Hi! I am Zara Fina Stasi and I am an artist behind Good for the Bees, a creative studio based in Brooklyn, NY. I work primarily as a painter and illustrator, focusing on public art that reaches the most people to bring the most joy. I am (newly) a mom of two! I have Theo who is just over 2 years old and little Lila (‘Leeee-La’) who was born this fall.  

Lush, patterned, organic

A greenhouse filled with our favorite fruit plants.

For inspiration, I looked to my grandparent’s greenhouse. They had this bright greenhouse off their living room that always had lemon and orange trees growing. I decided to paint a mural full of lush fruit trees, asking my son for which fruits he wanted on the walls. He picked mangoes, lemons, peaches, and blackberries. I added in cherries, blueberries, figs, and watermelons. I loved that I was able to create a mural that you actually step into when you enter the room, but that stays hidden from the outside hallway. It feels like a surprise every time I open the doors. I also knew I wanted to repaint the vintage desk we use as a changing table and oranges were the perfect pick! The rest of the room I pulled together from pieces we had around our house, thrift pieces, and old favorites.

Focus on flexibility. We find ourselves rolling Lila’s crib in and out, shifting furniture around to build forts or read as a family, bringing in more seating when we have visitors—the list goes on! Our room can ebb and flow with our days, our kids, and our needs and we love that! We leaned into the matching cribs and shelf to create some consistency, but wanted to balance that by introducing lots of playful patterns and textures across the room.

As an ode to my grandparents' old greenhouse, I wanted this mural to feel lush, organic, and full of life. I added in insects for my kids to find: Theo loves the ladybugs and caterpillars the best. I painted it over three days and just let myself paint without much of a plan, and only used old paint I had on hand in my studio. Once the mural was finished, I decided to repaint our changing table (my father-in-law’s old desk) with some fresh oranges.

My son is an early riser, so we often see the sun rise while we are reading or playing in the room. Having my coffee and sitting on the chair or the floor with both kids and reading in the early morning is the best. Even though these days I am usually exhausted, I remind myself how fast it’s gone with Theo and try to stay present in the moment.