The James Station Caboose

For this renovated 1950’s caboose turned AirBnb by All Belong Co, I designed and installed this 30ft LOVE mural. Our goals were not only to pay homage to this historic car and the vintage letters typically found on trains, but to tie in with the LOVEworks signs found throughout Virginia to create a show-stopping photo op. The two-toned drop shade adds subtle depth and dimension, while the white contrasts gorgeously with the red exterior and yellow trim for a very classic color palette.

P.S. - You can book a trip to this unique destination here.

The interior of the caboose will be styled with an industrial look, so I wanted to compliment that with a classic American letter style - the Slab Serif. Dimensional type emerged in the latter half of the 19th century during the Second Industrial Revolution. Bold, colorful typefaces were used for advertisements both large and small, and shadow letters were employed to ensure visibility.

Many trains still utilize a more vintage style of lettering, using different styles of serifs. The added treatment of multi-colored and layered shadows (see bottom pic) adds a classic appeal and tends to communicate luxury as well as refinement.

With our design, I wanted to strike a balance between these two photos; neither too spartan nor too grandiose while still giving that classic locomotive feel.