After moving into her Turkey Hill house in Westport, Connecticut in the 1970s Martha Stewart noticed that the walls were a little too bare. She decided to take matters into her own hands. Vintage photos show the iconic businesswoman adorning her walls with green and terracotta trees with a paintbrush in hand, creating a massive mural of a forest scene.
Inventive as she is, Stewart's mural idea didn't come to her in a vacuum. According to the self-proclaimed Martha archivist and editor of the Martha's Moments Blog, Andrew Ritchie, it was inspired by the artist Rufus Porter. Porter was a 19th-century artist and inventor famed for his large landscapes inspired by his time spent in Maine and Massachusetts. Referred to as 'The Yankee Da Vinci' by the New England Historical Society, he popularized the art of stenciled, pastoral murals on the dry plaster walls popular in New England at the time. Throughout his career, he is known to have painted at least 160 murals on the walls of houses and taverns in the region.
Almost 200 years later, we can still see the impact of his work in classic New England design. Martha's entryway wall is a stunning example, but we've seen similar styles pop up in the living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms of beautiful homes across the region. For another instance, I especially love how Nate Berkus uses dark tree wallpaper in his and Jeremiah Brent's bedroom.
Shop Wallpaper Murals
To emulate Martha's natural look with a lower commitment, a wallpaper mural is a great place to start. They can transform an entire wall into a lush outdoor scene without touching your paint job. Here are a few of our favorites.
A design Shea McGee has used for some of her dining room wallpaper mural panels, this classic design comes in a neutral scheme, perfect for displaying throughout seasons.
If you prefer bold colors, this blue and white nature design can easily be turned into a mural panel – this one allows you more flexibility with size if you want something wider. Its tiled design feels distinctly European, like something you could find in The Blue City of Porto.
If you want a few mural panels that match, this wall art offers the same effect. This set of three is printed on linen canvas and depicts trees, florals, and birds in a colorful scene.
Clearly, Martha always realizes the timeless nature of these naturally-inspired murals. Though she painted over her original hand-done painting by the end of the 80s in favor of a more neutral entryway idea, the monochrome space didn't last. In 2001, Martha commissioned the artist Eric Beare to create a stunning, professional mural full of tiny details in the home. This immortalized the stunning forest in her home.
If you are interested in installing a mural in your own home as seen in Martha's, the first thing to do is look through inspiration. Find the work of mural artists you like, and how interior designers have styled antique murals in spaces. What makes this type of design so special is that it can be so personalized, so it's important to understand what your preference is.
A tree-filled wall mural in a living room, showcasing how the style can work well in any room
Martha Stewart is usually a fairly good bell weather for what's in style, and what will stay in style. As evidenced by their long history, timeless wall murals aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
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