stripes.
Magdalena Gordon
Whether she’s adorning walls with trompe-l’oeil ephemera à la Lutyens or creating a Pitzhanger Manor–inspired ceiling for a London home decorated by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler’s Lucy Hammond Giles (above), Magdalena Gordon brings a sense of history to every surface she touches.
Maria Trimbell
When the goal is an atmospheric backdrop with been-there-forever appeal, Michael S. Smith and Madeline Stuart call on California artist Maria Trimbell, who specializes in airy, fresco-style scenic murals, soft grisaille chinoiseries, and intricate motifs like the hand-stenciled rattan panels in this Smith-designed space above.
Anne Harris
If a designer can dream it, Anne Harris can do it. The New York–based muralist’s body of work encompasses everything from quiet grisaille scenes to glam French Art Deco–inspired panels (seen at a private Chicago club by Craig & Company, above) and even an enormous T. rex hidden in a Fifth Avenue powder room.
Tess Newall
What do you get when you combine Eastern European folk art motifs, a Bloomsbury- esque palette, and loads of English charm? That would be the work of Tess Newall, whose creations have made her the darling of U.K. designers like Isabella Worsley (who commissioned the ceiling above) and Lonika Chande.
THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN VOLUME 19 OF FREDERIC MAGAZINE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!
