A traditional country house bedroom elevated by an astonishing hand-painted wallpaper

In this bedroom of an 18th-century manor house in Dorset, ‘there was no cornice, no dado, no chimney — nothing at all,’ explains Edward Hurst, an antique and interiors consultant who specialises in 18th-century furniture and art. ‘I found a neo-Classical chimneypiece and built it up from there.’

The backdrop to the scheme is a botanical wallpaper that has been hand-painted onto individual segments. Named Botanical Studies, the wallpaper is part of a new collection designed by the American decorator Michael S. Smith for hand-painted wallpaper specialists de Gournay.

The large-scale renditions of passion flowers, gardenias and heliotropes reference the 17th-century home of the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus.

‘I immediately thought of my client when I saw it,’ explained Mr Hurst. ‘When I unrolled a section of it, it was clear to us both that we had to use it.’

Softening the overall look is a blind made in Flora Soames’s Honeycomb fabric, a lozenge weave inspired by an 18th-century ornate French silk damask. The furniture is all sourced by Mr Hurst; at the window is a George II tripod table with a pair of English elbow chairs.

On either side are a veneered marble-topped side table and a splendid Chinese lacquered cabinet on Chippendale Rococo gilt stands. ‘I like mixing periods and styles — it helps to ground a room,’ he explains.

Mr Hurst believes that every decorating project should begin with what he calls ‘listening to a house’. ‘It almost tells you what to do. Rather than bulldozing through and identifying palettes, it’s important to do the right thing for the house.’

Edward Hurst — www.edwardhurst.com

Credit: Andrew D Steel

Susan Deliss's fresh country-house drawing room that shows how to be smart without being stuffy

Susan Deliss used a simple, but uplifting mixture of colours to transform a country-house drawing room.

Curious Questions: Why do leaves change colour in Autumn? And why do some go yellow while others are red, purple or brown?

The riotous colours on the trees around us are one of the highlights of the year — but why do leaves

Credit: Cobblers Cove, Barbados

Cobblers Cove, Barbados: A paradise of palms and pastels, with sparkling beaches and British interiors

Mary Miers visited a beautiful Caribbean oasis, designed by a theatre designer and Lulu Lytle of Soane Britain.

Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Curious Questions: When were dogs domesticated?

Dogs have never been more popular — as soaring puppy prices (and the worrying number of scams) show. But our