JOY! Collective and Farrow & Ball bring London's streets to life with hyper-real mural campaign

Londoners wandering through Wimbledon, Richmond, Battersea, or Notting Hill this month may have stumbled upon something rather unexpected in the form of a still-life scene that seems to leap from the wall, all painted by hand. The installations are part of a new creative campaign by JOY! Collective for Farrow & Ball, marking the launch of the brand's latest palette of 12 colours.

Blurring the line between art and advertising, the series reimagines domestic spaces through large-scale trompe l'oeil murals. It's a visual illusion technique that makes flat surfaces appear three-dimensional from just the right angle.

Each piece combines meticulous craftsmanship with a touch of optical play, transforming everyday architecture into vibrant portals of pigment and perspective.

"Collaborating with Farrow & Ball was a true meeting of minds – traditional craftsmanship paired with contemporary creativity," says Rebecca Baier, creative director at JOY! Collective. "Together, we reimagined what paint can achieve in public space, transforming colour into a storytelling tool and murals into immersive design experiences."

Rebecca describes the campaign as a celebration of "spatial storytelling" that's rooted in the studio's love of public art that engages passers-by in simple but striking ways. "Each mural plays with perspective, pigment and illusion to showcase Farrow & Ball's new colours not simply as paint, but as a medium for immersive public art," she adds. "It's about making the ordinary extraordinary – where heritage meets contemporary design."

From the delicate brushwork to the strategic placement in high-footfall areas, every detail feels designed to surprise. It's the kind of campaign that doesn't need a QR code to get attention; people simply stop, stare, and pull out their phones. According to Farrow & Ball, that impact was measurable, as the murals generated a noticeable uplift in showroom visits and dwell time, as well as over 355,000 organic impressions online.

The project also reflects a broader shift in how brands like Farrow & Ball are thinking about outdoor media. Rather than relying on traditional advertising formats, the company has embraced craft-led, experiential creativity to connect with audiences in unexpected settings.

"Our outdoor campaign was a perfect blend of precision targeting and beautifully handcrafted creative," says Rhian Lum, media performance manager at Farrow & Ball. "Completely on-brand, authentic, and impossible to ignore. It not only turned heads but also delivered outstanding business results. It ticked every box and we loved working on it with the brilliant JOY! Collective team."

What's more, the collaboration didn't stop at the city limits. To extend the reach of the campaign, JOY! Collective and Farrow & Ball unveiled a 50-foot billboard in Los Angeles, echoing the same artistry on a global scale. It reinforces the enduring power of tactile creativity in an increasingly digital landscape and proves that paint, perspective, and a touch of illusion can travel far beyond the gallery wall.

As the murals fade into London's daily rhythm, they leave behind a reminder of how design can reshape public space through joy, surprise, and craft.