Against plaster, the bright orange reads less sweet, more deliberate. It is the smallest colour in the picture and it does the most work, so the wall around it can stay quiet. Put the print up and a plain hallway or kitchen wall suddenly has a focal point with a sense of humour, without turning the room into a theme. Hang it at eye level on a narrow stretch of wall, above a bench, or beside a doorway where people pass close to it. Pair it with painted cabinetry, pale wood, cane and checked cotton. Skip busy wallpaper directly behind it and avoid crowding it with other strong colour, or the checkerboard loses its snap. On fine-art paper the brushmarks and dry-brush edges stay crisp.