And why Made to Measure says so much more about what we do.
The word custom gets thrown around a lot in the wallpaper industry.
It can mean changing a color, adjusting a scale, printing to a specific dimension, or developing an entirely new design. And while all of those things can technically be considered custom, they describe very different creative processes.
For years, we used the word too.
But the more I thought about how we actually work, the more I realized it wasn't telling the whole story.
It's Not Just About the Measurements
When a designer comes to Black Crow Studios, they aren't simply purchasing artwork that gets enlarged or cropped to fit a wall.
They're choosing a design that becomes the starting point for something developed specifically for their space.
We look at the architecture. Where are the doors and windows? Where does the eye naturally travel? What should become the focal point? How does the artwork move from one wall to another?
And then we start exploring.
We develop multiple compositions, each offering a different interpretation of how the artwork could live within the space. Sometimes a small shift in scale changes everything. Other times, an entirely different placement reveals something unexpected.
It's one of our favorite parts of the process.
Why Made to Measure?
We started using Made to Measure because it more accurately describes the relationship between the original artwork and the finished mural.
The design already exists, but its final composition is developed for the individual project.
It's an approach influenced by the principles of haute couture, where an existing design can be reconstructed for the precise proportions and preferences of its wearer and it is made to their exact measurements (it is, in fact, made to measure).
We apply that same kind of thinking to architecture.
Every space has its own proportions, interruptions, and opportunities. And we believe the artwork should respond to them rather than simply occupy the available square footage.
The Artwork Is the Beginning, Not the End
The distinction might seem subtle, but to us, it's fundamental.
We don't believe there is always one perfect way to place a design within a room.
We believe there are possibilities worth exploring.
And that's why we call it Made to Measure.
I wanted a name that better describes the thought, exploration, and creative collaboration behind every mural we make.
Explore our [Made to Measure] process and see what happens when artwork is composed for the architecture, not simply sized to fit.