With a close-up bird illustration, scale decides whether the kitchen wakes up. Go small and it reads as a quiet accent; go bigger and the orange beak becomes the brightest thing in the room. The black shape holds its own against pale walls, and the blue feather marks stop it feeling heavy. Hang it on a plain wall where the eye lands as you come in, or above a sideboard with nothing competing beside it. Warm woods, cream linen and stoneware suit it best, with black metal handles picking up the darkest lines. Keep busy patterned wallpaper and other strong-colour graphics away from it this one wants breathing room. As a canvas the matt surface softens the bright orange slightly.