Designer Katie Thierjung Polishes Up a Matisse-Inspired Mural

Some things are worth the wait. Ask Katie Thierjung, the founder of The Uncommon Place, an online shop full of colorful pieces of flair and art prints. Earlier this year, she was “speechless” when Dunn-Edwards reached out about a potential partnership.

“I couldn’t even begin to fathom that I had the chance to work with one of the biggest gatekeepers of the color world, a world that brings me so much inspiration and happiness on a daily basis,” Thierjung said. This collaboration led to the successful launch of The Uncommon Place x Dunn-Edwards 2019 Trends Collection, a set of three pins inspired by Mid-century architecture and featuring colors from this year’s trending palettes. The limited-edition pins sold out in a few months.

And as the partnership continues to evolve between Thierjung and Dunn-Edwards, what is her favorite thing about partnering with the brand? "I love how open the company is when it comes to ideas! Dunn-Edwards continues to go above and beyond to showcase color in a creative, out-of-the-box way. They also really want to support all types of creatives. So far they have really helped make a lot of things happen, and I’m so grateful for the opportunities they’ve given me. Every artist that they’ve worked with has been given a full platform to showcase their work and I think that is absolutely amazing. Not a lot of companies really do that, so having a partnership with them feels extra special to me."

The Orange County-based designer had another bucket list item still on her mind: designing her first mural. The opportunity finally came through the partnership between Dunn-Edwards and ORLY® Color Labs. Along with being part of the Dunn-Edwards 2020 Trends Collection, the creative team at ORLY® Color Labs was looking to refresh its space with a new mural. After reviewing a number of concepts, Thierjung’s design was chosen.

How did she feel upon being chosen as the muralist for Orly Color Labs partnership? "Absolutely stunned. Not only was it a huge honor to even be considered for it, but it was also a rare opportunity to be able to create something for two very reputable companies who approach creativity in such an open and playful way," Thierjung stated.

Inspired by the works of Henri Matisse, the mural features Dunn-Edwards colors Satin Blush DE5197, Sweet Potato DE5201, Yellow Brick Road DE5424 and Posy Petal DE5067. Thierjung further explained, "It was heavily inspired by the paper cut-outs by Henri Matisse! He really experimented with color + shape in such a unique way, and that really helped me try new things to make this mural playful. I’m also a big admirer of terrazzo — if you know, you know."

Were there any surprises for Thierjung when designing her first mural? "Going into this mural, I already knew that it would be a lot of work. It wasn’t until I was actually doing it that I realized how much work that goes into a large scale piece like this, from concept designing to actually painting the mural while on scaffolding. Every single aspect of this mural required a lot of planning, time, and attention to detail. If it weren’t for all of the volunteers who helped me paint, it wouldn’t have been finished in such a short amount of time!"

Thierjung has no plans on creating another mural...yet. "No plans in the books yet, but I’m always going to leave that door open. This mural for Dunn-Edwards and ORLY Color Labs was a lot of fun for me, so I would love to get into more mural work. We’ll see what the future holds!"

The mural can be seen at ORLY® Color Labs, located at 7621 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif., through March 2020.

For more information on The Uncommon Place, visit the online shop and the Instagram page.