Named for the Jardin de Tivoli in Paris, this is a fine-drawn floral trail: stems tracing their way upward, flowers opening along their length, and hummingbirds and butterflies worked into the gaps between. The drawing is deliberately light. Everything is done with line, and the flowers are described rather than filled, which keeps a fairly dense pattern from ever feeling heavy.
The birds are the part that rewards a second look. They are not placed as focal points but tucked into the trail at intervals, so a wall of Tivoli releases its detail slowly and holds interest longer than a straightforward floral would. The overall texture at a distance is closer to a fine chintz or an engraved paper than to a modern print.
Papers like this suit rooms that are already furnished: a bedroom with good curtains, a dressing room, a small drawing room, a stair hung with pictures, where the walls are meant to be the backdrop rather than the event. The delicacy of the line means it takes well to being covered, and a mirror, a picture or a tall headboard all sit against it without the pattern fighting them. Against painted woodwork and old timber it reads as gently traditional without tipping into pastiche.
