Quaint little Lucerne’s buildings are sensible shades of brown, khaki and cream. Against the grey winter skies, this would almost look a little dull were it not for the beautiful, colourful murals splashed across  buildings in the centre of town.

I’ve never seen anything like it! in Australia it’s a big deal when a building is 100 years old, so buildings tend to fall into three unpaintable categories; 1) classic sandstone for the ‘important’ buildings 2) Relatively modern or brand new buildings that are too hard to paint 3) Throwbacks from the 1970s and 80s which not even a pretty paint job could help.

The buildings in Lucerne make perfect blank slates for bursts of colour and intriguing creatures. I particularly love the wild and woolly character on the building below. Who wouldn’t feel a little warmer looking at the firey mural on the building above?

The designs aren’t always timeless because they are so full of character. They aren’t bland enough to be serious and versatile enough for any property. But it doesn’t look like anyone cares! They’ve gone all out and chosen bold designs that aren’t ashamed to be a little (or a lot) quirky.

These buildings pictured below are different altogether, adorned with traditional ornate paintings.From a distance it’s hard to tell what is real and what is not. I would love for some fun to be injected into the facades of Australian buildings to brighten up the streetscape. The closest we get is commissioning local artists to paint our electricity boxes! (A very welcome decoration).