Two Custom Exterior Murals for UDR Riverside
What do you do when your outdoor terrace needs a garden, but the terrace can't hold the weight of one? You paint it!
That was the challenge UDR brought to us for one of their apartment communities in Riverside, California. The building was mostly white, and the outdoor terrace felt stark rather than inviting.
The team wanted to bring in nature: native California plants, lots of green, and a soft, peaceful feel. But the terrace had a weight limit, which meant there was only so much real greenery it could hold. So our job was to bring the plants in with paint instead.
The result are two murals Riverside residents can enjoy every time they step outside: two walls, three stories, and 962 square feet of California tree poppies in full bloom
The Inspiration: California Tree Poppies
For the design, we landed on Romneya coulteri, better known as the California tree poppy or Matilija poppy.
It's a perennial flowering plant in the poppy family, native to Southern California and Baja California, where it grows in dry canyons, chaparral, and coastal sage scrub. Interesting fact, it's even known to pop up in areas that have recently burned.
For a Riverside apartment community, it felt like the perfect fit. These are big, showy white blooms with bright yellow centers, and they belong to this exact landscape. Rather than a generic floral, residents get a plant that's truly native to where they live.
A Chance to Flex Some Realism
If you know Pandr's work, you know we're usually bold and graphic. But my background is in drawing and painting, going all the way back to high school and college art classes, and I rarely get to show off my realism skills on a wall. This project gave me the chance.
We painted the poppies, stems, and leaves realistically, then added a watercolor effect behind them to soften the whole composition. UDR's must-have was that the murals feel soft and watercolor-y, and the combination of crisp, realistic blooms against a loose, dreamy background landed exactly there. Honestly, they're some of the most soothing murals we've ever painted.
Related: How to Use a VR Headset to Paint a Mural
A Collaborative Design Process
I worked directly with a development associate at UDR, and the team was very involved from start to finish. They knew exactly what they wanted and art directed me quite a bit, which I love. Clear direction makes for a better final product.
There weren't strict brand guidelines to follow. Instead, the team shared the feeling they were after: lots of green and natural colors. We went through about three rounds of revisions to dial in the design before a single drop of paint hit the wall.
Heat, Ladders, and a Scaffolding Delay
Every project has its curveballs, and this one threw a couple.
The heat. Temperatures were in the high 90s the week we installed. We started super early each morning to beat the worst of it, then took longer breaks over lunch to keep the crew safe.
The scaffolding. Scaffolding was supposed to be set up for us on day one, but it was delayed. With three stories to paint, that stressed us out a little! For the first day and a half, we could only paint what we could reach from our two ladders, so we focused on the lower sections of both walls.
The solution: Because the two walls faced different directions, we chased the shade, moving back and forth between them depending on which wall was out of the sun. Between the early starts, the ladder work, and some smart wall-hopping, we stayed on schedule and finished the whole project in 4.5 days.
Want to know what goes into a mural timeline like this? Here's my breakdown of how long it takes to paint a mural.
The Crew That Made It Happen
This one was truly a team effort. Melissa, Allison, and Miranda rallied through the heat and the tight timeline, and I couldn't have pulled it off without them.
A huge part of why I built Pandr is to create opportunities for talented women in this industry, and watching this crew tackle three stories in near-100-degree heat was a reminder of exactly why that matters.
And it wasn't all work. The World Cup was on that week, so one night after painting we went out for sushi and watched a game together. Sometimes the best part of a project is the people you paint it with.
The Reaction On Site
Because the building was still an active construction site, we had an audience of other contractors working around us all week. We got so many compliments from them! They were impressed with the work and with how quickly the murals came together. Getting that kind of feedback from fellow tradespeople is always special.
Most importantly, UDR was really happy with the outcome. Here's what the client had to say!
"Phoebe was fantastic to work with on our 3099 Iowa terrace murals. She provided several initial design concepts and was extremely accommodating with our team's requested revisions. Her team was also fantastic with execution of a very large-scale project - the final product looks outstanding. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for a local artist!"- Samantha, UDR
The terrace went from stark white walls to a soft, blooming garden that never needs watering, and doesn't add an ounce to the terrace's weight limit.
Why Murals Work for Multifamily Developers
This project is a great example of what murals can do for an apartment community!
A mural can solve a real design constraint (like a weight limit), add color to a building that feels too blank, and make an outdoor amenity space somewhere residents actually want to spend time.
If you're curious about more ways developers use art, I break it down in my post on large-scale murals and creative wayfinding for multi-family developments.
You can also check out another multifamily project of ours, the exterior mural at Lorien Apartments in Santa Clara, or browse our full mural portfolio.
Have a Wall That Needs Some Life?
Whether you're a developer, architect, or property manager working on a multifamily project in Southern California or beyond, I'd love to help bring your amenity spaces to life. Send over your renderings or photos of your walls and let's talk.
And if you're a muralist curious about tackling a tricky surface like textured metal, or about pricing a project like this one for your own client, that's exactly the kind of thing I break down in coaching sessions.
