Hand-painted interiors are making homes feel more human again

CBC

7 hours ago

Design for You is a column by journalist and interior decorator Eva Voinigescu that spotlights today's most popular decorating and design trends, plus inspired ways to bring them home.
One of my favourite pieces of artwork in my home is a lampshade hand-painted by Dorset, England–based artist Elizabeth Rose. The design is bright, full of movement and undeniably made by a human. It was an investment, but it elevates a simple object and makes me happy every day.
Painting household items and rooms to add beauty and character is nothing new — but suddenly, it's everywhere.
"People are looking for their homes to have character in a way that represents who they are, and brings joy to those who live there," said Sussex-based decorative painter Tess Newall, one of the artists at the forefront of the recent surge of hand-painted interiors. "Decorative painting gives soul to a space. Seeing brush strokes — the hand of a painter — adds narrative to a room."
The decorative painting trending today isn't the kitschy fare of the '80s and '90s. "There [were] a lot of, like, teddy bears and cottage scenes and loons," said Ontario-based designer Kate Crothers. "It's like they all bought the same 'how-to' folk art book and followed the directions word for word, whereas previous movements have more sort of creativity and organic energy and flow."
Newall's style is reminiscent of the work of early 20th-century artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, members of the influential Bloomsbury Group of artists, writers and thinkers known for their radical ideas. Charleston, their farmhouse in the British countryside, was the epicentre of their creative expression.
"Charleston brings art into domestic spaces, with every surface being decorated — walls and lampshades, book covers and candlesticks," Newall said. Grant and Bell also painted geometric shapes, florals, animals and human figures onto bathtubs, wardrobes, fireplaces, headboards, chests, tables, ceramics and more. The muted colours and visible brush strokes give Charleston an ethereal quality that's both magical and deeply tangible.
"I love how it's so imperfect," said Crothers. She points to the way social media and tools of mass production have shaped our expectations around perfection. "We have this idea that we can't put anything into the world unless it's perfection, and this style of painting is really a lesson in imperfection."
Jane McCall, a Sussex-based painter and co-founder of Bloomsbury Revisited — a company that sells hand-painted, Bloomsbury-inspired lampshades — has noticed a renewed appreciation of handmade items since the pandemic. "The whole Bloomsbury ethos has absolutely taken off again," she said.
Hand-painting from medieval Europe to Bloomsbury
The Charleston style is part of a long tradition of decorative painting in Western art and interiors, though the practice itself spans cultures around the world. "Decorative painting is an age-old tradition, stretching back to over 40,000 years ago," said Newall, referencing depictions of animals and rituals on prehistoric cave walls.
From ancient Egyptian tombs to Roman villas and Byzantine churches, decorative painting has long been used to bring meaning and beauty to interior spaces.
In medieval Europe, it was often used to mark personal events like marriages and births, said McCall. In a blog post for online marketplace Styylish, antique dealer Silke Berlinghof-Nielsen wrote that painting wood furniture also served the practical purpose of protecting it from wear, weather and insects.
Designs from this era featured geometric patterns, florals and religious iconography, reflecting both the natural world and the values of the time, she added.
According to Berlinghof-Nielsen, this tradition evolved during the Renaissance. "Wealthy patrons commissioned master artisans to decorate cabinets, chests and tables with intricate scenes drawn from mythology, literature and landscapes," she wrote.
While the wealthy were commissioning artists to paint grand interiors, Berlinghof-Nielsen noted, distinct regional folk art traditions were developing across Europe, featuring variations on botanical, animal and geometric motifs.
These continued to be popular well into the 20th century with artists like Bell and Grant, whose travels would have exposed them to a range of folk art along with Greek paintings, Italian frescoes and French neoclassical painted furniture, according to McCall. "They mixed all of that up, and then they brought it back to their little farmhouse in the U.K.," she said.
"It truly is a classical design element," said Crothers. "Whenever I'm looking at a design idea or something that feels trendy, I always look at the history behind it — and if it's something that has been in practice for centuries, it's always a sure bet for me that it's not something that will fall out of trend or get tired or boring."
How to achieve the look yourself
"Paint is the number one tool to transform a space on a budget," said Crothers, who's known for her signature checkerboard floors. "If you have a crummy floor, just paint it and do a fun design, and then you have an amazing floor." She's painted hardwood, laminate and ceramic — and while it won't stay perfect, she said it can be effective on any surface. "I would rather [have] an imperfect, fun painted floor than an ugly laminate floor."
McCall shares the same belief: "If it's wood or it's fabric and the paint stays on it, you can kind of paint whatever you want," she said.
When Crothers wanted to transform a brick fireplace she couldn't afford to re-cover, she turned to a decorative paint technique. "That has made it, in my mind, have more value than it would if it was covered with a marble slab, just because of the creative energy put into it," she said.
Even if you doubt your artistic abilities, "it's still fully possible to do something really cool that's maybe geometric, such as taping off lines," she said. "In my previous home, I painted stripes on the wall of a bedroom, and it was so fun. It totally transformed the space and was such a simple project."
For McCall, who runs lampshade-painting workshops, the whole idea behind hand-painting is to get away from machines and get connected with your creativity again. She allows for inspiration from books and other images, but discourages copying existing patterns and instead drawing from your imagination. "It's all about confidence," she says, "and the only way to get confidence is just doing the same thing and gradually building up familiarity."
She also suggests thinking twice before throwing out an old wardrobe or lampshade and having a go at painting it instead. "It's such a mindful occupation."
Crothers has worked with a muralist to paint the interior of a hutch and create a custom wallpaper for clients. She recommends searching for someone who is familiar with creating decorative patterns for walls and furniture. Or if there's an artist you're fond of, you can always reach out to see if they would consider doing a custom mural.
"Having somebody's creative energy being put into your home is such a beautiful thing," said Crothers.
Here's more inspiration for your own hand-painted interiors:
Martha, the hallowed queen of DIY, painting a mural in her Turkey Hill home in Westport, Conn.
Blue painted trim adds playfulness in this colourful kitchen by Reath Design.
Print designer Daniel Matthews disguised his TV with a hand-painted fish.
A neoclassical dining room mural painted by artist Elise Troister.
A wallpaper designed for Schumacher by painter and muralist Abel Macias.
Painted lampshades by artist Alvaro Picardo.