This light-filled nature-inspired studio is a creative hub for Danielle Hardy’s blossoming wall decor biz.

Just as nature renews in the spring, so do our rooms. It’s the season of open windows and farmers’ market tulips, and it gives us plenty of reasons to refresh and celebrate. And for Danielle Hardy, the seasonal change also marks a shift in the creative direction of her wall decor company, UrbanWalls. Its Vancouver studio might be in the middle of the bustling Gastown ’hood, but on the inside, the 800-square-foot workspace nails that breezy greenhouse vibe. The look is echoed on the walls, which Danielle spruced up with oversized decals of foliage and flowers. “Greenery has a way of livening up any room, and given Vancouver’s oft-grey forecast, we thought it would be wonderful to cover the walls in beautiful botanicals.” We couldn’t agree more.

The cream-walled wood-floored studio, with its high ceiling and big windows, is the perfect space in which to experiment with exciting new designs and collections, and show off eye-catching and achievable decorating ideas and clever installation tricks for UrbanWalls customers and social media followers. “Before moving into this studio, I was working from my basement, so I wasn’t always motivated at home,” says Danielle. “This space just invites creativity. I love the opportunities it’s given me and my team to exhibit our products and inspire people.”

On a spring afternoon, she called up Alice de Crom from Floralista Flower Studio in Fort Langley, B.C., to help showcase UrbanWalls’s production process – from conception to magnificent decal – for its Garden Flowers collection. Alice brought in gorgeous flowers, including ranunculuses, roses, poppies and peonies, for Danielle’s team to photograph and then turn into the graphic wall decals used in the space. It just goes to show the power of a room to foster creativity and lift spirits. Now that’s a breath of fresh air.

The eye-catching green velvet sofa sets the scene in the lushly decorated sitting area, which is ideal for catching up on emails and holding team brainstorming sessions.
 

Alice de Crom (back left) of Floralista Flower Studio brought in armfuls of beautiful blooms, which members of the Urban-Walls team (pictured here, founder Danielle Hardy, front left, and production assistant Tammie Gauer) used to design the Garden Flowers decals that are now showcased throughout the space.

Danielle and production assistant Leah Davidson demonstrate how easy it is to put up the oversized floral wall decals. This lively touch doesn’t require any water, which is ideal, since Danielle admittedly favours low-maintenance plants.
 

The kitchen zone’s industrial-look open shelving is the perfect place to play with trailing plants and display leafy wall decals.