Mark Alexander | Kobe Wallcovering

Kobe is a natural-fibre wallcovering with a fine horizontal grain laid over a paper backing, so the wall picks up a soft, woven shadow rather than a flat coat of colour. The fibre is laid in narrow bands and the joins between those bands sit at a regular interval, which is what sets the 38 centimetre repeat. Close to, you see the individual strands. From across a room it settles into a warm, even texture that makes a plain room feel finished without adding pattern.

Each roll is 91 centimetres wide and 10.97 metres long, with a 38 centimetre vertical repeat to allow for when you calculate drops. There are five colourways, Cumin, Rust, Indigo, Peacock and Jasper White, running from a warm spice yellow through to a clean off-white with two strong blues between. Because the fibre is natural and dyed in the hank, colour varies from panel to panel and between rolls. That variation is inherent to the material and is planned for, not corrected.

We use Kobe on all four walls of a study or a dressing room, where the texture does the work that pattern would otherwise do, and on a single chimney breast when the rest of the room is plaster. Jasper White behind open shelving is quietly effective. Indigo and Peacock suit a room used mainly in the evening, under lamplight rather than daylight. Order a sample to see it in your own light, as natural fibre shifts noticeably between morning and evening.

Kobe is hung paste-the-wall. Paste the surface evenly rather than the back of the panel, and butt the drops rather than overlapping them. Check the batch number on every roll before you start and order the whole job from one batch. We reverse alternate panels where the fibre allows, which evens out the colour shift between drops. Order at least one spare roll beyond the calculation, for cutting errors and for later repair, since matching a batch afterwards is rarely possible.

• Roll width: 91 cm
• Roll length: 10.97 metres
• Pattern repeat: 38 cm vertical
• Suitable for: Feature walls, studies, dressing rooms, halls
• Care: Wipe gently with a soft, dry cloth
• Collection: Collage III, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 5 (Cumin, Rust, Indigo, Peacock, Jasper White)