A Softer Side (8 Photos)
By Vidar
A tiny proposal. A blue dog. A softer side of the street.
A candy ring becomes an enormous engagement ring, a girl plays guitar among painted flowers, and two swallows share a perch. Elsewhere, a blue dog fills a house wall and a woman rests along a stretch of brickwork. These eight photos pair small interventions with large murals.
More: How Cute Is This (8 Photos)
🐶 Khaleesi — By Nina Valkhoff in Cheltenham, UK 🇬🇧
A blue-and-gold Dalmatian sits among pink flowers, with a fish curling across its chest. Nina Valkhoff calls the mural Khaleesi. Painted for Cheltenham Paint Festival in 2024, it fills the end wall of a house at 2 Newton Road. The dog’s tilted head makes the enormous painting feel like a quiet greeting.
💡 Nerd Fact: Khaleesi was inspired by a real dog belonging to a friend of the artist. Inspiring City’s 2024 entry on Street Art Cities also records this as Valkhoff’s first time painting in the UK.
More: Enchanting Street Art by Nina Valkhoff: Celebrating Wildlife and Nature on Urban Walls
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💍 Where’s My Diamonds — By Roy’s People in London, UK 🇬🇧
A miniature man gets down on one knee beside a candy ring almost as tall as he is. A woman in red waits opposite, with London’s Houses of Parliament blurred behind them. The photograph is Where’s My Diamonds by Roy’s People. The sweet becomes an oversized piece of jewellery.
💡 Nerd Fact: Roy Tyson learned photography specifically to make pictures of his miniature scenes. In a 2014 interview with Little Observationist, he explained that his photographic style continued to change as he became more skilled with the camera.
More: How Cute Is This (8 Photos)
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🎸 Raíces — By KATO in Algeciras, Spain 🇪🇸
A girl concentrates on an orange guitar while red flowers spread across the walls around her. KATO’s Raíces mural in Algeciras measures 18 by 16 metres, with real windows interrupting the painted scene. Her attention stays on the strings, even at this scale.
💡 Nerd Fact: KATO’s work with young people extends beyond painting them. His biography describes educational art workshops developed with schools and community organizations, covering equality, bullying prevention, social inclusion and the environment.
More: Cute Art By KATO (7 Photos)
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🐦 A Bird at the Door — By SAX in Paris, France 🇫🇷
A red-headed bird sweeps across the dark blue shutters of Le Cabinet d’Amateur at 12 rue de la Forge Royale in Paris. Photo by Francis McNamara.
💡 Nerd Fact: SAX used old roof tiles as painting surfaces for Sur les toits de Provence, held inside this gallery from 6 to 16 March 2025. The exhibition paired handmade canal tiles from Provence with painted animals commonly found in southern France.
More: How Cute Is This (8 Photos)
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🌼 A Place to Rest — By Juz in Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺
A woman lies along a brick wall, her patterned green sleeve reaching through yellow flowers. Juz painted this mural behind Union Heights for her 2024 solo exhibition Morphe. The gallery is at 82 Chapel Street, Windsor, Melbourne; the mural was photographed from the alley behind it. Photo by Lou Chamberlin.
💡 Nerd Fact: Union Heights’ exhibition record says MORPHE was the debut exhibition in its new gallery space and featured Juzpop’s solo work. It ran from 22 November to 3 December 2024.
More: Made You Dream (12 Photos)
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🕊️ Vuelo y Respeto — By KATO in Casablanca, Morocco 🇲🇦
Two swallows perch close together above almond blossoms on a tall wall in Casablanca. In Vuelo y Respeto, painted for Casamouja 2024, KATO set the birds against turquoise patterns inspired by Arabic tiles. He described the swallows as symbols of respect, love and fidelity.
💡 Nerd Fact: The palette refers to a particular nearby landmark. KATO explains that he chose turquoise, white and reddish tones as a tribute to Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque, which stood close to the mural.
More: Cute Art By KATO (7 Photos)
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🌴 A Face Full of Summer — By Nico in Fort Lauderdale, USA 🇺🇸
Palm trees and blue flowers form a woman’s face above a parking area in Fort Lauderdale. Nico places a golden stretch of sea and sky across the center, while the eyes remain sharply defined.
💡 Nerd Fact: Nico also brings students into the making of public art. She founded the Kid’s Mural Project in Jacksonville, giving students across Florida opportunities to design and paint murals themselves.
More: Made You Dream (12 Photos)
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🌸 Serenity — By JEKS ONE in Cincinnati, USA 🇺🇸
A woman closes her eyes beneath tall flowers on a narrow building at 7 West Elder Street in Cincinnati. JEKS ONE created Serenity for BLINK Cincinnati in 2024. Petals and stems fill the space around her face, with the dark brickwork still visible between them.
💡 Nerd Fact: BLINK’s footprint crosses a state line. The 2024 programme extended beyond Cincinnati, Ohio, into Covington, Kentucky, and added neighboring Newport for the first time, connecting art and light installations on both sides of the river.
More: 9 Amazing Murals by JEKS ONE That Blur the Line Between Paint and Reality
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Which one is your favorite?
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