Wall Painting in Offices and Coworking Spaces — Branding the Space

An office is the only place where a person spends a third of their life in an interior they didn't choose. Open-plan walls are usually white, grey or beige — not because that's better, but because it's safe. A mural changes that: the space stops being neutral and starts saying something.

I've worked with offices and commercial spaces. Below is how a mural functions in a working environment, how the office brief differs from a restaurant, and how to bring in the brand without turning the wall into a banner.

Why an Office Needs a Mural

Identity instead of leased space. A company in a standard office building looks like everyone else. One painted wall makes the space recognisable — on video calls, in posts, during recruitment.

Hiring and retention. A candidate judges an office in the first thirty seconds. A space someone has invested in reads as "people matter here." That works on those already inside too.

Zoning open plan. A mural divides areas without partitions: meeting room, break-out area, kitchen, entrance. People orient themselves by visual markers rather than signage.

A backdrop for video calls. Since the shift to hybrid working, the wall behind you has become part of business communication. A painted section in the meeting room works better than any virtual background.

A point of attraction. A wall that staff and visitors photograph ends up on social media with the company mentioned. Free employer branding.

How an Office Differs from a Restaurant

A restaurant sells an experience. An office is the environment where people work eight hours at a stretch. That changes the requirements.

Calmer in colour. What suits a lounge starts to grate in an office after a month. Bold, contrasting subjects work in break-out areas and corridors, not where people need to concentrate.

Don't distract. A mural behind seated people — yes. A mural directly in the line of sight of someone working — carefully. An active composition opposite desks reduces concentration.

A longer horizon. A restaurant changes concept every 3–5 years. An office lives longer, and the mural has to survive new furniture, a rebrand and a couple of generations of staff.

More complex approval. In a restaurant the owner decides. In a company — management, HR, the office manager, sometimes the landlord. Allow time for the approval loop.

Bringing in the Brand Without the Banner Effect

The most common mistake is asking for the logo across the whole wall. The result looks like advertising inside your own office and dates with every rebrand.

What works better:

Brand colours as the palette. Not the logo, but its colours in an artistic composition. Instantly recognisable, but reading as art rather than signage.

Metaphor instead of literalism. An IT company — not servers and code on the wall, but structure, connections, network, flow. Logistics — movement, routes, rhythm. The meaning comes across without being spelled out.

A graphic element from the identity. Brand guidelines often contain a pattern, a shape or a mark beyond the logo. It unfolds into a composition far better than the logo itself.

The logo — small and once. If it's needed, better at reception, at a modest size, rather than stretched across 20 m².

Local context. The city, the district, the building, the history of the place. Works for companies that have been in one location a long time.

Where to Paint in an Office

Reception and entrance. The first thing a visitor sees. This is where brand elements and the most representative work belong.

Meeting rooms. The wall behind whoever is chairing — a backdrop for video calls. A calm composition, no fine detail (it shimmers on camera).

Corridors and stairwells. Transit areas where nobody lingers. Bolder and more active works here — the eye doesn't tire.

Break-out area and kitchen. The freest space. Here what wouldn't suit the working area works: colour, humour, informality.

I don't recommend: directly opposite desks in open plan, or in areas that demand concentration.

Working Without Shutting the Office

An office can rarely close for a week. How that's handled:

Weekends. Saturday and Sunday, two or three sessions. The most common option: staff arrive on Monday and see the result.

After hours. From 6–7pm, when the office empties. Slower on the calendar, but it disturbs no one.

A screened-off area. If the wall is away from the desks — daytime work is possible, with covering and screening. Acrylic paints barely smell and there's no noise.

What I need from the company: access outside working hours (a pass, keys, security informed), water and power, somewhere to store materials, equipment near the wall covered.

Approvals and the Contract

More important for a business than for a private client.

Check the lease. Many office buildings restrict changes to the fit-out or require reinstatement on departure. A mural can be painted over, but that costs money — establish in advance who pays.

The approval chain. Decide who makes the final call on the sketch. The scenario "the sketch was approved, then the director came in and changed everything" wastes everyone's time.

A contract with the artist. Timelines, sum, stages, what happens if there are delays, who prepares the wall. A company usually needs proper accounting documentation — agree the format in advance.

The quote. Separate out: the artist's work, materials, wall preparation (if needed), protective coating. That makes it easier to process through accounts.

Timelines and Budget

Timelines. A wall of 15–25 m² at moderate complexity is 6–10 working days. Working weekends only stretches the calendar to 3–5 weeks. Plus the sketch (3–5 days) and internal approval — allow a month to six weeks from first email to finished wall.

Budget. €50–140 per m² depending on complexity. Stylised graphics in brand colours sit at the lower end, a detailed subject at the upper. More in the article about the cost of wall painting per square metre.

How to justify it. A mural on 20 m² is a one-off cost over 7–10 years. Per month it works out to less than the office spends on coffee. An argument for budget approval: this isn't décor, it's part of employer branding and how the company presents itself.

FAQ — Questions from Companies

How to Start

Send a photo of the space (an overview and the specific wall), the dimensions, brand guidelines or a link to the company website. Tell me what the company does, what the atmosphere in the team is like, and what you want to convey.

I'll propose 2–3 directions for the subject and a price range. Once a direction is chosen I produce a sketch you can circulate internally for approval.

If the office is still being fitted out — write early. A mural planned into the scheme can be synchronised with lighting and layout, and becomes part of the space rather than a decoration on top of it.

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Planning a mural for your office? Write to me — send a photo of the space and tell me about the company. I'll propose a concept, price and timeline. The consultation is free.