Spring Style: Decorating with bird prints

The Inspiration you need: BIRD MOTIFS

LOVE THEM: Hot on the heels of the woodland animals trend, comes a new way to add character to your home- birds. Perfect on wallpaper and fabrics if you're looking for a pattern with a difference; ideal on framed prints to add a country-house feel, and downright cute in the form of ornaments.

USE THEM: Hang bird-print wallpaper to perk up a dull room, create a themed wall-art gallery of bird drawings, or simply trim some bare twigs with decorative birds to create a feature. Less is more, unless you want your room to look like a Hitchcock horror.

DO THEM YOUR WAY: Not so hot for a soft, spring palette? Go vampish with a black, bird-print paper like Crown's Paradise, £9 per roll, Home Flair Décor, or futuristic with Rasch's contemporary Songbirds in White/Silver, £8.99 per roll, Lancashire Wallpaper
& Paint. Try Hus & Hem's Klippan Bird Fabric, £29.95 per m, for a bright, Scandi look, or Voyage's Country collection for traditional sketchbook designs in country neutrals.

Start with a plain, neutral backdrop, then add pops of spring colour- above a dado, on furniture and with accessories- to boost and brighten

Idea: Use bird wall art to give you room a focal point. This circling Swallows wall clock is £165 from Cox & Cox

Work in some prints: bird-themed wallpaper, framed pictures and cushions will make blank walls and plain upholstery tell a happy story

Idea: Make your own bespoke picture frame with lengths of architrave, painted in a pretty pastel shade

Play around with paint: if pattern puts your off, energise a room by painting skirtings, frames and even chair legs in a fresh new colour

Idea: Make a feature of doorframes by painting them and adding a wide border all around

Idea: Found a fallen branch? Bring it home, brush it off and use it to decorate your home

Charming chaps:

Add character to an unloved nook with realistic bird decorations, or look for china, carved wood or wirework ornaments

Use a decorative birdcage as desktop storage for stationery