With their love of all things historical, the homeowners of the 1893 Colonial Revival house in Westford, Massachusetts—featured on TOH TV’s 46th season—yearned for a mural in the tradition of the hand-painted scenes popular when the house was first built.
In a serendipitous blend of 19th-century style and 21st-century social media, mother and daughter homeowners Dianne and Emily Grondine discovered muralist Lisa Curry Mair on Pinterest.
For Mair, the Grondines’ request held personal significance. “I grew up in Westford, in the house right across the street,” says the artist, who is a distant relative of renowned 19th-century muralist Rufus Porter. When the Grondines requested a foxhunt scene set amid local landmarks, the decision was easy. “I’ve ridden horses my entire life,” says Mair, who now works out of her studio in Vermont.
The mural tradition the Grondines and Mair both admire dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when scenic wallpapers and hand-painted murals became status symbols in affluent American homes. While imported wallpapers from French company Zuber & Cie were highly prized, itinerant muralists like Porter traveled throughout New England painting more accessible versions.
“I take all my cues from Rufus Porter,” says Mair, whose murals often feature landscapes, lighthouses, and villages—subjects Porter himself favored. Her use of historically inspired colors adds to the nostalgic effect. “I try to make the mural feel like a trip back in time,” says Mair. “I’m not interested in painting a portrait of someone’s house as it is today. I like that whole time-travel thing.”
For the Westford home’s four-wall dining room mural, Mair began with research, referencing an 1886 map of the town. She then wove in meaningful elements: the foxhunt, local landmarks, the Grondines’ home, Mair’s childhood home, family horses and dogs, and even her mother riding sidesaddle. “This one had so much meaning for me,” she says.
Mair painted the mural on canvas panels in her Vermont studio, cut to the exact dimensions of the dining room walls. Hanging the panels in her studio allowed her to visualize the finished product. She uses exterior-grade enamel paint for its flexibility. “It doesn’t crack when the panels are rolled up and shipped,” she explains.
While some muralists prefer painting directly on walls, Mair’s method—called marouflage—offers advantages. The canvas panels, pretreated with several thin coats of plaster, help stabilize aging walls. “Old houses often have cracking plaster,” she says. “The canvas helps hold everything together.”
There’s another benefit, too: portability. “If you ever move, you can take it with you by cutting it into frameable sections,” Mair says. One of her past clients successfully reused a mural in a new home.
For the Westford installation, Mair partnered with a professional to mount the finished panels. From the thistle border that nods to the home’s original Scottish owner to the foxhunt motif that wraps around all four walls, the mural came together seamlessly. “Everything looked so good, it took my breath away,” Mair says. The entire process—from research to painting to installation—typically takes several months.
For Emily and Dianne Grondine, the mural is a centerpiece of the renovated home. Emily, who will live there with her fiancé while her parents move into the property’s carriage house after its own renovation, says, “The mural perfectly reflects our vision for bringing back a sense of grandeur to this house.”
Wall Murals: How to Get the Look in Your Home
Numerous options exist for bringing the look of a hand-painted mural to your house, ranging from commissioning an artist to buying scenic printed wallpapers online. Here’s a rundown.
Commission an artist
To get a truly custom mural with a scene unique to your house, family, and life, you can commission an artist, but expect to wait. Lisa Curry Mair is typically booked months in advance. Other muralists can be found by inquiring with art galleries, museums, or art schools in your area. Custom murals are pricey, starting in the thousands.
Work with a design showroom
Find offerings from high-end manufacturers, including:
House of Scalamandré: Esteemed wallpaper and fabric manufacturer established in New York in the 1920s; more than 200 scenic wallpapers, including murals sold as panel sets.
de Gournay: British company founded in 1986, known for its hand-painted wallpapers including mural scenes of India, Japan, Brazil, America, England, and more.
Zuber & Cie: French wallpaper manufacturer founded in the late 18th century uses hand-blocking; famous for its iconic “Views of America” (Vues d’Amérique du Nord), designed in the 1830s, which depicts romanticized landscapes of North America; it was installed in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House during the Kennedy administration.
Shop online for a printed scenic wallpaper directly
Mid-price printed mural wallpaper is available from manufacturers and artists including York Wallcovering and Etsy.
