Tidal Pool Mural

Created by Humanity Art: Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple.

Project Overview
Commissioned during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ocean Serenity was designed to transform a family’s shared lower-level space used as both a home office and entertainment room into a tranquil environment grounded in natural beauty. Humanity in Art was asked to design a custom interior mural that could bring coastal inspiration indoors and offer emotional calm during an uncertain time.

Environmental Challenges
The space presented several architectural constraints, including low ceilings, a wall-mounted electrical panel, exterior windows, and an integrated doorway. These limitations required a flexible design approach to maintain visual cohesion and avoid fragmenting the mural’s impact.

Creative Strategy
Humanity in Art approached the space as a tidal pool—a layered, immersive landscape built from soft cool tones and accented with gold to suggest refracted light and ocean shimmer. Instead of concealing obstacles, the mural absorbed them: the electrical panel was covered with a painted canvas that integrated seamlessly into the surrounding scene.
The design emphasized motion and stillness, capturing the ebb and flow of underwater life through brushwork, texture, and palette choices. Aquatic elements and light patterns were balanced to preserve calm and encourage moments of visual discovery.

Results
The mural transformed a functional space into a restorative one, offering family members and visitors a daily connection to the natural world from within their home. It blended thoughtful storytelling with spatial sensitivity, and remains a personal favourite among Humanity in Art’s residential commissions.