Five National Trust Papers IV schemes, selected by Ruth
National Trust Papers IV is our latest collection of historic wallpapers designed in partnership with the National Trust, presented in 42 beautiful colourways which complement our paint palette.
To celebrate the launch, our Creative Director, Ruth, is sharing her top five schemes using designs from the new collection. Be inspired by a selection of spaces that combine Little Greene paints and wallpapers, and discover Ruth’s expert advice for incorporating these designs into your home…
Discover the collection…
Ruth writes: “Working with the National Trust to uncover and revive these incredible historic designs is a real honour for us all at Little Greene. Designs within this collection date back to 1770, yet still endure, feeling fresh and relevant today.
It’s wonderful to be able to extend the history of these timeless patterns, proving that good design lasts. Showcasing these historic patterns in their new colourways in contemporary spaces and modern design schemes has reinvigorated them, ensuring they can be enjoyed for years to come.”
Use Aderyn for a statement hallway
Ruth writes: “Hallways are a fantastic space to create a first impression for guests, but also the first area you enter when returning home. So, consider how you want your home to make you feel; calm and cocooned or cheerful and vibrant?
Wallpaper is fantastic way to add an element of pattern and design interest to hallways and other small and narrow spaces. Trailing florals, botanical prints and other all-over patterns are particularly effective when you don’t have the space to add smaller decorative accents, but want to inject an interior with a wonderful sense of warmth and personality.”
The stunning Aderyn design dates back to 1770, but it’s a pattern that is equally at home in both traditional and modern settings. Available in five different colourways, consider the rich Olive Colour to create a cocooning hallway scheme.
Ruth writes: “Olive Colour is a calming, positive shade with a timeless quality. To create a real sense of harmony, pair Olive Colour with other greens such as Sage Green and Obsidian Green, to create a nature-inspired, restful and comforting atmosphere.”
Transform your living space with Capricorn
Ruth writes: “Living rooms are a wonderful space to embrace a dramatic pattern or large-scale mural, and wallpapering all four walls is one of the simplest ways to achieve a truly impactful design change, transforming an entire room with one simple change.
A lush and leafy tropical mural such as the Capricorn design will transport you to a magical world inhabited by exotic trees, colourful flowers, monkeys and tropical birds, creating an extraordinary space in which to relax and unwind.”
One of the most contemporary wallpapers in the collection, Capricorn is offered in four colourways, including three brightly coloured designs and one neutral variation. In a palette of soft greens and vibrant accents, the Boringdon colourway is perfect to draw nature inside your living space.
Ruth writes: “Adding green to your interior will help to create a restful, positive space that will harness the calming effects of nature indoors. Even greens at the brighter and bolder end of the spectrum such as emerald or forest green will provide a serene sense of calm alongside their energising impact on an interior.”
Bring beauty to a practical utility room with Spring Flowers
Ruth writes: “Once the most un-loved space in a home, utility cupboards, laundry rooms and pantries are being given a whole new lease of life with colour and pattern, turning what can be very mundane, daily tasks into a far more joyful experience.
Our new small-scale, stylised floral design ‘Spring Flowers’ depicts a meadow in bloom, bringing the freshness of the beautiful outdoors into the home. Pair with vibrant ‘Hopper’ and leafy ‘Garden’ for joyous and enchanting design scheme.”
With a classic floral print like Spring Flowers, there is also the opportunity to add an unexpected element of design impact, by wallpapering your ceiling too.
Ruth writes: “Don’t be afraid of embracing a small space with a comforting and intimate approach; wallpapering the ceiling will ensure the space feels loved and considered, as well as maximising pattern and colour. It is a great way to finish off the look of a room and create instant impact.”
Create a charming bedroom design with Burges Butterfly
Ruth writes: “Bedrooms are the perfect room for indulging your own sense of colour and pattern, creating a truly personal space that will offer an oasis of calm and an escape from busy, daily life.
Wallpaper is naturally at home on all four walls in bedrooms where it provides a cocooning feel that feels cosy and familiar, but it can also work in combination with painted panelling, or as a feature wall where just a burst of pattern is desired.”
The sister design to our beloved Burges Snail wallpaper from National Trust Papers II, Burges Butterfly has been recoloured in five contemporary combinations, each perfectly suited to an inviting bedroom setting.
Ruth suggests using the Hicks’ Blue colourway to elevate your bedroom space: “Even when used in bold and creative combinations on wallpaper, across panelling and in stripes on the ceiling, a deep rich navy blue such as Hicks' Blue will create a restful, cosy and cocooning feeling in a bedroom. Its deep inky colour is evocative of the night sky, the perfect shade to create a sanctuary for drifting off.”
Add a textural element to your kitchen with Ditsy Block
Ruth writes: “Kitchens can be quite stark spaces, filled with hard surfaces and reflective finishes. Adding a wallpaper to a kitchen will create texture, softening those hard surfaces, and bringing pattern and design interest to the scheme.
A versatile all over, small-scale print such as ‘Ditsy Block’ will lend itself perfectly to busy kitchen environments, even when papering just a small section of wall.”
Originating from around 1900, Ditsy Block was found at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk, as a woodblock printed design that also featured painted ‘braiding’ at the top to mimic damask furnishings.
As part of National Trust Papers IV, Ditsy Block has been reproduced in six contemporary colourways, including this soft golden wallpaper which is based on Bombolone.
Ruth writes: “Energetic and social spaces such as kitchens and dining rooms work fantastically well with uplifting, warm and energised colours such as intense and rich yellows, which lift the mood, creating a joyful, positive atmosphere.” Team Ditsy Block – Bombolone with cabinetry and woodwork in Chocolate Colour and Light Bronze Green for a warm and comforting, tonal scheme.
