The Story Behind - Romantic Brutalism
During our recent trend journeys worldwide, we’ve encountered Brutalist influences in interiors time and again, raw concrete textures, chrome accents, and bold black lacquer details. But what has moved us most is not just their strength, but the moments when that hardness meets its opposite. When the weight of concrete is set against lace patterns, when sculptural forms soften into botanical motifs, and when ornament and structure intertwine.
It’s in this tension, where the raw becomes poetic and the delicate gains unexpected strength, that we find a beauty we deeply connect with. This dialogue has been the spark behind our new wall mural collection, a contemporary expression we call Romantic Brutalism.
At its essence, Romantic Brutalism is a dialogue between opposites, a collision that somehow finds perfect harmony. Combined, these influences soften Brutalism’s weight and permanence, layering it with poetry that transforms the raw into something atmospheric and emotive. The result is not too delicate or overly sweet, but a measured balance where toughness is refined by ornament, and strength is elevated through poetry. We interpret this further through a contemporary lens, introducing deep burgundy as a modern accent, rich and architectural, alongside polished chrome and reflective surfaces that bring sharpness and light. These choices elevate the conversation between strength and softness, permanence and ornament, grounding Brutalism’s raw presence while making it feel distinctly of today.
READ MORE ABOUT STYLING BRUTALIST INTERIORS
The Contemporary Palette
The palette in this collection shifts between raw and refined, balancing grounded neutrals with bold, emotive tones. Concrete greys and earthy shades create a stable foundation, evoking the permanence of stone and structure in brutalist interiors. Against this base, deeper hues introduce atmosphere: burgundy brings richness and sophistication, beige adds warmth reminiscent of clay and earth, while black sharpens the composition with depth and intensity. Together, these tones create a palette that is both architectural and emotive, designed to shape romantic brutalist interiors that feel grounded, layered, and alive.
Botanical Ornament, Flower wall murals as Structure
Against this backdrop, textiles, lace, and botanical motifs soften that weight with a sense of intimacy and craft. The flower wall murals feel monumental rather than fragile, almost sculptural in their scale, blurring the line between ornament and structure. In the same spirit, we introduce our Chinoiserie Check wall mural in a new beige colorway, where the hand-painted check pattern meets classical detailing in a lighter tone that adds freshness and modernity to the palette.
Together, these tones and patterns create an atmosphere in living rooms as well as kitchens, where strength is never harsh, and softness never fragile, an interplay heightened by burgundy’s depth and chrome’s reflective clarity, adding a distinctly contemporary edge to Romantic Brutalism.
A Contemporary Edge
These choices are deliberate. Concrete, chrome, and stone recall the permanence of Brutalism, its raw weight, its sense of structure and durability, while polished, shiny surfaces introduce a sleek modernity. The reflective quality of chrome and lacquer breaks the heaviness in brutalist interiors, catching light and movement, and brings a contemporary sharpness that feels both luxurious and architectural. This dialogue between matte and gloss, rough and smooth, grounds the collection in Brutalism’s strength while projecting it into modern interiors.
A New Language for Interiors
Romantic Brutalism is not only an aesthetic but an atmosphere, one where opposites create harmony and contrast becomes emotion. Translated into interiors, this language turns wall murals into sculptural presences, shaping rooms that are at once monumental and intimate, strong yet poetic. The collection transforms surfaces into something more than decoration, where architecture meets ornament and modernity meets memory. It is about atmosphere rather than adornment, spaces alive with contrast, texture, and emotion.
More than a style, Romantic Brutalism becomes a language for today’s interiors, refined yet bold, timeless yet distinctly of the present. Ultimately, it is about contrast: embracing strength and fragility, permanence and ephemerality, modernity and memory, transforming wall murals into layered, atmospheric surfaces that feel deeply contemporary.
