Watch the flamingo land, then the deep red start doing damage. The checkerboard behind it is hand-brushed rather than crisp, so the whole thing reads as painting first and pattern second. Put it up and a flat wall gets a pulse: the red squares pull warmth into cool light, and the light blue keeps it from tipping into shouty. It earns its keep in a hallway, above a kitchen counter or on a kids’ room wall, hung at eye level where the long neck and single leg have room to breathe. Pair it with painted wood, cane, cotton stripes and glazed pots. Don’t hang it next to another strong pattern checks plus florals plus stripes and everyone loses. On canvas the brushed squares keep their texture right to the edge.