Wall-Size Murals Allow Serious ‘Cocooners’ to See the Big Picture

At Environmental Graphics in Hopkins, Minn., they take the notion of “cocooning” seriously.

“It’s more important all the time,” says Todd Imholte, vice president of sales. “[Futurist] Faith Popcorn said cocooning would be the trend of the millennium, as people sought refuge in their homes from the stresses of the outside world.”

Environmental Graphics, a small firm that has been producing unusual wall murals for almost 30 years, has jumped on the bandwagon by creating designs intended to soothe. The firm recently introduced “Serenity,” which can fill a blank wall with the scene of a luxurious garden with a path leading through a wooded archway.

“An artist painted the mural and we produced it,” said Imholte. “It’s almost three-dimensional.” It is also easy to install, he said. The wall murals come in eight panels and are applied like wallpaper. Cellulose paste and detailed instructions come with the purchase.

“Even though it’s flat, it is so big--an 8-by-13-foot image--that it has texture and depth,” said Imholte. Twenty-two designs include other outdoor scenes, from “Hawaiian Sunset” to “Deer in a Forest.” They also offer sports scenes and, for urban-minded cocooners, a sophisticated “Manhattan Lights” panorama.

“A lot of businesses like the Manhattan mural because they are trying to project a city look,” said Imholte. His own office wall is decorated with “Storybook Hollow,” to please his children, ages 3 and 5.

Prices range from $69 to $115. If you tire of the mural, it’s easy to remove--dampen it and peel it off the wall. The murals are available at Home Depot and Sherwin Williams stores. Information is online at https://www.egproducts.com.

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Pat Kelly, owner of the Happy Time Antiques Mall in Orange, is staging her own version of PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” by bringing in guest expert Barbara Pickett to do appraisals every Sunday in May from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“This is a first, and it’s by popular request,” said Kelly. “People come in here all the time with things they’ve been given, or found in their attic, and want some idea of the value.”

Pickett, a certified appraiser, will give verbal appraisals. “There’s a three-item limit and fee of $4 per item,” said Kelly, who’s been in the business for 30 years.

Kelly touted the city of Orange’s numerous antiques dealers--”more than 60”--and its historical Old Town. Happy Time Mall is at 109 W. Chapman Ave. Information: (714) 538-3844.

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Connie Koenenn can be reached at connie.koenenn@latimes.com.