Versa Apartments
FULL COVERAGE MURAL
The brand new apartment building in Broad Ripple hired be to pay homage to Flower Alley while keeping with the aesthetic of Versa
Setting the Mood
I set up a meeting with the design team to learn what Versa represents and how they wanted people to feel when they interacted with the apartment building. It was a bit open-ended, which allowed me to do a lot of visual exploration when searching for mood board imagery.
Following our initial conversation, I created a mood board that showed a variety of inspiration ideas. These existing images act as a visual “menu” of sorts. Stakeholders can easily communicate which images they like and don’t like. This stage is incredibly helpful before jumping into original design ideas.
Design Process
Hearing what the Client responded positively to on the mood board narrowed my focus on how to approach the mural design. We did a very comprehensive deep dive into the extensive mood board so I could make sure I understood what would be a good fit for the project.
Since the mural wall is part of Flower Alley, the idea of flowers was important. We landed on tulips because of their great symmetrical shape and the connection to the Tulip Poplar tree, which is the state tree of Indiana.
I presented a few design concepts and then refined the best one first into a grayscale layout and then into a full color rendering.
Painting Process
I installed the mural on an active construction site, which was an exciting adventure.
I used a boom lift to navigate all over the 70 ft wide wall. The tulips are larger than life and I love how they turned out!
Testimonial
“Working with Siena Baldi on the Versa Apartments mural was a pleasure. Siena brought a rare blend of artistic vision, professionalism, and collaboration that made the process seamless from start to finish.
“After our first conversation, Siena quickly provided five pages of curated visual references with patterns, textures, and imagery for our team to review. This mood board exercise wasn’t just inspiration, it was strategic. It helped us articulate which styles aligned with our brand identity and the character of Broad Ripple’s Flower Alley, and just as importantly, which didn’t.
“From there, Siena translated our feedback into black and white design studies. By removing color early on, we were able to focus purely on composition, scale, and balance without being swayed by palette. This allowed for a more honest critique of the concepts. At the end of that grayscale review, Siena presented three distinct color palettes, each with thoughtful ties to the local context and our branding. After a final round of discussion, she applied those palettes to the selected concept.
“Siena maintained excellent communication throughout and her adaptability and attention to detail made her a true partner.”
Austin Haag
Senior Design Development Manager