Test it this way: if the living room feels safe, size up. This piece carries enough quiet warmth soft pink and cream roses against a warm brown backdrop, with a small black cat keeping watch to take a bigger spot without shouting.

The room slows down once it goes up. It softens hard furniture, warms a cool wall, and adds a note of character without changing the rest of the scheme.

Hang it above a console, sideboard, or low bookcase, ideally somewhere a lamp can catch it in the evening. Eye-level, centred, gives it the most presence.

Pair it with oak or walnut wood, linen or velvet upholstery, aged leather, and a bit of brass. Cream stoneware and a milk-glass vase echo the bouquet nicely.

Keep loud modern graphics and busy pattern out of the same eyeline this one wants room to breathe. On canvas the brushwork reads softly, giving it a quietly aged, painted feel.