David Hicks made small geometry respectable in interiors, and the hexagon repeat that carries his name has become one of the recognisable patterns of twentieth-century decorating. The figure is a honeycomb, a hexagonal cell drawn in outline and locked to its neighbours on every side, with a smaller marked centre.
Everything depends on the interval. At a 10 cm repeat the cells are small enough that from a few paces the wall resolves into an even, faintly ridged texture, and only close to does the geometry declare itself. The match is straight, so the grid holds level across the drops with no visible break, and on a 0.53 m roll it is economical to hang and forgiving around openings. Several colourways set a burnished metallic on the cell outline, which gives the honeycomb a low edge-light and considerable depth.
This is a background pattern with more presence than paint, which makes it one of the most useful things in the range. It papers halls, stairs, studies, dressing rooms and cloakrooms, it sits under pictures without competing, and it will hold a scheme together where the fabrics are doing the talking. Hicks' Grand takes the same figure at a much larger scale.
