Now that Spring has finally come, we can't help but keep our eyes up at the trees watching the buds and dreaming of leaves. Meanwhile, it seems the rainstorms aren't ever going to let up as we sadly watch our barbeques go unused. Perhaps this is why we chose to feature this custom wall mural design, birch tree bark texture behind a comfy chair, perfect for curling up and reading a book while waiting for Summer to finally take hold.

Wood texture wall murals have a very serene, calming effect, but you can use many other natural textures for a custom wall mural. Bamboo always makes for a great custom wallpaper installation. Striated gemstones and rocks with layers of swirling color create incredible wall murals, very abstract and original.

Natural patterns occur everywhere in unexpected places, and as busy people we tend to give these patterns only a moment of our attention. Create a wall mural and freeze that moment of beauty on your wall with a natural pattern wall mural from Great Wall Custom Coverings.

Custom Wallpaper Design: Faux Glass Elements

The custom wallpaper image we're featuring today is a very unique window, comprised of numerous round glass sections held in place by an iron frame, similar in nature to stained glass. Wall murals that emulate the look of windows have a very similar effect as real windows, they add a lightness and sense of openness to a room.

Whereas this custom wall mural is more modern, a faux glass or trompe l'oeil window mural can also be very literal. If you have a room with no windows, adding a smaller mural that looks just like the real thing overlooking a beautiful outdoor scene can be even more effective than an actual window. What's more, since this is custom wallpaper, you have complete control in what the scene will look like out of the window. Your window mural may feature a lush tropical garden, or a tranquil forest; it's up to you.

Like other architectural elements, a faux glass mural helps to add visual interest to a room in a very grounded, structural way. Contact us to discuss more custom wallpaper options.

Mural Wallpaper vs. Hand Painted Murals

While our company and blog is devoted to the production of custom wallpaper, our work has never been aimed at replacing hand painted wall murals. There are cases when a hand painted wall mural is a necessity, be it that the artist's vision is paramount or a certain texture may be required. In any event, a hand painted mural has elements that mural wallpaper will never have.

On the other hand, wall mural wallpaper is quite affordable as it is shipped, and doesn't require an artist to travel to the install site. Additionally, installing a wall of wallpaper can be achieved in an afternoon, whereas an intricate wall mural can take weeks or months for an artist to create. Herein lies the overwhelming benefits of custom wallpaper, it is cost-effective and expeditious.

However, some truly exciting results are achieved when the two practices are combined in a single wall mural project. Pamela Carron is a classically trained artist as well as mural designer. She has developed an ingenious way of hand painting specific details of a design to be assembled fully as a mural printed on wallpaper. The image displayed is her gorgeous work, which you can read more about at her website here. Printing hand rendered elements of the highest artistic caliber on mural wallpaper gives you the best of both worlds; incredible original artwork produced in a way that is cost effective and quickly and easily installed.

Whether you use a mural artist or mural wallpaper to achieve your look, the end result of a quality mural will enhance your relationship with your space. Do your research and make sure anyone you hire to produce your mural is well qualified, and you'll be sure to reap the benefits.

Custom Wallpaper: 70's Inspired Wallpaper Wall Murals

Anyone born in the seventies remembers the wallpaper wall murals that adorned so many homes throughout the period. The wall mural images were strictly scenic in nature, focusing on mostly woodland scenes. Waterfalls and mountain ranges that were so overly perfect that they seemed less natural and more like massive well-kept gardens. And the colors were so bright and unrelenting that these wall murals seemed to almost glow. Though we love the kitschy nature of a lot of these wall murals' imagery, we're all about conscientious updating, and that what we've done with the custom wallpaper image displayed above.

The scene itself is tinged by a colorful gradient that mimics the old tinted car windows or rose colored glasses that were so popular then. The color gradient gives the mural a light, ethereal look that lends a daydream quality to the wallpaper. Compounded with the snarled tree trunks that look like they're softly bowing in the wind makes for a very real, textured scene; the ultimate goal of any scenic wall mural.

Something about the way the sun hits and illuminates the grasses in the mural has a very seventies vibe as well. The setting sun kissing the tops of the grasses feels very Little House on the Prairie, which we love. It also makes us think of all the "Golden Harvest" appliances that were rampant at the time. This wall mural is the perfect finishing touch to a room decked out with design elements paying homage to the seventies. The kitsch factor is there in spirit, but the updated colors and mood bring the seventies inspired wall mural to the present.

Custom Wallpaper Project: Kids' Arts & Crafts Room

We're all about creativity when it comes to custom wallpaper projects. Even though we're chocked full of original ideas, imaginative kids can always give us a run for our money. We always hear that our custom wall mural installations inspire their viewers, so placing a mural in your kids' arts and crafts room will certainly aid in the inspiration of your children in their art projects.

Before we continue, the first concern of parents is the durability of the wallpaper, as well as if the mural can be cleaned. We print our custom wallpaper with inks that are waterproof, and may be cleaned with mild, non-solvent cleansers. Avoid abrasive scrubbers or pads in favor of soft cloths to ensure that the wallpaper will not be scratched. Of course, if the mural is drawn on with permanent markers, this will not be able to be easily removed. At the end of the day though, wallpaper isn't bulletproof, and our custom wallpaper follows suit.

We like the mural image as shown above as it focuses on the central theme of the arts and craft room: art supplies. The colored pencils' repetition offers visual interest compositionally, while the bright colors will engage your child's interest and surely spur them on to new heights of creativity. A custom wall mural in the arts and crafts room is not only great for the kids, but can be engaging for Mom and Dad during scrap booking projects, while gift wrapping, or whatever activities you undertake with a craft table. Contact us to learn more!

Decorate Your Outdoor Space With Custom Artwork and Throw Pillows

As winter makes its annual retreat and life slowly returns, our outdoor spaces beckon to us. After the compulsory yard work and clean up is accomplished, and the patio furniture and grill are in place, take your outdoor space's decor scheme to the next level with outdoor artwork and custom printed throw pillows.

Though usually we print custom wallpaper and giclee for interiors, a number of our products can be used outside. Our outdoor artwork is printed on a self-adhesive vinyl, laminated, and mounted to impact resistant plastic sheets. This process creates a print that can last for at least five years outdoors. The perfect way to utilize your last tropical vacation's digital photos if you'd like to use our displayed image as inspiration. Our outdoor artwork is completely customizable and may be shipped at sizes up to four feet by five feet.

With the outdoor artwork up, continue the look with custom printed throw pillows. Full color digitally printed pillows can have any image you want on them. In our outdoor scene shown, we've enhanced the tropical feel of the outdoor artwork with pillows with a palm image printed on them. The personal aspect of using your own photography to create this look makes these pillows quite special. Not only will they enhance the look of your deck or patio, but you'll also be fondly reminded of past trips. A great way to make these memories and photos a more salient aspect of your life, as opposed to the images languishing in a flash card. Now that we've dug ourselves out of the snow, dig up your favorite digital imagery and breathe some fresh life into your outdoor space. Contact us to begin your project today!

Custom Wallpaper Project: Bling Wallpaper

Do you enjoy luxury? If you do, you'll love our bling custom wallpaper design. This wall mural works quite well in a room like the one pictured; crisp, clean whites and lines that ooze the finer things in life.

Crystal chandeliers and the like can feel old and stodgy. Take the emphasis from the chandelier and transfer it to your walls with this wall mural. Orbs of cut diamonds give this wallpaper a high-end yet young, modern look. You may be old money, but this custom wall mural feels anything but dated.

Not into diamonds but still want that bling look for a wall mural? Consider a gold custom wall mural, or sleek platinum will achieve the same effect without too much opulence. Maybe you have a completely different take on how you interpret bling, contact us with your vision of a blinged out wall mural and we'll make it happen on a budget that won't break the bank.

Custom Wallpaper Design: Imagery For Gothic-Inspired Wallpaper

For those with a decorating style inclined to gothic tendencies, our custom wallpaper services are invaluable. With gothic aesthetics being so closely tied in to theatrics and romanticism, it's clear that a wall mural is an excellent way to set the stage of your very own goth showplace. Custom wallpaper murals of yore were definitely on the kitschy side, and that light-hearted yet dour camp associated with the goth aesthetic makes for a match made in...despair.

Consider the gothic-inspired mural as shown above. Whereas one might initially consider Gothic architecture or imagery of more unpleasant tones for a custom wallpaper project, we like the romantic, almost allegorical nuances of this twisting tree image. The mural, which is essentially black and white though tinged with a subtle magenta, combines a number of goth aesthetics while also maintaining traditional decorating goals; the wall mural's coloring plays off the couch and flooring well, and feels balanced and well executed within the room.

Custom wall mural imagery choices are very personal, and we can surely accommodate even the most unusual requests. For those who are decorating their home with a gothic flare, we're happy to offer our custom wallpaper services. Anyone who isn't interested in run of the mill, mass produced decor is definitely a friend of ours, and those within the goth community certainly fit that bill. Contact us with your most sublime goth decorating fantasy, and let us design the custom wall mural that truly fits your lifestyle.

Custom Wallpaper Project: Decorating With Wedding Photography

Have you walked down the aisle? We haven't yet, but we know what a huge undertaking a wedding is. Not only making a lifelong commitment, but also organizing the party of your lifetime, trying to accommodate friends and family while also simply trying to enjoy the day. What better way to commemorate the day than with a custom wall mural utilizing your wedding photography? It's a custom wallpaper project more and more happy couples are pursuing.

A possible wall mural idea is using a shot of the bride in the newlyweds' walk in closet or wardrobe. There's no time in her life when she will be more beautiful, so the photograph should be perfect. Imagine your new bride dressing everyday, reliving this moment in her life when she's never been more loved or pampered; envision her setting about her day with this boost of confidence and warmth. This wall mural project will surely make her think of her groom, and love him that much more everyday.

Wedding photography is always dripping off of walls and mantle pieces, surprise that special lady with a truly original wallpaper mural that will definitely be the envy of her friends. Just a fraction of the cost of the ring alone, this custom wallpaper project is all abut the love. Contact us to learn more!

Custom Wallpaper Imagery: Random Photos

Custom wallpaper oftentimes is very purpose driven: trying to convey a specific message, thought, mood, or product. Such custom wallpaper projects are slightly more constrained as the message being communicated to the viewer is within the confines of a business or a public space; in short, more consideration is given to the viewer than the likes and flights of fancy of the client. Of course, this is more than acceptable, in these circumstances the effect of the wall mural on the viewer is the most important aspect of commissioning custom wallpaper.

But when it comes to your home, you can be as idiosyncratic and selfish as you want with your mural's imagery. Random photos collected from years of travel, fun times with friends, and just random excursions, can produce some of the mot fantastical custom wall murals. And even if the image choice seems bizarre if not capricious, at the end of the day the mural's imagery lends itself to sharing a lot about a homeowners' personality as well as decorating style.

Take for example our postmodern urban cowboy displayed above. We imagine our subject took this photograph with friends on a road trip down route 66. Even though our subject may not be an authentic cowboy, his cool vintage sign mural hints at an inner longing for life on the range. Even your fashion can compliment a custom wallpaper installation; throw on a little denim and perch yourself in front of a cowboy mural like this, and it will be clear to all that you have the soul of a ranch hand, even if you live in the heart of the city.

Interior Design: Utilizing Custom Wallpaper

We've worked with interior designers from around the world on a range of custom wallpaper projects. When a designer comprehends exactly how varied and valuable our custom wallpaper services are, we're able to forge successful creative partnerships that are a huge benefit to the end client.

Case in point: We were commissioned by Tom Scheerer Incorporated to create custom wall murals from a print that his client owned. The murals were to be installed in an East Hampton Cottage. To keep the scenic mural in keeping with the bright and clean surroundings, the print was adjusted with a subtle haze to give the wallpaper a subdued, sublime look.

The mural was printed onto artist canvas that may be used as an interior wallcovering. The displayed photo shows the result, a perfect combination of simplicity and color. While oftentimes our custom wallpaper is used to take a room over the top, here is a great example of how a custom mural can take a step back to be part of the supporting cast as opposed to the star of a room.

The work that Tom Scheerer and his associates completed was so noteworthy that the cottage was featured in the August '08 issue of House Beautiful, read the article here. The image that was used to create the custom wall murals is not ours to re-sell, but the look can be successfully achieved nonetheless. Tom Scheerer not only specializes in understated beach chic, but more upscale metropolitan abodes as well. Follow the link to his website above, and contact us to learn more about using a custom wallpaper project to enhance your space.

Custom Wallpaper Design: More Architectural Elements

We've written previously on using architectural elements as design inspiration for custom wallpaper. It's one of our favorite subjects for wall murals, so don't be surprised when you see future posts dedicated to the subject. Hopefully the image of the mural above will instill in you the same excitement that we have for using architectural design features for custom wallpaper projects.

Modern architecture is simply astounding. Gone are the days of boxy, boring design. Take for example the building's glass skin above; it undulates and bends around support structures like waves. The blue reflection of the sky on the windows helps to ensure this water-like illusion even further. It's such a natural yet utterly man-made look. And if it looks incredible in real life, it will certainly look incredible printed on custom wallpaper and installed in your home.

This image is well suited for a full scale wall mural, or for a smaller mural above a chair rail or wainscoting. Consider shifting the wallpaper image from color to black and white for a starker presentation. With such an interesting custom wallpaper subject, additional design tweaks may not be necessary, but can customize your wall mural completely. Enhance your space with an architectural element wall mural, contact us to learn more.

Custom Wallpaper Design: Creating a Sense of Place

A photographic wall mural is a fool-proof way to visually carry someone away to another space. Whether you're trying to achieve a very literal representation as above, or something more obtuse, a custom wall mural is not just aesthetically pleasing, but transportive as well.

The custom wallpaper project above was produced for the Chicago Grill. The mural features the skyline of Chicago, as photographed from Lake Michigan. You can almost get a sense of the wind sweeping across the water toward the marina and the skyscrapers beyond. The wallpaper image itself is effective, and truly evokes the essence of Chicago; quite important when you realize that the Chicago Grill is in Lake Havasu City, AZ, thousands of miles away from the windy city. We produced this mural for them in time for their grand opening of their new restaurant.

The owners wanted to utilize the custom wall mural to transport their diners from the warm and clam of the desert climate, to the hustle and bustle of Chicago; so their customers could actually feel like they were eating at an authentic diner in downtown Chicago. The wallpaper mural stretches along one full side of the restaurant, giving the photograph plenty of room to create an awe-inspiring atmosphere. Truly, when you can't be there with the real thing, a custom wall mural will get you there as closely and cost-effectively as possible. Ready to take your guests or clients to an unexpected visual destination? Contact us to begin your custom wallpaper project.

Spa Custom Wallpaper: Soothing Imagery

Making deliberate imagery choices for your custom wallpaper project is paramount. An image for your home truly only has to please you at the end of the day, but if your custom wall mural is going to be displayed at your business, it's important to keep in mind how it will effect your customers experience, as well as your employees.

We've produced custom wallpaper for a number of spas around the world, and a number of visual themes resurface; bamboo and ivy, and other natural patterns of all kinds. These wallpaper subjects all share the central theme, possessing a soothing nature, providing a calming atmosphere in the space where they're installed.

The wallpaper wall mural displayed features a beautiful blue stretch of water, with calm waves undulating slowly. A perfect pick for a spa wall mural. We've had to dissuade the use of large waves in similar spaces; though the look of a wave is aesthetically pleasing and dynamic, the feeling of thrust and energy present would have the opposite intended effect for your clients. As opposed to the wall mural engendering a sense of calm and peace, a frenetic energy could easily excite a client who is desperately in need of relaxation.

We try to offer such insights to all of our clients. Many clients know exactly what they want and need, but sometimes it's easy to get carried away with your custom wallpaper imagery choices. This is why we urge clients to be very mindful of their audience and their intentions for the mural. Because once a mural is printed and installed, it will last a very long time, and it would be a shame to have unintended effects produced by a capricious image choice. For more expert advice and assistance, contact us to begin your custom wallpaper project.

Custom Wallpaper Project, Super Fan Man Cave

Some of the most energizing custom wallpaper projects we've undertaken are man caves. The man cave, that space solely dedicated to the man of the house. And why not? If your man works hard, reward his man cave with a custom wallpaper mural that will truly suit his taste.

For example, all of the sports fans out there could easily get behind a stadium spectator mural. What better way to capture the exhilaration of game day than your hubby's very own packed house of fans seated squarely behind him, cheering him on as he applauds for the home team. As wallpaper goes, it doesn't get any sportier than this. Use your own image from a sporting event for an even more personalized custom wall mural.

Other favorite man cave murals have consisted of cars, in either large photo mural form, or patterned together to create a custom wallpaper border. This can be used in a man cave, or even the garage if that happens to be your man's hangout. Perhaps your partner has more subtle taste; no matter, we can tailor any man cave wallpaper to coordinate with any host of hobbies or interests. Contact us to learn more!

Custom Wallpaper Design: Working with Accessories

We've all been using accessories to compliment our wall colors and furnishings. Throw pillows, vases, and lighting are often cost effective and engaging ways to play up your decor scheme. Take it to the next level and plan a custom wallpaper project that emphasizes your accessories as opposed to wall colors and furnishings.

The image shown is a custom wallpaper of a very interestingly colored marble. The reds of the vases, lamp, and fruit bowl pull the strongest reds out of the mural. The chartreuse throw pillows and floor pottery emphasize the greens in the mural that might normally be less noticeable.

Tailoring a custom wall mural to accommodate your accessories is the perfect example of how fully you can customize your very own wallpaper. Having a bold wall mural will let your accessories shine even brighter in your space. Additionally, this strong connection of the custom wallpaper and accessories will make your accessory choices appear even more intentional and thought out. So don't think of your accessories as an afterthought in your room design, emphasize them with a wall mural that takes your decor to new heights. Pull together your favorite vases and baubles and contact us to start your custom wallpaper project.

Custom Wallpaper: Bring the Outdoors in

When it comes to decorating, bringing the outdoors in typically entails capturing a sense of nature within your home. There's always the literal translation, utilizing plants, decor, and wallcoverings that mimic the outdoors. Another way to share this feeling is with large windows that frame the natural world outside as if they were framed pieces of art on your wall. However, here in metro Detroit, we have a completely unique set of expectations of our outdoor spaces and how we utilize them in our homes.

If you're like us, you have an appreciation for urban decay. The surface finishes, patinas, and textures of rusting metal, flaking paint and brick are interesting to us. Granted, the time has passed when finding beauty in the apparently ugly was groundbreaking; indeed, the notion has in some situations moved well beyond subversive to simply cliche. Regardless, we still are seeking out new and exciting custom wallpaper projects that capture the essence of bringing the outdoors in, be it purely natural or capturing the sense of urban decay.

Along those lines, we just can't turn a blind eye to an image such as the one shown above. The wall mural is an image of an aged advertisement painted on a brick building's exterior. This custom wallpaper project pulls together the feeling of being outdoors while also capitalizing on the sensibility of urban decay. Fresh white walls and windows that allow light to spill in on the craggy brick and flaking paint of the mural is our idea of perfectly planned juxtaposition. The yellow ochre and rust tones of the wallpaper mural play perfectly with the finish of the wood floors as well. Interested in trying this look out in your home? Contact us to begin your custom wallpaper project today.