Go dotty

Carol O’Callaghan waves goodbye to white walls and minimalism and says hello to warm and fashionable patterns

SAY goodbye to minimalism and white walls, and hello to pattern to warm up your interiors as the chilly season takes hold. Cheeky checks, tasty tartans and dotty spots can be as subtle or as mesmerisingly large as you fancy to bring texture and life to an otherwise neutral decorating scheme.

Tartans might conjure up thoughts of kilts with outsize safety pins to hold the wearer’s modesty together, but these traditional skirt fabrics work beautifully on everything from cushions to blinds. Bolder versions are probably best suited to accessories, but if you want something that touches on tartan without too much colour, consider how Burberry tartan, first designed in the 1920s, was revived and became much beloved of fashionistas in recent years.