The “Mountain Mural” Bedroom Makeover

Makeover by: Pam Lostracco, owner of Pam Lostracco Custom Designed Murals
Location: Toronto, Canada

Last spring, I started envisioning how my artwork would look at a larger size. The mountain design I created for a calendar was doing really well, so I decided to start my first large piece by transferring the mountains onto my bedroom wall. Not only did it transform the atmosphere in the whole room but my entire business plan, too! I felt entirely in my element throughout the whole process which has resulted in my new mural business.

While traveling on many buses in Thailand and Laos, I saw endless ranges of beautiful and sometimes unusual mountainscapes. As we drove along side them, I drew the top edge of each ridge, stacking one on top of the other. The result became a new vista which is how I created this mountain design.

From a blank wall to a complete mountainscape, my bedroom feels larger and more inviting. The mural is like a mirage—it seems like the real thing and draws you in to look closer. The multiple layers create visual depth, like you can actually see over each mountain ridge. The gentle gradation in color creates a sense of calmness throughout the entire room.

I composed a scaled drawing of my bedroom wall in Illustrator. Then, added a square-foot grid over the drawing which was transferred onto the wall using string. Square by square, I penciled in the drawing. The solid white (top) and charcoal (bottom) were painted first. Then I carefully blended the remaining middle colors to get a gradual gradation from light to dark.

This mural is 120 square feet and took 3 full days to draw the outline and paint. I used 3 different colors of paint: the white and natural white were leftovers from previous projects so only $50 was spent on a gallon of Kendall Charcoal from Benjamin Moore. The colors were selected to blend with the neutral tones in my bedspread, curtains and furniture.

The nightstand was found just around the corner from me, which I sanded and repainted in white. I then added an owl knob I bought on Etsy. The crocheted afghan was made many years ago by my Granny.

Thanks, Pam!

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Re-edited from a post originally published on 12.18.14-NT