Crane and Blossom, Night Sky Canvas Print

On a low winter afternoon, the deep blue-green looks almost illegally fresh. That is what this piece gives a room: a pocket of dark, quiet colour that holds the eye when the daylight goes flat. Put it up and the wall stops being background. The cream bird and pale blossom lift out of the dark ground, so nearby wood, linen and stoneware suddenly look warmer by comparison. Hang it on a narrow wall, between two windows, above a low sideboard or beside a reading chair, at eye level so the feather detail is readable. Pair it with pale or dark timber, black metal, a paper shade and one plant. Don't crowd it with small busy frames or hang it against a strong patterned wallpaper — the night sky needs plain wall around it to feel deep. As a canvas the dark background goes matte and slightly textile, which suits softer, lamplit rooms.