✦
Where Artistry Begins
Bas relief is a picture or pattern sculpted into the wall itself. Trees, mountains, rivers, whole cityscapes with domes, arches and towers, flowers, figures, lettering or pure geometry rise out of the surface, so the light across the day does the rest. It is 3D wall art that belongs to the building rather than hanging on it.
The name comes from the Italian basso rilievo, low relief. The design stands only slightly proud of the background, unlike a free standing sculpture, which is why it works on a wall, a ceiling, a fireplace breast or behind a bed. Every piece is built up in plaster by hand on site, carved while it is still workable, then refined and finished so it reads as one surface with the wall around it.
Because it is sculpted rather than cast, no two pieces are the same. It can be as quiet as a single botanical stem rising up a stairwell, or a whole landscape carved floor to ceiling, with trees, hills and architecture standing out from the wall in layers, a full feature wall that becomes the reason people remember the room.
A relief can stay pure white, so light and shadow do all the work. It can be painted in full colour, turning a sculpted scene into a three dimensional painting with rooftops, water, boats and sky. And lighting can be built into the relief itself, with LED strips hidden behind arches, ledges and branches, or light glowing from carved windows, so the wall comes alive in the evening.
Living rooms, dining rooms and hallways, where a sculpted wall replaces the need for art altogether.
Behind the bed, in place of a headboard, where soft side light shows the relief at its best.
Reception walls, restaurants, bars and hotel lobbies, including logos and lettering in relief.
Both give a wall depth. Sculptural plaster panels are made as a set design, ready made or bespoke, repeated across the wall and finished seamlessly, which usually makes them quicker and more affordable for larger areas. A bas relief is sculpted by hand for one wall, with no repeat at all, so every part of it can be different. We do both, and we will tell you which suits your wall.
Writing a specification? See sculptural plaster for how to specify our work, and our specifier page for samples and a direct line.
It also pairs naturally with our other finishes. A relief can rise out of a polished plaster or marmorino wall, or carry liquid metal detail on its edges.
A low relief sculpture, where the design is carved so it stands only slightly out from a flat background. On a wall it gives a 3D picture or pattern that is part of the surface itself.
It depends on the size of the wall, how detailed the design is and the finish. Send us a photo and the measurements and we will give you a clear quote after we have seen the design you want.
Yes. A commission usually starts from something you love, whether that is a sketch, a pattern, a photograph or a company logo. We draw it to the scale of your wall first so you can approve it before we start.
Yes. It can stay natural white, be painted in full colour as a three dimensional scene, be tinted, or be finished in Venetian plaster, limewash or metallic detail.
Yes. Lighting is planned at the design stage so the channels and recesses are sculpted in from the start, then LED strips are hidden behind the relief. The electrical connections are made by a qualified electrician.
Authentic Venetian plaster, machine-tinted to your colour and made for each order. Materials, installation and master-led training, nationwide and international, since 2021.
One list, run by the people who make the material. No noise, and nothing we would not want to read ourselves.
We email as the house has something worth saying, never daily. Unsubscribe from any email, or reply STOP to any text. We never pass your details to anyone.