Reviews
“Their individual creativity, skill, and perspectives coalesces into a superb, uplifting, and contemporary style that is evident in all of their mural work. The duo’s style explores space, perspective, color, and line. Together, they transform walls into worlds with a masterful use of perspective to create multi-dimensions which opens, expands and inhabits the space. REALM Art and Design’s use of line and color captures and roots the viewer in a sense of place. Their pieces add beauty and energy to workspaces with joyful subjects and buoyant color palettes.” — Danielle Wohl: Owner, Art Advisory, Orinda, CA
“I hired Jen and Margaret to add some much-needed life to a brick wall in the driveway of our business. They were very easy to work with and always responded promptly when I had questions, concerns, or thoughts about the mural design. They had great ideas about how to make the mural represent our neighborhood in a fun way, and how to honor our father, who founded our business. They were also very patient with me when I asked them to add elements or make changes. The mural was beyond anything we could have imagined! It measures 8’ tall and 16’ wide and it is a beautiful representation of our community. We absolutely love it, and our customers and neighbors do too.” — Linda and Brian Mitchell: Owners, Mitchell’s Ice Cream, San Francisco, CA
“Jen and Margaret are breathtakingly talented visual artists. They created two completely different looks for two shows which played in rep at AlterTheater. Their designs hauntingly evoked the shadowy history of an island plantation, while also having transformed that same space into a bright, cheerful, Midwestern county fair. They made our plays sing. And not only did they stun us visually, but they also built their designs with a ruthless eye to a very practical concern: an incredibly simple switchover between the two. I don’t know anyone else who can match their artistic creativity and practical implementation. They made our plays breathe, live, and dance. If you get the chance to work with them, seize it!”
— Jeanette Harrison: Artistic Director, Alter Theater, San Rafael, CA
"We hired Jen and Margaret to paint a mural in our enclosed outdoor courtyard. The space was challenging because it had a lot of uneven surfaces, windows and doors. In addition, we asked for a detailed tree mural inspired by the surrounding landscape. Jen and Margaret arrived up for the challenge! They worked closely with us to understand what we were looking for and gave us inspiring ideas. As the mural came to life, they continued to come up with creative additions like adding a family of our favorite local birds, Quail. Overall, we loved working with Jen and Margaret! They were a pleasure to have around and the mural they created is a beautiful forest that we will enjoy for years!" — Jennifer Johnson: Program Manager, Apple, Carmel, CA
"My home has been a major challenge to furnish because of it's irregular shape and layout, but Jen and Margaret came to the rescue and completely transformed it! Not only are they very gifted, but they are flexible, trustworthy, efficient, tidy, incredibly timely and hilarious to work with and be around. They're great at either having you be a close part of the process or not at all, depending on your interest or time. I trust them 100% because I don't have the time or eye for design and they took my needs, taste, and interest and created a beautiful surprise in the end."
— Beth Amabile: Homeowner, Oakland, CA
"As an independent artist I hired REALM for art direction, set design, and wardrobe for two music videos on my new album. They transformed a garage into a 1930's juke joint set complete with an assortment of classic vinyl covers, tools, reclaimed wood, lanterns and musicians dressed to rock and roll. I would recommend REALM to anyone who values quality, expertise, and the love of ART."
—Anita Lofton: Musician, San Francisco, CA
"After doing such an amazing job on my home, I hired Jen and Margaret to come and handle my design studio renovation. I gave them complete artistic license for the remodels of our two design spaces, and we couldn't be happier with the stellar outcome. The comfortable and collaborative environment has not only brought increased productivity to my team, but has also provided a beautifully designed meeting environment."
—Stephen de Zordo: Founder + Executive Creative Director, Deckhand, San Francisco, CA
“Jen and Margaret helped to beautifully bring our new house together. My husband and I were literally all over the map on what we wanted and had envisioned. They were able to talk us through their design process which really helped us come to the decisions that we made. The gals worked tirelessly on custom pieces to fit our space. They are fun and easy to work with and I cannot recommend them enough."
— Audrey Murray: Marketing Director, Cogent Legal, San Francisco, CA
“One of the things I like the most about working with Realm and their associates is how responsive they are. We would go from a phone conversation, to meeting in person, to designing all in the same week. Most importantly, projects did not drag out over time and were completed within the same week or the following week. Jen and Margaret were always accommodating and eager to share their insights and skill sets for whatever needs we had.”
— David Gonzalez: Co-Owner, Bella Trattoria, San Francisco, CA
“I just recently moved into my new home, which was incredibly exciting and also overwhelming. Realm came in and helped me re-invision my living room space and made suggestions that I absolutely couldn’t have come up with on my own. They are like design/space whisperers.”
— Millie Brooks: Homeowner, Chicago, IL
Press
“Everything is so redolent in the haunted plantation of “Bondage” that it feels like, were you to lift a trunk lid or open a jar of jam, a swirl of shadowy spirits would fly out, merging with the jagged silhouetted branches of Jen Brault and Margaret Belton’s “space design."
— San Francisco Chronicle: REALM'S Set Design for "Bondage" by Star Finch
”Gorgeously staged and stunningly unexpected”
— North Bay Bohemian: REALM'S Set Design for "Bondage" by Star Finch
