Colefax & Fowler wallpapers are shorthand for the English country-house look: faded florals, gentle stripes and small sprigs that feel as if they have always been there. This guide explains where that look comes from, which designs carry it best, and how to use them in a house you actually live in today.
Where the country-house look comes from
Much of the Colefax & Fowler wallpaper range is rooted in old documents rather than fresh invention. Bowood Wallpaper is based on a document originally discovered by John Fowler at Bowood House, and its informal rose sprays now come in soft blues, greys and chalky pinks. Berkeley Sprig Wallpaper was first developed from a very early block printed wallpaper fragment that Fowler found in a house in Berkeley Square, Mayfair.
That habit of working from historic sources carries on. Britta Wallpaper was developed from a block printed end paper, and Sudbury Park Wallpaper is a historic pattern from the Colefax and Fowler archives, an all-over scatter of flowers in bud. That sense of age and gentleness defines the style.
Florals and chintz for the classic English room
If you want the full country-house feel, start with a floral. Fuchsia Wallpaper has been popular for many years as one of the original Colefax chintz designs, and the wallpaper keeps the same scale and easy elegance as the original. It suits a bedroom or sitting room.
For something quieter, Darcy Wallpaper is a fine toile of delicate trailing roses on a softly textured ground, and now comes on plaster pink or steel blue grounds; the steel blue gives a more muted effect. Alderney Wallpaper, with its trailing wisteria, is lovely in a guest room or landing where the eye can follow the vines down the wall.
A practical tip: florals look most at home when the woodwork is kept soft. Pick an off-white or a pale tone drawn from the ground colour of the paper rather than a bright brilliant white.
Stripes and sprigs: the workhorses
Every country house has rooms that need to be calm, and that is where the smaller patterns earn their keep. Ashling Wallpaper is a perennially useful sprig, now in five fresh colourways: Aqua, Pink, Blue, Raspberry and Green. Sprigs are brilliant in bedrooms, hallways and cloakrooms, because they add interest without competing with pictures or furniture.
Stripes do a similar job with a little more structure. Alton Stripe Wallpaper is a tonal wide stripe on a strie background with a narrow contrasting edge colour, which brings a hint of formality to a dining room or study. Hume Stripe Wallpaper is a midscale stripe with a quirky edge motif that works in contemporary as well as more traditional settings, so it is a good choice if your furniture is a mix of old and new.
Using Colefax & Fowler in a modern home
You do not need a rambling rectory to use these papers. A few ways to make them feel current:
- Paper one room fully. A small room such as a cloakroom or box bedroom papered top to bottom in a floral feels deliberate and cosy, and gives you a taste of the look without committing the whole house.
- Choose texture over pattern. Appledore Wallpaper is a textured vinyl embossed with a grass cloth and woven textures to create a linen effect. It gives a room the softness of the country-house style with no pattern at all, and it is extremely versatile.
- Go for a bolder scale. Ashdown Wallpaper emulates the 18th century hand painted Chinoiserie wallpapers found in grand houses, with birds, butterflies, bamboo and rustic foliage. It makes a confident statement in a dining room.
- Try a contemporary geometric. Carrick Wallpaper pairs stylised leaves with an ogee trellis and is easy to co-ordinate with both decorative and woven products.
Pairing papers with fabrics and colour
The country-house look relies on layers. Pick one colour from your wallpaper and repeat it at least twice elsewhere in the room, perhaps in a cushion and a lampshade, so the paper feels connected to everything around it. Mix scales too: a larger floral on the walls sits happily with a small check or stripe on a chair, while a sprig or stripe on the walls leaves room for a bigger pattern in the curtains.
Finally, try to see the colour in your own light before you commit. Colefax colours are subtle, and the same pink or blue can read quite differently in a north-facing room than on a sunny landing.
Browse our full range of Colefax & Fowler wallpapers, or explore our wider wallpaper collection for more ideas. If you would like help choosing, visit the shop in Somerset or get in touch with the team for friendly advice.
