Wonder walls

Escape the tyranny of neutral colours and put your finger on some perfect prints, writes ALANNA GALLAGHER

NEUTRAL COLOURS HAVE ruled planet decor for almost a decade. But the mood has changed – recession-era homes demand mood-enhancing colour, and fashion too has played a role. Mismatched prints are a big story this spring, so if you’re going to wear botanical prints on your body, then why not use them in your home?

The spark that fanned the decorative flame was Dublin-born Frieda Gormley’s House of Hackney maximalism. People have become braver with interiors, she says. “The feature wall has run its course and it suddenly feels modern to put print on not one but all four walls.”

Buying into the look means entertaining the idea of wallpapering the ceiling and adding matching curtains, complete with swagging and tails. Two new prints, Wild Card, a micro-leopard print that offers a discreet sense of animal magnetism, and Flights of Fancy, a big-bird print that celebrates the native species of the British Isles brings nature into the fashion realm. Available to buy online at houseofhackney.com, they are not for the faint hearted.

Something more textural was seen at Andrew Martin's (tel: 0044-207 2255100, andrewmartin.co.uk) stand at Paris interiors show Maison et Objet. Walls and furniture were wearing kilim rugs. It's an idea that is as old as time itself, but in contemporary settings it adds a sense of well-worn warmth.

London-based Irish rug designer Luke Irwin (tel: 0044-207 7306070, lukeirwin.com) has also decorated homes using his rugs on walls. As well as the visual textural interest it creates, this idea helps sound attenuation, something that can be a problem in pared-back, open-plan homes that have wooden floors. His signature Doves and Stripes motif, a rug he presented to President Barack Obama on his inauguration, on behalf of the Jack and Jill Foundation, costs from €658 per square metre.

Textured grasses can be used to liven up wall space, says Sarah Brown of SB Interiors (tel: 01-2016973, sbinteriors.ie), who is president of The Interiors Association. Zoffany's sisal stripe is one suggestion. It echoes on-trend ikat-designs and is available to order through numerous Irish stockists. See zoffany.comfor details.

Brown is also a fan of upholstered panels in a bedroom or living room. “In addition to softening the look of the room it appeases the acoustics,” she says.

If you want your walls to enjoy a touch of Old World luxury, then the work of Iksel Decorative Arts (tel: 0033-142 965197, iksel.com) will enthral. The company creates scenic, decorative, ornamental and repeat design wallpapers that feature archaeological Roman mosaics, Renaissance frescoes, decorative marquetry and re-editions of antique wallpapers. New designs to investigate include digitally photographed Louis XVI wood panel carvings taken from the Musée Carnavalet in Paris and composites of landscapes by Dutch artist Frans Janszoon Post.

Specialist wall finishes are definitely trending, agrees Bronagh Skerrett of interior architecture and design company Minnie Peters (tel: 01-2933919, minniepeters.com). "One client, having moved from Kerry to Dublin, asked us to commission an artist to paint the Kerry view she missed so that she could see it every day. It's in her downstairs WC," Skerrett explains. "It's the one room in the house where even the more conservative among us can afford to do something quirky. It also gives guests some sense of your personality."

If all this over-the-top decor is not for you, then try something textural, interesting but far less shouty, says Ronan Carton of Box Seven Design (tel: 01-8690095, box7design.com), the company which fitted out Lost Society, the hip Georgian hangout in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. He suggests a touch of French polish, a plaster-effect paper from Elitis, a French company that has re-imagined old Georgian and Victorian plasterwork for a modern setting. The effects will work in contemporary and period settings and will look especially interesting in a new extension to a period home.