Mark Alexander | Marelle Wallcovering

Marelle sets a loose, hand-drawn geometry over a natural-fibre ground: blocks and lines that do not quite line up, in the way that anything drawn by hand does not. The irregularity is the point, and it gives the wall structure without the rigidity of a printed grid. Against the texture of the ground the drawing reads softly, more like a chalk mark on plaster than a print. Seen from the door it is a texture; seen from a chair it is clearly drawn.

Each roll is 91 centimetres wide and 10.97 metres long, with an 84 centimetre vertical repeat. Three colourways: Jasper White, the palest and coolest; Clay, a warm mid tone; and Stoneware, a soft grey. All three keep the contrast between drawing and ground low. The ground is a natural material, so panels vary slightly in tone across a wall — plan for that rather than expect a uniform finish.

We use Marelle in a dressing room, a child's room that is meant to grow up, or a study where a plain wall would feel flat. It also works inside joinery, where the scale of the drawing reads well in a small panel. Pair it with painted woodwork and a plain linen blind. It is forgiving of an uneven old wall, which a flat paint never is. Order a sample to see it in your own light.

Hang paste-the-wall and match the 84 centimetre repeat at every seam, allowing extra on your quantities for the matching loss, which is significant at this repeat length. Set the first drop out from the most visible corner. Keep paste off the face and wipe the seams as you work. Order all rolls at once, check the batch numbers, and add a spare roll for repairs.

• Roll width: 91 cm
• Roll length: 10.97 m
• Pattern repeat: 84 cm vertical
• Suitable for: Walls, feature walls, joinery panels
• Care: Wipe gently with a soft, dry cloth
• Collection: Collage IV, Mark Alexander
• Colourways: 3 (Clay, Jasper White, Stoneware)