Thirty walls, one Miami studio, a postcard from the boulevard and a dog with a story. Where to find them, which ones are still behind fencing, and what nobody has published yet.
Lake Nona West, the 54-acre shopping center at 5959 Lake Nona Blvd., has a public art program of 30 murals by Chalk & Brush, a Miami studio founded by Cuban-born artist Cinthia “Cynno” Santos. It is the studio's largest mural program to date. Painting began on April 22, 2026, and all 30 are finished, though several are still behind construction fencing around restaurant and boutique spaces that have not opened. Three have published names: “Greetings from Lake Nona West,” “Wish You Were Here” and “The Future is Bright.” The designs draw on Central Florida's native plants and wildlife and the communities around the center, and viewing them is free.
Most shopping centers get a paint scheme. Lake Nona West got a commission: 30 murals from one studio, painted into the buildings and walkways while the stores were still being fitted out. Some went up before the tenants did, which is how a wall at an unfinished retail center ended up in a batch of graduation photos.
Here is the catch. Only three of the 30 have names anyone has published, and no map or full list exists yet. So this guide sticks to what is confirmed — who made them, which ones you can see, and the story behind the one with the dog — and marks what is still unknown instead of guessing at it.
What are the Lake Nona West murals?
The Lake Nona West murals are a program of 30 murals by the Miami studio Chalk & Brush, painted across the buildings and pedestrian walkways of the Lake Nona West shopping center.
Tavistock Development Company, Lake Nona's master developer, announced the program on April 28, 2026. The designs draw on native flora, wildlife and the communities that live around the center, and the brief was for the art to be found throughout the property rather than concentrated on one feature wall. The smaller-scale north and south blocks of the center, built around courtyards, were designed with public art in mind from the start.
| Artist | Chalk & Brush, Miami — founded by Cinthia “Cynno” Santos |
|---|---|
| Number of murals | 30, all finished; the studio's largest program to date |
| Commissioned by | Tavistock Development Company |
| Themes | Native plants and wildlife, the surrounding communities, nature and innovation |
| Painting began | April 22, 2026 |
| Named murals | Greetings from Lake Nona West; Wish You Were Here; The Future is Bright |
| Location | Lake Nona West, 5959 Lake Nona Blvd., Orlando, FL 32827 |
| Cost to view | Free — open-air, no admission |
Who is Chalk & Brush?
Chalk & Brush is a Miami-based studio for murals, sign painting and commercial illustration, founded by Cuban-born artist Cinthia “Cynno” Santos.
The studio's clients range from neighborhood shops to national brands, including murals for Starbucks and Spotify. Its work is bold and graphic — flat color, clean lettering, the kind of wall that reads from a moving car.
Santos spent about a year on the Lake Nona West designs, working them through with Lake Nona leadership before a brush touched a wall. She has described the set as a balance between nature and innovation, which is the pitch Lake Nona has made about itself since the beginning. Not every piece is hand-painted: Santos has posted that at least one Lake Nona West piece began as a digital illustration on her iPad and was printed on vinyl for the site.
Which Lake Nona West murals can you see right now?
All 30 murals are finished, and the three named ones are open to see now: “Greetings from Lake Nona West,” the “Wish You Were Here” wall, and “The Future is Bright.”
The rest of the 30 are smaller works spread through the walkways. They are all painted, but several sit behind construction fencing around restaurant and boutique spaces that are still being built out. You will see the edges of some over the fences; the rest will come into view as those storefronts open.
Greetings from Lake Nona West is the big one, on the outside of the center facing Lake Nona Boulevard. It is done in the style of a “Greetings from” postcard, and it is the mural most people see first because they see it from the road.
Wish You Were Here is on the west-facing wall of the Sephora building, in the walkway between Target and Sephora. It was planned as the center's photo wall, and it carries the best story of the set (next section).
The Future is Bright is on an east-facing pavilion wall overlooking the central activity plaza, the open lawn used for events and food trucks. It is the one that found its audience before the center opened. More on that below.
What is the story behind the dog on the Wish You Were Here wall?
The dog is Bella, Cinthia Santos's Yorkie-Beagle mix, who died shortly before the Lake Nona West project began; Santos painted her after Tavistock asked for a dog on that wall.
The wall was not designed as a dog mural. Santos's first version repeated the program's themes — technology, water, plants and animals. Late in the process, the developer asked for a change. So many people in the surrounding neighborhoods walk dogs through the center that Tavistock wanted a dog on the photo wall.
Santos told GrowthSpotter she knew exactly which dog. Bella used to come along while Santos painted and keep her company on the job. The finished wall shows her smiling face with her tongue out. Santos later posted the mural as a tribute to her “site supervisor.”
It is the most personal piece in the program, and it turns a commissioned photo wall into something with a reason behind it. If you bring your own dog for a picture there, you are doing exactly what the wall was redesigned for.
Why do graduates take photos at The Future is Bright mural?
The Future is Bright became a graduation-photo spot on its own in May 2026, before Lake Nona West had opened, because the message fit the season.
Tavistock's Joanne Ling was walking a prospective tenant through the construction site when she noticed graduates in caps and gowns lined up in front of the mural. She told the center's architects, Cuhaci Peterson, that the idea had never occurred to her, and that the scene was exactly what the team had hoped the center would become.
Nobody planned it and nobody promoted it. Residents found the wall and used it. That is a better test of public art than any press release, and it is why this one belongs on the list alongside the postcard and the dog.
Where are the murals at Lake Nona West, and how do you find them?
Start at the “Greetings” mural on the Lake Nona Boulevard side, find Wish You Were Here in the walkway between Target and Sephora, then head to the central activity plaza for The Future is Bright.
Lake Nona West is at 5959 Lake Nona Blvd., near the intersection of Lake Nona Boulevard and Boggy Creek Road, southeast of State Road 417. The big-box stores sit on the edges; the smaller shop blocks in the middle were built at walking scale around courtyards and art. That is where to look.
No official map or list of the 30 murals has been published as of September 2026, and the three named pieces are the only ones with public titles. Wish You Were Here faces west from the Sephora building, so it is in shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon. The Future is Bright faces east across the plaza lawn. For the unnamed works, walk the corridors between the shop blocks, and expect some to be behind construction fencing until the remaining restaurants and boutiques open.
For what else is open at the center, see our guide to Lake Nona West and the Lake Nona shopping hub.
How do the Lake Nona West murals fit Lake Nona's public art?
They add a third public-art cluster on the west end of Lake Nona Boulevard, joining the long-standing collections in Lake Nona Town Center and Laureate Park.
Until this year, walking Lake Nona's art meant Lake Nona Town Center and the Laureate Park village: the Beacon and Code Wall, Disco the dog, the Glass House, the garage murals, and the Sculpture Garden at the Wave Hotel. Our Lake Nona public art walking tour covers that route.
The “Greetings” mural makes the link literal. It puts the Glass House and Disco — one in Laureate Park, one in Town Center — on a postcard at the other end of the boulevard. Lake Nona's older landmarks have become the subject of its newer art.
There is a difference in kind, too. The Town Center and Sculpture Garden collections are made up of individual works by many artists. Lake Nona West is one studio's program, designed as a set for one property. More of the community's art is on the Lake Nona arts and culture hub.
What is the honest read on the Lake Nona West murals?
They are a real, free addition to Lake Nona's public art with two genuine photo spots, but they are commercial placemaking for a shopping center, and most of the 30 are still undocumented.
Pros
- Free, outdoors and on the way to errands you were already running.
- The Wish You Were Here wall has a real story behind it, and it was redesigned with dog owners in mind.
- The Future is Bright proved itself with residents before the center even opened.
- It gives the west end of Lake Nona Boulevard public art of its own instead of leaving it all in Town Center.
Cons
- It is art commissioned to make a shopping center feel like a destination. Judge it as that, not as a gallery.
- No map, no list and no titles for most of the 30, so you cannot plan a visit around specific pieces.
- Several murals are behind construction fencing until the remaining restaurants and boutiques open.
- Not every piece is paint on a wall; at least one is a printed vinyl.
Our take: Go for the three named murals and treat the rest as a bonus you find while walking. The Bella wall alone is worth the stop if you have a dog or a phone. Do not drive across Orlando for it the way you might for the Sculpture Garden. If you live nearby, it is a reason to park once and walk the center instead of hopping between storefronts — which is the point.
What the Neighbors Know
The “Greetings” mural faces the boulevard for a reason: for anyone driving in from State Road 417 or Boggy Creek Road, it is one of the first things that tells you that you have reached Lake Nona. Shopping centers near highway interchanges usually look like every other shopping center. This one opens with a postcard of the community's own landmarks.
The better detail is the one Tavistock did not plan. The Future is Bright was meant to decorate a walkway, and the class of 2026 turned it into a tradition before the first store opened. The dog wall was changed because the neighborhood walks its dogs. Both murals ended up shaped by the people who live here — which is about the best thing you can say about art at a shopping center.
Official sources
- Lake Nona: Lake Nona West public art program announcement, April 28, 2026
- Lake Nona: Lake Nona West is now open
- Cuhaci Peterson: The Future of Retail Looks Bright at Lake Nona West
- GrowthSpotter: Lake Nona West to open first stores in May, June
- Cinthia Santos — Chalk & Brush on TikTok
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Thinking about living close enough to walk Lake Nona West? I can tell you which Lake Nona neighborhoods sit nearest the center and what they are trading for right now. Call/Text David Myers at 407.801.3286 or use the contact form.
Frequently asked questions
Who painted the murals at Lake Nona West?
The murals are by Chalk & Brush, a Miami-based mural studio founded by Cuban-born artist Cinthia “Cynno” Santos. Tavistock Development Company commissioned 30 murals for the center, the studio's largest program to date.
How many murals are at Lake Nona West?
The program calls for 30 murals across the center's buildings and walkways. Painting began on April 22, 2026. All 30 are finished, but several are still behind construction fencing around restaurant and boutique spaces that have not opened yet.
Where is the Greetings from Lake Nona West mural?
It is on the exterior of the center facing Lake Nona Boulevard, so you can see it from the road. It is drawn as a vintage postcard and includes two Lake Nona landmarks: the Glass House and Disco, the stainless-steel dog sculpture.
Who is the dog on the Wish You Were Here mural?
The dog is Bella, the artist's Yorkie-Beagle mix, who died shortly before the Lake Nona West project began. Tavistock asked for a dog on that wall because so many people in the area walk dogs, and Cinthia Santos painted Bella. The mural is on the west-facing wall of the retail block that houses Sephora, in the walkway between Target and Sephora.
Is it free to see the Lake Nona West murals?
Yes. The murals are on the outside walls and walkways of an open-air shopping center at 5959 Lake Nona Blvd., Orlando, FL 32827. There is no admission and no ticket.
