How a former art teacher makes a living painting murals in strangers' homes in one of the world's most expensive cities

Amanda GohApr 7, 2023, 07:02 IST

Geraldine Toh is a Singapore-based interior stylist who also specializes in mural-painting.Geraldine Toh/The Ochre Home

Geraldine Toh is an interior stylist in Singapore and specializes in painting botanical mural art.
The former art educator started styling homes and painting murals for clients during the pandemic.

Scroll through Geraldine Toh's Instagram feed and you'll see dozens of photos of cozy interiors and intricate murals in rich, autumnal colors.

Geraldine Toh with one of her botanical mural paintings.Geraldine Toh/The Ochre Home

And it all started with her own home: The first time she ever painted a mural was in her childhood bedroom.

A progress image of Toh painting lilies and irises onto a kitchen wall. The painting extends past the door frame and into the next room.Geraldine Toh/The Ochre Home

Although Toh dabbles in creating floorplans and overseeing renovation work like an interior designer, she sees herself as more of a stylist.

A collage showing a Picasso/Cubist-inspired mural commission that features grey squiggly lines next to the sketch.Geraldine Toh/the Ochre Home

Both interior styling and mural commission requests started coming in after Toh posted photos of her home on Instagram.

Toh sketches her mural designs on paper before painting them on the wall.Geraldine Toh/The Ochre Home

Quotations for mural paintings and interior styling services are available on an inquiry basis, depending on the projects.

The completed mural painting of peonies and lavender. The mural wraps around a wall in one of her client's apartments.Geraldine Toh/The Ochre Home

Every mural painting starts with a sketch before the actual painting day, and the whole commission process typically takes about a month.

Progress photo of Toh painting her rose mural.Geraldine Toh/The Ochre Home

Unlike wallpapers, which tend to have a repeated design across the entire wall, murals can be customized to complement the furniture placement in the room.

A mural painting of a rose on a corridor wall in Toh's home fits nicely within the doorframe when viewed from the master bedroom.Geraldine Toh/The Ochre Home

If a mural seems too daunting, Toh suggests using color blocks to brighten and create a focal point in the space.

Toh added a bright yellow color block mural onto her living room walls to liven up the space, which comprises neutral-tone furniture in browns and whites.Geraldine Toh/The Ochre Home

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