Pair a floral blue and white wallpaper with smart pinstripes, soft, natural earth tones and sinuous shapes… 

A mood-board showing cool blues and neutral tones inspired by the blue and white folk floral wallpaper on the left by Olenka Design.

Take your cue from any global style and juxtapose authentic elements of pattern, colour and form with sleek, modern shapes and materials. Whether your budget stretches to designer pieces or thrift shopping rules – follow the pointers below for a look that is directional, full of personality and won’t date.

Russian Folk Floral: Get The Look

1. Timeless Floral/Stripe Combo

The impactful scale and fresh colour way of this Russian folk-inspired wallpaper already bestows it with contemporary appeal. First, combine this floral, blue and white wallpaper with a smart, dark blue pinstripe for a backdrop with added edge. Paper a single, wide wall with the ‘Neva’ floral and use the Farrow & Ball Closet stripe wallpaper on adjacent walls above dado-height, painted panelling. In fact, take the stripe up and over the ceiling too – especially in the absence of a pretty, plaster cornice.

2. Temper Blue And White Wallpapers With Tan

Next, use a palette of two or three ivory-to-pale-beige neutrals from the same family on the panelling, doors and architraves. These will lend depth but also freshness by way of contrast. Pale natural wood flooring in a matt, white-oiled finish – wide boards or parquet, as here – keep the mood light and airy especially where there is ample daylight. Stick with the same white-on-white palette for much of the furniture and accessories but introduce shades of tan on select accessories to warm things up a little. Key statement pieces in off-black add crisp, definition.  

3. All About Curves

Contrast is key in any interior scheme so sinuous forms and shapely silhouettes are the perfect antidote to straight line pattern. Curvaceous forms in the decorative accessory selection also echo the loops and curls of the scrolling floral wallpaper. So, assemble traditional shapes, such as this Italianate lampshade, with more modern sculptural forms. The striking dining table – a definite statement piece – and elegant modern tableware vessels inject modernity. 

4. Layer, Layer, Layer…

The most interesting and inviting interiors layer a multitude of textures. From the matt alabaster lamp base to the smooth lava stone table; from the glossy, coloured glassware to the wooden chevron floor; from the hessian lampshade to the ‘cloud washed’ (what a fabulous description!) sideboard. Therefore, stick to your colour palette but introduce layer upon layer of visual, textural contrasts together with tactile, soft furnishings textiles for a truly successful scheme.

Pictured above, clockwise from top left:

  • ‘Neva’ in blue, Russian folk-inspired, floral wallpaper, £129 roll, by Olenka Design, through Telescope Style
  • For doors & woodwork try paint shades like ‘Joanna’, ‘Hammock’ and ‘Clay’ in the relevant interior finish from Little Greene.
  • Alabaster lamp base and shade sourced in Italy from Romano Bianchi with hessian shade by Tuscan firm AF Illuminazione. By way of alternatives, you can often find interesting vintage alabaster lighting on Etsy. Have a bespoke shade made up by a specialist such as A Shade Above
  • Closet Stripe blue and white wallpaper (ST 364), £70 for a 10 metre roll, by Farrow & Ball
  • ‘Clay’ round table with hand-finished lava stone finish, 160cm diameter, by Desalto, £5,983, at Heals
  • Flare jug in fine bone china, 19cm tall x 17cm wide, £168, available through Pinch Design and 1882
  • ‘Franconi’ sideboard in ‘Cloud Wash’, 91cm high x 135cm wide x 46cm deep. £1595, in stock from July at Oka

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