ON THE WALL

When it comes to decorating a room, you have various decisions to make. Paint gives a uniform sweep of colour against which artwork will stand out, and o ers a quiet background for decorative furniture and fabrics. Wallpaper, on the other hand, adds character instantly and comes in a vast array of colours, patterns and textures. Don’t feel bound to go for light colours in small rooms and dark shades in large spaces. Counterintuitive choices can produce surprisingly successful results. Whichever wall treatment you choose, look at a sample of it in situ, as colours can look di erent depending on the natural light and other furnishings in the room.

Plants and grasses drawn with a light touch are perfect for a country- style living room. ‘Farne Grasses’ wallpaper from the Embleton Bay wallpaper collection, £ 66 per 10m roll, Sanderson

ABOVE LEFT ‘Madama Butter y’ wallpaper, £ 99 per roll, 1838 Wallcoverings ABOVE RIGHT Wall painted in ‘ Wattle V’; dark blue wall detail in ‘Plimsoll’, both Pure Flat Emulsion, £ 46.50 for 2.5l, Paint & Paper Library