Nothing brings a room to life like a well-painted mural. Murals bring children's rooms to life by adding a touch of imagination. Murals turn bathrooms into stunning spas. Murals turn basements into vacation-like retreats. As someone who has painted numerous murals over the years, one of the things I like to do is to bring a mural to life by integrating three dimensional wall art into the mural.

In a garden room mural, for example, you can add a real wrought iron gate, or you can affix flowering vines to a painted trellis. You can create a glamorous dressing room effect for a teenage girl by installing a series of arched mirrors around which you can add architectural elements. I have seen boys rooms painted to resemble a racetrack with a race car bed appearing to come out of the painting. I have personally painted a room to resemble the inside of a garage and then added tools, signs, and other garage items to the walls.

Another idea for a three dimensional mural effect is an undersea mural where you can paint an underwater effect on the wall and then add undersea art to it. One example of such undersea art to go into your underwater mural would be this Large Fish Metal Wall Art.
This 36"W, 25"H abstract wall art piece resembles both a single fish and a school of fish at the same time. It would be perfectly at home in a small bathroom with a water theme, or a sophisticated child's bedroom.

• November 2007