Artful Wallpaper
Wallpaper has always borrowed from the painter, and artful wallpaper borrows most openly of all. These are designs that treat the wall as a canvas: expressive brushstrokes, impressionist scenes, collage and gallery prints, chosen for a room that wants something original rather than something safe.
Clarke & Clarke's Vivido collection is a favourite here, with Figura giving the impression of an abstract painting in delicate watercolour brushstrokes, while Astratto from Lusso overlaps its brush marks into a piece of art for the wall. Romo's Ottavia mural draws on the impressionists, a cascade of painterly roses caught in the light. For something lighter in spirit, Belgravia's Mad House hangs framed pen and ink animals in neat rows like a gallery wall, and Jane Churchill's Atmosphere IV brings an impressionistic scenic view finished with a subtle embossed linen texture.
Because an artful paper is the picture, it is usually happiest with plain furniture and a calm palette around it. Hang it on the wall you face when you walk in, or in a dining room where it can be looked at properly.
If you love a looser, wetter hand, browse our watercolour wallpaper, or go further towards pure mark making with abstract wallpaper. For landscapes in paint, see painterly and scenic wallpaper. Our Decorating Notes piece, When the Wallpaper Is the Artwork, has more ideas for living with it.
