Mark Alexander | Grid

Grid does what the name says: a simple ruled structure laid over a natural-fibre ground, at a scale small enough to read as texture from across a room and large enough to be a clear pattern close to. The lines are not mechanical — they thicken and thin slightly, which keeps the wall from looking printed. It is one of the easiest patterns to live with that we stock, and there is nothing about it to date a room you do not intend to redecorate soon.

Each roll is 91 centimetres wide and 10.97 metres long, with a 26 centimetre vertical repeat. Three colourways: Canvas, a pale warm neutral; Natural, the undyed fibre tone; and Chestnut, a mid brown. The contrast between line and ground is deliberately low in all three. Because the ground is a natural fibre, expect a little tonal movement from panel to panel, which is characteristic of the material.

We use Grid through a whole room rather than on one wall — a study, a hallway, a boot room — because the small repeat carries over a large area without tiring. It is a good backdrop for framed pictures, which a larger pattern rarely is. Pair it with painted joinery, a plain linen curtain and a wool floor. It is a sensible choice for a landing, where the eye passes rather than rests. Order a sample to see it in your own light.

Hang paste-the-wall, matching the 26 centimetre repeat at each seam. The grid makes any drift at the seam obvious, so take time over plumb on the first drop. Keep paste off the face. Order all rolls at once and check the batch number on every label. Add one spare roll, because patching a ruled pattern from a later batch will show.

• Roll width: 91 cm
• Roll length: 10.97 m
• Pattern repeat: 26 cm vertical
• Suitable for: Walls, feature walls, joinery panels
• Care: Wipe gently with a soft, dry cloth
• Collection: Collage, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 3 (Canvas, Natural, Chestnut)