Mark Alexander | Fusuma Wallcovering

Fusuma takes its structure from a panelled screen: broad rectangular fields divided by fine lines, drawn across a natural-fibre ground at architectural scale. On a wall it behaves rather like joinery, giving a room proportion without any actual millwork. The lines are hand-weighted rather than ruled, and the texture of the ground keeps the whole thing soft. It is the quietest way we know of giving a plain room some architecture.

Each roll is 91 centimetres wide and 10.97 metres long, with a 160 centimetre vertical repeat, the longest in this collection. Three colourways: Parchment, the palest; Loam, a warm mid brown; and Indigo, a deep blue. Contrast between the line and the ground stays low in all three. The natural-fibre ground varies a little in tone from panel to panel, which is characteristic of the material and part of the finished wall. Indigo is the one we would choose for an evening room.

We use Fusuma in a room with proper wall height — a principal bedroom, a study, a dining room — where the panel structure can be read whole. It is worth setting it out against the ceiling line so the panels sit sensibly with the room. Pair it with plain linen and dark timber. Keep art off it, or hang one piece only and centre it within a panel. Order a sample to see it in your own light.

Hang paste-the-wall. At a 160 centimetre repeat the matching loss is considerable, so calculate quantities on full repeats rather than on the bare drop, and plan the vertical setting out before the first panel goes up. Keep paste off the face. Order all rolls at once, check every batch number, and add a spare roll, as this is not a paper you can patch invisibly from a later batch.

• Roll width: 91 cm
• Roll length: 10.97 m
• Pattern repeat: 160 cm vertical
• Suitable for: Walls, feature walls
• Care: Wipe gently with a soft, dry cloth
• Collection: Collage IV, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 3 (Indigo, Loam, Parchment)