Once the soft cream enters, the whole room stops apologising. Matisse’s line drawing is quiet and confident, and that’s exactly what most rooms are missing. The eye follows the masts, the curling flowers, the little balcony, and the room calms down around it. Hang it on a chalky off-white wall above a console, a low sideboard or at the end of a hallway where there’s nothing pulling focus. It sits well with pale oak, linen, rattan and warm whites. Avoid putting it next to anything loud or heavily patterned this piece works because it breathes. As a canvas the soft cream ground reads as gentle texture, keeping the linework feeling drawn rather than printed.