On a north-facing afternoon, the soft brown looks almost illegally fresh. It is a small, quiet piece of drama: one egg, a lot of empty paper, and nothing else competing for attention. Put it up and a busy wall calms down. The aged off-white ground reads as part of the wall, so the room feels a little more considered rather than more decorated. It works at eye level in a hallway, above a writing desk, or in a pair either side of a bedroom window. Pair it with linen, cane, cream ceramics and pale or mid-brown wood. Don’t hang it near anything loud and high-contrast bold graphic posters or bright colour blocks will flatten the fine speckling completely. As a canvas the surface is matt and glare-free, which suits the soft paper tone.