Once the deep red enters, the whole room stops apologising. A kitchen that reads a bit flat and beige suddenly has a warm point to look at, and the cream and green around it start to feel deliberate rather than accidental. Hang it on the wall beside a dresser, above a sideboard in the dining room, or partway down a hallway where there is nothing to slow you down. It sits happily with painted cabinetry, scrubbed timber, white linen and plain stoneware. Keep the wall around it simple; the loose brushwork needs a little breathing room. Don’t crowd it with busy patterned wallpaper or a row of small dark photographs. On canvas, the thick paint texture reads like a real painting on the wall.