Plain painted walls are wonderful but what do you do when the room will just look flat or overwhelmed by acres of colour?

A good solution is to break up a solid colour by introducing texture to the walls. The Victorians used Lincrusta (a linseed based thick wallpaper) to cover their walls. I think you would probably associate it with the interior of a pub or a dark Birmingham Peaky Blinder room.

I would urge you to look again at the variety of wonderful patterns in Lincrusta which can be used in any space. The old reputation is more to do with choice of colour – often brown or dark red. Nowadays it is available in pale pastels such as Mylands Osterley or Farrow and Ball Calluna.

This then can hang in any room in the house and add texture and depth.

You can also give a modern space a touch of heritage by using it on a feature wall in a bathroom. Thus can be complimented by using a roll topped free standing bath – keeping the traditional theme but in a luxurious contemporary bathing space.

In a hallway, Lincrusta can balance the upper and lower areas. Using it downstairs but not upstairs but painting both areas in the same colour will create a unified room but there will be a subtle difference between the two floors.