Mark Alexander | Banana Bark Wallcovering

Banana Bark is made from strips of bark laid flat and side by side onto a paper backing, so what you get on the wall is the actual surface of the plant rather than an impression of it. The strips vary in width and in colour along their length, and the edges are not quite straight, which gives a vertical grain running the height of every drop. Run a hand across it and the surface is smooth, dry and faintly papery.

Rolls are 91 centimetres wide and 7.32 metres long, with no repeat to match. Three colourways: Natural leaves the bark as it came, in tobacco and honey tones; Whitewash takes the same material and lightens it so the grain shows as shadow rather than colour; and Atlantic is a deep blue that sinks into the bark and lets the texture do the talking. Shading between panels is inherent and worth planning for.

We use Banana Bark on a feature wall rather than a whole room, so behind a headboard, in a dining room, or lining the inside of a study. It suits a scheme built on timber, plaster and wool. Whitewash keeps a small space light; Atlantic makes an evening room. Hang art against it sparingly, since the grain is already doing something. Order a sample to see it in your own light.

Paste the wall, not the paper, and hang each drop dry. Bark will not tolerate a wet cloth, so keep paste off the face entirely and wipe any that strays immediately while it is still dry. Order all your rolls in a single order and check the batch numbers agree. Reverse alternate drops if the shading between panels is strong, and hold one spare roll back, as a later batch will not match this one.

• Roll width: 91 cm
• Roll length: 7.32 m
• Pattern repeat: None — free match
• Application: Paste-the-wall
• Care: Wipe gently with a soft, dry cloth
• Collection: Grasscloth II, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 3 (Natural, Whitewash, Atlantic)