Tree of Life by William Morris Canvas Print

Tree of Life by William Morris Canvas PrintBack in 1880, this botanical study belonged to another kind of home one with patterned wallpaper, deep skirting boards and books stacked on the floor. It still does that work today. Hang it in a hallway and the walk through feels considered rather than rushed. The tree gives the eye somewhere to settle, and the soft mustard, deep green and red pull warmth out of plain plaster. It sits well above a console or a low bookcase, and works in a study behind

Plain walls suddenly have a point of view

the warm off-white looks almost illegally fresh

and the deeper colours in your sofa

the print is already doing the colour story

Second glance: the still life doing something smarter — a green vase of garden flowers framed by a window onto a bright spring garden

and the peacock's long tail pulls the eye downward through the composition

Canvas softens the painterly brushwork for an easy-going finish

louder art

it pulls the eye straight to the wall and makes the room feel a bit more fun

soft greens and warm woods round it out

Don't bury it next to heavy oil-painted landscapes or anything po-faced — this print wants room to be cheeky

Don't crowd it with other busy patterns at the same scale