Apollo by Henri Matisse Canvas Print

Apollo by Henri Matisse Canvas PrintThere's a reason Matisse kept returning to the cut out; rooms still respond. Drop this on a quiet wall and the colour does the heavy lifting the blue lifts, the yellow warms, and the scatter of little leaf shapes keeps your eye moving. It works best where the wall behind it is calm: white, off white or pale plaster. Hang it solo above a sofa, a sideboard or a bed, or in a child's room where a bit of joy actually earns its keep. Pair it with pale wood,

woven rugs and a bit of brass or gold

The arched glasshouse windows do most of the work — your room suddenly feels taller and a touch greener

Henri Matisse knew how to charm a room — and how to cut

it adds colour and a bit of character to a wall that was doing nothing

Best in a kitchen

study or calm living room

and that's exactly what most rooms are missing

berries and a pinecone

Here's the trick: let the volcano cut through all that oak

Pairs nicely with aged leather

Hang it and a quiet wall starts to feel like a room with a window onto somewhere greener

It earns a spot above a console