Casamance | Kira Wallpaper

Kira is a woven paper wallcovering from Casamance, and of the paper weaves in the Tramis collection it is the finest. Narrow strands of paper are woven into a tight, even grid that reads as raffia from a metre away and as something drier and more regular close to. On the wall it behaves as texture rather than pattern: it takes light softly, hides small flaws in the plaster and gives a plain room a quiet grain.

It is 100 per cent paper on a non-woven backing, 253 grams per square metre, at a 91 centimetre usable width. Made in South Korea, it carries an A+ indoor air quality rating, a European fire rating of B s1 d0 and Class A to ASTM E84. There are 17 colourways: Blanc, Orange Terreux, Wengé, Pierre Bleue, Ébène, Kaki, Sienne Brulée, Aubergine, Naturel Beige, Opaline, Sable, Naturel Cuivré, Marron Glacé, Amande, Naturel, Grège and Céladon. The naturals and Grège are the ones we reach for most; Wengé and Ébène suit a study or an evening dining room.

We tend to use Kira on all four walls of a bedroom, where the texture does the work and the furniture can stay simple, or on the back wall of a study behind open shelving. It sits well with pale oak, unlacquered brass and a linen curtain in a close tone, and in a hallway the mid naturals hide scuffs better than paint. Sold by the metre; order a sample before committing to a full room.

As with any textile wallcovering we recommend a professional hanger. Kira is paste-the-wall and dry-strippable, with joins butted rather than overlapped. Divide the wall width by 0.91 for the number of drops, round up, and multiply by the wall height plus 10 centimetres for trimming: a 4 metre wall at 2.4 metres high takes 5 drops, roughly 13 metres. Paper varies in shade between batches, so order the whole room from one batch.