Eared Grebe by Audubon Art Print

Eared Grebe by Audubon Art Print'Too safe,' said nobody standing in front of warm orange against deep black. Audubon's Eared Grebe brings a slow, considered kind of character into the room the sort of piece that rewards a second look. The cream background keeps things calm, so the dark plumage and warm orange flash do the heavy lifting. Hang it above a writing desk, a console in a hallway, or over a sideboard in a dining room. It sits naturally with dark wood, leather, linen and

polite wall suddenly has a personality and a pulse

Hang it and the room picks up a casual

terracotta pots and pale oak

peach and pale greens against an off-white background

a terracotta pot or two and warm brass handles

so the wall it hangs on can stay calm

Keep nearby colours soft so the coral and red stay the loudest voices in the room

and one woven texture to ground it

and a painterly little scene like this starts doing real work above the sofa or sideboard

Don't crowd it with busy florals or hard graphic prints — this one wants a little breathing room

It also belongs in a home bar or a teenager's bedroom

Back in 1910