IMAGINATIVE INTERIORS - Trompe L'oeil

Trompe L'oeil is a French expression and literally means 'trick of the eye'. The idea behind creating a trompe l’oeil image is to depict an object so exactly that it deceives the observer. They will think they are looking at a real object but in reality it is a two dimensional image painted on a wall. The techniques themselves were actually pioneered by the Greeks and Romans as a result of their intense desire to paint reality.

The beauty of using trompe l’oeil as a technique is that virtually anything is possible and an enormous amount and of fun can be had by manipulating the normal constraints of a room. One could for example create the illusion of a door opening onto a garden, a bookcase that holds rows of priceless books or even a mouse eating some cheese by its hole in the skirting.

The playful and intellectual nature of trompe l'oeil makes it a fascinating and intruiging effect to have in your home. To have something that deceives the senses whilst at the same time being a piece of art unto itself is what makes this type of finish so compelling for all concerned.

Trompe l'oeil gives the artist the ability to overcome the flat surface of a wall by either increasing the depth behind it or extending out from it.