Murals in Commercial Spaces: How Art Becomes Part of the Built Environment
When we started looking across our finished projects, we noticed something: murals show up a lot.
They’re inside offices, restaurants, fitness spaces, and nonprofit buildings. They stretch across exterior walls of bars, housing projects, and adaptive reuse spaces. Some have been commissioned by clients; in-house teams have created others, but all have been painted by artists with very different styles.
There are plenty of good reasons an owner, business, or developer might decide a blank wall can do more.
A mural can become part of a business’s identity, give an interior its own character, change how a building presents itself from the street, or bring an artist’s perspective into a space that might otherwise be defined entirely by conventional building materials.
And when a mural is planned as part of a construction project, there are practical considerations behind the artwork, too.
Why Include a Mural in a Commercial Space?
Commercial spaces have a lot of work to do. They need to support the people using them, function for the business or organization inside, and hold up to daily use.
Murals give owners another way to make a space specific to their business, building, or community. Inside, artwork can become part of the experience of moving through a room, hallway, stairwell, or gathering area. Outside, it can transform a large blank surface into an intentional part of the building.
There’s also a long precedent for thinking about art as part of architecture rather than something completely separate from it. The U.S. General Services Administration’s Art in Architecture program integrates commissioned artwork into federal building projects alongside architectural design and construction.
The scale is different from most Compton projects, but the underlying idea is relevant: artwork can be considered as part of a place from the beginning.
Inside, a Mural Can Become Part of the Experience of the Space
Interior murals can work very differently depending on the business.
At The LOOM, murals are incorporated into a nonprofit and arts-focused environment where creativity is already central to how the building is used. In the stairwell, Compton made sure the wall was prepared for the mural before the artist began working.
At Milo’s Deli, an interior mural adds another visual layer to a hospitality space. At Los Campeones, mural work becomes part of a fitness environment with its own strong personality. The Wag incorporates murals into a completely different kind of commercial experience.
In each case, the artwork looks different because the businesses and spaces are different.
That’s part of the opportunity.
A mural doesn’t need to establish a universal “creative” aesthetic. It can respond to the organization, audience, architecture, and personality that are already there.
We’ve seen the same principle in our own evolving Compton office, where artwork is part of a space designed to feel distinctly ours rather than like a generic commercial workplace.
Exterior Murals Can Become Part of How a Building Presents Itself
An interior mural is experienced primarily by the people who enter the space. An exterior mural becomes part of what anyone passing the building sees.
At Gravity 2, the “Bloom Where You Are Planted” mural is part of a larger exterior feature combining artwork, greenery, and the architecture of the building. Compton prepared the exterior surface and installed the furring strips needed before the mural and greenery were completed by Oakland Green Interiors.
The finished feature is visually striking, but it also demonstrates something practical: sometimes the wall behind the art needs its own construction planning.
Other projects show how differently exterior murals can come about.
The Land-Grant Extension transformed a former welding studio into additional bar and hospitality space. After construction was finished, Land-Grant’s own team painted the abstract mural on the exterior wall Compton had prepared.
At Aardvark Wine & Beer, the exterior mural was already part of the building before Compton became involved in the second phase of construction. This project is another example of artwork becoming part of the identity of a commercial space.
At 548 West State, an exterior mural adds another layer to a boutique housing development with 12 residences.
Different owners arrived at murals in different ways. What they share is the decision to treat a large wall as more than leftover surface area.
Adaptive Reuse Gives Murals an Interesting Role
Some of the most interesting examples of murals across our work happen when an existing building becomes an adaptive reuse project and is asked to do something new.
Land-Grant Extension and Aardvark are both examples.
When an old building takes on a new purpose, the exterior and interior don’t have to lose every trace of personality in the process.
Adaptive reuse already involves deciding what should stay, what needs to change, and how an existing structure can support a very different future. Artwork can become another layer of that new identity.
We see that on a larger scale around East Public, where existing buildings, businesses, signs, shared spaces, and artwork have accumulated over time rather than being designed to look identical from the beginning.
That doesn’t mean every adaptive reuse project needs a mural. But these buildings often offer unusual surfaces, histories, and opportunities that would be easy to erase if every decision moved toward the safest possible finish.
Sometimes the Construction Team Has to Make Room for the Art
Before the artist starts painting, someone needs to make sure the physical space is ready.
Across several Compton projects, our involvement with a mural has been straightforward: prepare the wall.
That has meant making sure surfaces at Milo’s Deli, Los Campeones, The Wag, The LOOM, and Northwest Mutual were properly prepared before the artists began their work.
Other situations have required more coordination.
At Gravity 2, surface preparation and furring strips were part of creating the exterior feature.
Elsewhere inside The LOOM, Compton installed panels around a round concrete pillar to create a surface that could be painted. The construction work wasn’t the artwork, but it helped create the canvas for it.
These details matter because murals exist on actual buildings. The condition of the surface, interior or exterior exposure, surrounding materials, attachments, construction sequence, and other design elements can affect how the artwork fits into the larger project.
That doesn’t mean the general contractor needs to direct the mural. It does mean it helps when the owner, artist, designer, and construction team understand what each person needs before the paint goes on.
What Should an Owner Consider Before Adding a Mural?
If a mural is being considered for a commercial project, start with its role in the space.
Is it meant to become a focal point inside? Give a large exterior wall more identity? Connect the business to an artist or community? Work alongside another architectural or landscape feature?
From there, think about the physical conditions.
Interior and exterior walls have different exposure and maintenance needs. Existing surfaces may need repair or preparation. Architectural elements around the artwork may affect the available canvas. And if the mural is part of a larger construction project, timing matters.
The earlier the team knows a significant piece of artwork is coming, the easier it is to coordinate around it.
The artist should also have a clear understanding of the surface they’re receiving, while the contractor, designer, and owner should understand what preparation or access the artist needs.
For owners interested in the broader role of public art around Central Ohio, the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Art in Public Places program also provides resources for artists, organizations, municipalities, and developers.
A Recurring Connection Between Construction and Art in Columbus
Looking across these projects, the pattern is hard to miss. Murals have become part of offices, restaurants, bars, nonprofit spaces, fitness facilities, housing, adaptive reuse projects, and our own workplace.
The artists are the ones bringing those walls to life. Our role is different, but it still matters. As a construction partner, Compton is often in a position to make sure the space is ready for their work, whether that means repairing and priming a wall, preparing an exterior surface, coordinating around other building elements, or creating the surface an artist will eventually paint.
That practical support has given us the opportunity to work alongside artists and art-minded clients across Columbus. We enjoy being part of projects that make room for that creativity, and we understand how to help prepare the built environment so artists can do what they do best.
For us, that connection fits naturally with the way we think about construction. A well-built space needs to function, but it can also have character, reflect the people behind it, and leave room for something distinctly its own.
