One for the birds: the spring interior design trends taking flight

British birds have inspired a captivating flock of fabrics, papers, ceramics and even lamps this spring, bringing a welcome breath of the outdoors into London’s urban homes.

Just launched is Woodland Chorus wallpaper and fabric, hand-drawn and painted in watercolour by Alison Gee at the Sanderson studio. Her fantasy “tree of life” includes a green woodpecker, a wren, a robin, a thrush and a pair of blue tits on their nest of eggs, to sit, with butterflies and bugs, amid a distinctly un-botanical mix of foliage from different trees. Though taken from an 18th-century archive print, production is digital to capture the exquisite detail and subtle tones of the original artwork.

By contrast, Fauvisimo, a new and very bright collection at Harlequin, expresses the bold, thick brush strokes and brilliant colours of early 20thcentury French art. But the details are very British, with birds, flowers and landscapes. Designer Becky Brown remembers childhood walks along the River Itchen (harlequin.uk.com).

Louise Body started screen-printing her bird paintings by hand on to wallpaper in a studio in Brighton over 10 years ago. Printing is done in a traditional mill in the North of England.

In Scotland, Timorous Beasties gives British birds the surreal touch so typical of the brand. Paul Simmons, a bit of a twitcher himself, is one of half of the design duo that runs the company, and says the aviary of favourites includes: “Goldfinch, nuthatch, tree creepers, goshawk, long-eared owl, jay, bullfinch, and blackbird. And the golden oriole, with only 20 nesting pairs surviving due to the felling of poplar trees in the Thirties to make matches.”