Indoors: Murals set the scene

In the world of interior decorating, there is always a cycle in play. While murals are as old as people making marks on walls – think the 17,000-year-old Lascaux cave paintings in France – there is a renewed appreciation for scenic schemes that cover an entire wall. Award-winning Sydney design practice Arent&Pyke seized the opportunity in this Woollahra terrace (pictured), working with de Gournay wallpaper on a decorative mural.

"We saw it as a way to introduce warmth and character, and visually tie together the kitchen and dining rooms along the six-metre length of the mural," says principal Sarah-Jane Pyke.

This is a very special wallpaper, with each element hand-painted onto 11 drops, none of which repeat. As you can imagine, the skill is in the application. "We laid out the entire mural on the floor of the lounge room and worked out the panels so that we didn't lose any of the favourite birds or flowers in the doorway or windows," says Pyke. There was, remarkably, only 25 centimetres of excess when all the paper was laid.

In terms of defining the colour palette, the mural came first, then the soft-toned rug and finally, the fine bamboo blind, to act as a light filtering screen between dining and study space. "We couldn't install the wallpaper until every last tradesperson had left," says Pyke. "We used the rug and final decorative touches to balance the soft colours of the mural."

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