Melissa Dayton is a coastal artist and designer offering hand-painted wallpaper, fine art, and coordinating fabrics for interior designers and second homeowners. Her collections are rooted in tradition, created to layer effortlessly with antiques, and designed to be the backdrop to a family’s story.
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About Melissa
Artist. Designer. Curator of Coastal Stories.
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The Backdrop to a Family’s Story
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At Melissa Dayton Art, everything I create is rooted in memory—because I believe the most beautiful homes are those layered with love, heritage, and meaning.
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I grew up in coastal Connecticut, where my childhood was filled with sailing every weekend, clambakes, rocky beach hikes, and sun-drenched summers by the water. I lived on Harbor View Island until I was six, then moved to a 1754 farmhouse nestled in the woods, all while spending weekends at our yacht club—Sprite Island. Until I was sixteen, the rhythm of our family life always led us back to the sea: to the coast, to the sails, to the traditions that shaped me.
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In 1984, I moved to the beautiful beaches of New Jersey, where our family lived in a three-story shingle-style home just one block from the ocean. With its wide wraparound porch, original stained glass windows, unpainted woodwork, and century-old light fixtures, it was the kind of house that welcomed stories to unfold.
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Later, I raised my children in a 1904 beach cottage—a home full of nooks, crannies, and a front porch made for sandy feet and summer evenings. These experiences—Connecticut roots, years spent antiquing with my parents, and Jersey shore motherhood—have become the soul of my work.
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Art & Interiors Are in My Bones
I hold a degree in Art and Design and have a professional background in interior design. For years, I sold fine art prints, and my deep understanding of space, texture, and visual storytelling informs everything I create today.
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My hand-painted wallpaper, woven fabrics, and coordinating fine art are designed not just to decorate a home—but to help you tell its story. Each collection begins with original artwork and is thoughtfully developed to pair seamlessly with curated antiques, vintage rugs, and layered interiors full of warmth and soul.
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For Those Who Design with Heart
My collections are crafted for women who value heritage, interior designers who want something truly special for their clients, and anyone creating a second home that feels like a retreat.
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From the oyster beds and gardens of Connecticut to the dune grass and blue skies of New Jersey, my palette is always coastal—always rooted in the natural beauty of the places I’ve called home.
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Curated. Coastal. Collected.
This spring, I’ll be launching my private-label wallpaper line, created for homes that blend comfort, character, and elegance. Woven fabric and high-end textile options will follow this summer, along with new original art pieces that coordinate beautifully.
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If you love storied and timeless interiors—where the wallpaper echoes the past, the textiles tell a tale, and the artwork adds soul—you’re in the right place.
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Welcome to Melissa Dayton Art.
Let’s design a home where your family’s story unfolds.
Melissa Dayton
Art and Design
Manasquan, New Jersey
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@melissadaytonart
My inspiration is beauty in nature, people, and places. My childhood was spent on the water in New England. There was beauty all around, in the marshes, the birds, the breezes. When we sailed the wind filling the sail always fascinated me, even the soft wind and the big billowy spinnaker sail. As a small child, I can remember standing at the back sliding door watching the sun over the marsh. It was magical.
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As an adult, I am fortunate enough to live at the beach, but the ocean, so it's very different but still captivating. The sand is fine, not rocky. The shells are whiter, the water has more movement. Our birds are sometimes different too. I have been blessed to raise my family in this place. The streets are lined with sycamore trees and old shingle-style homes. Our town is an iconic shore town with a main street, people walking, and bikes. People come to our towns for rest and rejuvenation, it is a special place.
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Every day offers an opportunity for inspiration. It's all around us. I believe that beauty leads us to all that is good and true, and as an artist, I can help to bring some of that beauty into homes. Now that I am older and have done so many things in life. I know life can be hard and full of commitments. A home should be a place of peace and rest, but also joy and fun. When we create spaces for others, we want families to have spaces that are the backdrop to their memories. I'm honored to help you create that space for your clients and yourself.
Melissa Dayton lives at the beach in New Jersey. She understands the importance of creating a home with lasting memories. She is the mother of 8 children and 3 grandchildren.
Melissa has been selling her art online since 1996. She has a degree in Art and Design and originally intended to pursue interior design. Life took a turn and she spent many years painting commissioned portraits of children and painting murals in homes. Her work was in a Gift For Grandkids catalog with an amazing 350 portraits painted in a year and a half. She has painted several book covers as well.
In 2012 she founded a nonprofit in her community that went viral and led her to speak in high schools nationwide. She and her husband then helped their community recover from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and they distributed over $100,000 in relief money from The Robin Hood Foundation. In 2013 she received master's degree in Theology and Ministry and taught for several years overseeing a service-learning program for a large high school.
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Melissa has now returned to art full-time designing for families to create homes that will leave lasting impacts and memories.
