Murals in Bath

A drawing room in Bath already has the right bones for a painted wall, and murals in Bath let you finish the story. Zavoré paints by hand, straight onto your wall, designing each piece for one room only. We are based in Birmingham, where our Academy is, and our artists work across the UK. Send a photo of the wall, its size and any images or colours you have in mind, and we begin from there.

Georgian rooms and the painted wall

The 1700s are the century when hand painted Chinese wallpapers arrived in British houses, with blossom, branches, birds and garden scenes. Bath grew up in exactly that century, as a place where fashionable people built grand houses and furnished them for show.

Chinoiserie is the obvious match. Branches can climb around the tall sash windows and doors of a Bath dining room, and the painting can sit on a gold leaf, silver leaf or grasscloth ground. Most chinoiserie wallpaper today is printed. Ours is painted onto the wall itself, so nothing repeats off a roll.

Not every Bath home is Georgian. Victorian villas on the hills, cottages in the villages around the city and modern flats all have walls that deserve more than magnolia, and a mural can be as calm as a pale sky or as bold as a jungle.

Rooms, stairwells and shops that take a mural

Dining rooms and drawing rooms are the classic choice. Stairwells and landings suit skies and florals that lead the eye upward. Children's rooms and ceilings can have scenes of their own, and a busy hallway can be sealed so the paint wipes clean.

In a city built on visitors, hospitality is where a mural earns its keep. A restaurant, bar, café or hotel can have its own identity painted in, with logos and lettering worked into the scene. Our murals page shows the styles we paint.

If you are planning a plastered wall and a mural together, we do both. A mural over limewash or marmorino picks up the soft movement of the plaster underneath and gains an aged, fresco like depth.

From brief to brush in Bath

First comes the brief, a photo of the wall, its size and your ideas. Then we sketch the mural to the scale of your wall and agree the colours with you before any paint goes on. The wall is prepared and the mural painted by hand in your space, and where the wall needs it, the finished painting is sealed.

Bath is some way from Birmingham, so a larger mural is planned in blocks of days, and the artist stays on the job until it is complete. Dates are agreed once the design and price are signed off. More about how a commission goes is on our hand painted murals installation page.

We check the wall first, and say plainly if it needs work. If the building is listed, the owner should check with the council whether consent may be needed before any preparation.

Learning the craft and pairing it with others

Everything we install, we teach, and courses run at our training centres in Birmingham, London and Manchester. See the training page for the full list.

A mural can sit on a Venetian plaster wall, on gold leaf, or beside sculpted relief. Browse our wider decorative work to see how finishes combine, and use the sample board to choose a plaster background.

More decorative work in Bath

A painted wall in Bath often leans on other trades. Gold grounds come from gilding in Bath, raised flowers from bas relief in Bath, and set patterns from sculptural plaster in Bath. The ceiling line above a mural may call for cornice and coving in Bath. Bathrooms and splashbacks turn to mosaics in Bath, dark gloss rooms to lacquered walls in Bath, and gardens to artificial rock in Bath. A quieter stone look is offered as travertino in Bath. If you want everything in one conversation, ask our decorative finishes specialist in Bath team, and see Venetian plastering in Bath for plain walls beside the painting.

Questions about murals in Bath

Can you paint chinoiserie onto gold leaf?

Yes. A gilded background in gold or silver leaf, with blossom, branches and birds painted over it, is one of the most striking forms of mural. Grasscloth is another option.

Is a mural the same as a fresco?

No. A mural is any painting made directly on a wall or ceiling. A fresco is one kind, painted into fresh lime plaster. Most modern murals are painted onto a prepared, dry wall.

Will a painted mural suit a Georgian room?

It often does. Hand painted chinoiserie wallpaper was prized in British houses of the 1700s, so a painted wall fits the history of such a room, drawn around its doors and windows.

Do you paint murals for restaurants and hotels?

Yes. Restaurants, bars, hotels, offices and shops can all have a mural, including logos and lettering worked into the design.

Can I bring my own idea?

Yes. Bring a photograph, a mood board, a sketch or just a feeling you want the room to have, and we turn it into a design for your wall.

Call 07592 929191 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm) or email sales@zavore.co.uk with photos of the wall, rough measurements and the postcode. If a plaster ground is part of the plan, begin with the sample board.