A mural can bring the ultimate changeable custom touch to any home. Indoors or out, bright or subtle, wallpaper-like or one-of-a-kind, these local artists are bringing designer chic to walls and ceilings in ways that turn that bland white space into a personal art gallery.
Lacey Hennessey
Lacey Hennessey can paint it. What, exactly, does that include? Almost anything. It’s the basis of her company tagline: See if Lacey does it. Ask, and she can probably figure it out. Hennessey paints motivational walls for home gyms, detailed business-themed murals at companies across the country and very specific art for homeowners.
Hennessey’s work elevates simple squares in a repeat pattern, brings Easter egg-level details to family spaces and invites guests to linger a bit in sports-themed rooms or outdoor spaces. She is a self-taught artist and entrepreneur who thrives on giving her clients something they are proud to share. She works with paintbrush in hand or via digital creations.
“You’ve got to live in your home for you,” she says. “It’s just paint. You can change it later.
Everything Hennessey does is custom, based on the personality of the client and what they want in their space.
“My whole business was built off people saying, ‘we’ll see if Lacey does it,’ because I’m very adaptable,” she says. “I pride myself on never trying to make one type of artwork fit for everybody. You can come to me and we make it custom.”
Visit laceydoes.com.
Erika DeRoberts
For Erika DeRoberts, the beauty of art shines in how it makes people feel. For her, art was “on the margins” of her life as she raised three daughters and worked a full time career in real estate, teaching painting on the side.
“In 2020, I decided to finally make the leap,” she says. “I had been preparing but wasn’t courageous enough. I downsized my house, I paid off a lot of bills, and I dreamt of the day I could be a full time artist. Then 2020 came along, and I just thought, life is too short – if not now, when?”
That big leap of faith led to the start of Cherry Lane Art and DeRoberts’ paintings and murals across the country.
“One of the things I try to home in on when I’m sitting with somebody is, ‘describe to me how you want this space to feel,’” she says.
That might mean a peaceful, serene motif in a baby’s room or beach scenes for a family that traded coastal life for inland living.
“That’s the kind of magic that happens with murals,” DeRoberts says. “In real estate, you think ‘location, location, location.’ But you can’t always change the view out your window, but you can create your own view by changing your art.”
Visit cherrylaneart.com.
Matteo Miles
Matteo Miles helps homeowners find their own path through art.
“I kind of got started with public art through hotels and hospitality and restaurants, and then it expanded to other areas, like residential and commercial,” he says.
Miles started with interior murals and now works in outdoor spaces as well. He paints walls and ceilings, as well as those odd and hard to decorate areas like the space under a staircase, creating iconic scenes and timeless additions. Some are daring, some will serve as a background to the changing needs of a growing family. For short-term rental spaces, Miles can enrich rooms with locally inspired art.
From bringing the garden indoors through natural designs or big, bold florals to enveloping a little room in a foliage-filled space or creating a ceiling the extends to the heavens, Miles creates an art immersion that delights his clients. And if they want the freedom to take their art with them to a new space, Miles can do that too.
“If they are a little concerned about the longevity or the permanence of it, I’ve done a canvas wallpaper install and then painting directly onto that wall – if they do want something all over the wall, but they’re able to peel it off in the future, the artwork would remain intact,” Miles says.
Visit matteom.com
