Wallpapers for feature walls - my pick of the best

Wallpaper is a terrific way to instantly add pattern, colour and interest to a room scheme. While some believe feature walls are becoming a little out of date, I think they can still work wonders if you go really bold or, better still, use a mural to create a striking focal point in your room. My advice on getting the feature wallpaper to be a success is to then integrate it with the rest of your scheme - make sure your accessories link in with the same colour or pattern story, as a room is viewed in the round.

What could be better than a flamboyance of pink flamingoes on a feature wall? This stunning wallpaper design is not new, but it's most certainly a good one - given a new lease of life thanks to the flamingo interiors trend growing in popularity this season. Seen here on a light grey background.

Flamingos by Cole & Son, £76, John Lewis

Large-scale and intensely ornamental wallpaper with a lyrical and often surprising use of colour. The hanging ornaments seem to dance, as if flickering in a surreal otherworldly light, while ornate birds adorn a nest with glimmering found objects. 

Ecclesiastical Botanica Wallpaper Panel, £149, Kit Miles

Classic toile design with a pretty, romantic pastoral scene and 18th-century characters with fountain, cherub, sheep, doves and hunting motifs. Wonderful in the hot pink Moreton Pinkney on an off-white background.

C Brewer and Sons Toile Wallpaper, £48, Wallpaper Direct

Striking floral-print wallpaper that evokes contemporary blooms in a multitude of colours, immersed beneath a soft flow of rippling water.

Black Edition Kansai Wallpaper, £200, Jane Clayton

Stunning celebration of blue in wallpaper form. Designer Paola Navone uses the colour constantly, from her dinnerware to tiles and from sofas to sconces. This wallpaper comes from her Addiction collection, which is an ode to the hue.  

Paola Navone Addiction Wallpaper, £199, Rockett St George

Oriental-inspired wallpaper featuring hand-drawn effect cranes on an all-over cloud background. Shown in Emerald.

Harlequin Cranes In Flight Wallpaper, £58, Wallpaper Direct

Fabulous design from the Art Deco Menagerie series that features stylish animal motifs on striped backgrounds. Designed to add interest to small and less visible corners of your room. 

Troop Dusk Wallpaper, £128, House of Hackney

Bold, oversized poppy-design wallcovering that has been printed using a special surflex technique that creates the appealing hand-painted appearance.  

Villa Nova Makela Quince Wallpaper, £48, Wallpapers of Distinction

This intriguing design has a trompe l'oeil effect of carved stone, but is actually flat to the touch. It looks great as a feature or, for real drama, use on all four walls. Produced on a non-woven base so it is easier to hang and remove.  

Marcel Wanders Wall Flower Grey Wallpaper, £20, Graham and Brown

Modern design with mosaic-style squares that create large-scale butterflies in a pixellated, digital style. From a distance the design looks like a cross-stitch patterns. Shown in Soft Gold.

Osborne and Little Butterfly House Wallpaper, £59, Designer Wallpapers

This lifelike scrap wood design, by the famous designer Piet Hein Eek, is a great way to introduce a striking feature wall in a living space.  

NLXL Scrap Wood Wallpaper, £199, John Lewis