Guides & tips

Botanical wall art: flowers, leaves and patterns for every room

Botanical wall art is anything that grows, put in a frame: old plant studies with Latin names, William Morris patterns, painted tulips, ferns and the soft shadow of a palm leaf. Few things bring nature indoors so effortlessly, and it suits every room in the house, whatever the season. Below you’ll find the four main kinds of botanical prints, which room each one loves, the frames that flatter them and a few simple tricks for mixing them on the same wall.

William Morris’s Strawberry Thief, birds and strawberries on deep blue, in an oak frame above a dark round dining table with a yellow chair

A vintage plant study of a pink mimosa flower with two hummingbirds in a black frame, leaning on a dark desk beside a chrome table lamp and a mug

In short

410+floral and botanical posters to choose from
220+of them are flowers
150+plants, leaves and greenery
14William Morris prints, from Strawberry Thief to Willow Bough

What counts as botanical wall art?

Pretty much anything with roots. The term covers flowers, leaves, branches, herbs and fruit – painted, drawn, photographed or repeated as a pattern. It started with scientific plant illustration: one specimen per page, drawn with its seeds, petals and Latin name so that people could learn to recognise it. These days the idea is much wider, and a bold, cut-out leaf counts just as much as a 200-year-old engraving.

What all botanical prints have in common is a kind of calm. A plant on the wall softens hard lines, warms up a white room and gives a dark one a breath of green. And because nature never really goes out of style, it’s one of the safest choices you can make for a wall you’ll look at every day.

Four kinds of botanical prints

Most botanical art belongs to one of four families. Work out which one you’re drawn to and half the decision is made.

Vintage illustrations. Old plant studies with fine lines, soft colours and neat handwritten names. They feel quiet and a little bit scholarly – lovely in a kitchen, a study or a hallway.

William Morris and pattern. Morris drew his famous wallpapers and fabrics in Victorian England, and they look just as fresh in a frame today. Birds, willow leaves and blossoms cover the whole sheet, so one print gives you the richness of wallpaper without papering a single wall.

Painted and graphic flowers. Tulips in a vase, one big blue bloom, a bunch straight from the garden. The most colourful family, and the one with the most personality. Meet one of the artists behind them in our story about La Poire.

Leaves and greenery. Ferns, fronds, eucalyptus and soft shadows of palms. Calm, graphic and easy to place – the green option for anyone who finds flowers a bit too sweet.

Twelve prints to get you started:

Vintage botanical illustrations

Plant studies with fine lines, faded colours and a whiff of the old herbarium.

Wild Strawberry

Laurel Tree

Vintage Pomelo

William Morris and pattern

Leaves and blossoms from edge to edge – the richness of wallpaper inside one frame.

Chrysanthemum Pattern by William Morris

Mayfair

Peony Sketch

Painted and graphic flowers

Big blooms in strong colours. Choose one and let it steal the show.

Tulips II

Blue Flower

Muted Organic Bloom

Leaves and greenery

Fronds, branches and ginkgo for a calm, green wall – no green fingers required.

Eucalyptus Branch

Black Frond

Ginkgo Leaves

Which botanical print for which room?

There are no strict rules, but some kinds of botanical art feel more at home in some rooms than in others.

Living room. Go big, or go in pairs. A large plant study or a strong pattern above the sofa gives the room a centre, and deep greens and blues look wonderful with wood, leather and linen. More ideas in our living room guide.

Bedroom. Pick the softest motifs you can find: leaf shadows, pale petals and muted greens help the room wind down at night. See also our bedroom wall art ideas.

Kitchen and dining room. Herbs, fruit trees and flowers in a vase belong where you cook and eat, and vintage studies of strawberries or lemons are a natural match. More in our kitchen wall art guide.

Home office and hallway. A small, detailed print rewards a closer look – just right for a wall you walk past every day or sit next to for hours.

A vintage study of a bird of paradise flower in a black frame beside a heron print in oak, above a wooden armchair with black cushions

Soft oxblood plant shadows on a warm ochre background in an oak frame above a bed with cream linen and a round wooden bedside table

A photo of white and orange tulips on pale blue with the words Fleurs de jardin, in an oak frame above a dining corner with wooden chairs and a round table

Which frame suits a botanical print?

Botanical prints are forgiving to frame, but the frame still decides the mood. Start with the wood or colour you already have in the room.

Oak. The natural choice in every sense. Warm wood suits old plant studies and anything with a lot of green, and it echoes the wood that’s already in the room.

Black. Sharpens the outline and makes colours glow, especially on dark backgrounds and busy patterns. The choice for a more grown-up, gallery feel.

White. Light and fresh. It gives pale flowers and patterned prints room to breathe and almost disappears on a white wall.

Feeling braver? A green frame around a leafy print, or a coloured frame that picks up one shade from the petals, can look lovely. Read more about decorating with coloured frames and how to choose the right frame.

An old calligraphy page with a walnut, a cherry, a drooping purple flower and a butterfly in an oak frame above a wooden desk by a window

Near-black leaves mirrored on kraft brown, with thin red stems of blue and cream dots, in a black frame on a beige bedroom wall above a red table lamp

William Morris’s Snakeshead pattern in red and blue in a white frame, propped on a cane-front sideboard with a coffee cup and two black candle holders

How to mix botanical prints

Plants are generous neighbours – they get along with almost anything. A few simple tricks keep a botanical wall looking planned rather than random.

Find a common thread. Let the prints share one colour, like sage green or deep blue, or one technique, like watercolour or ink.

Pair plants with animals. Birds, butterflies and bees belong in the garden anyway, and a natural history pair looks as if it came from an old museum.

Calm a pattern with something plain. A busy William Morris print needs a quiet neighbour: a single leaf, a simple line drawing or plenty of bare wall.

Mix old and new. An old plant study next to a bold, modern leaf feels fresher than two prints from the same century.

Repeat the frame. Different motifs in the same frame colour are the easiest way to make a group look like a set.

A vintage chart of butterflies and moths beside Vintage Herbs, a study of green ferns, both in oak frames above a black desk with books and a lamp

Two leaf prints in oak frames, Scarlet Leaves in deep red and Leaf Quartet in blue, red and olive, above a bed, seen through a white doorway

Ready-made botanical walls

Rather skip the puzzle? Our inspiration pages are full of walls you can order as they are, sizes and frames included – and these three are in full bloom. More layouts in our gallery wall ideas.

Four flower prints in pink, red and black – large purple poppies in the middle – above a wooden lounge chair with a pink and white throw

Two soft-focus close-ups of tulips in burgundy, gold and olive in oak frames above a curved cream sofa beside a green side table

A confetti print, an orange paper cut-out leaf and a small green flower print in light frames above a round table with an amaryllis bouquet

Small details, big difference

Look at the border. Two thirds of our floral and botanical posters have a printed white border, so the motif sits like a page from an old book even before it goes behind glass.
Add a mat board. For a museum feel, choose a frame a size or two bigger than the print and let a mat board fill the gap. Our mat board guide explains which sizes go together.
Size it to the furniture. Above a sofa, bed or sideboard, the print or the group should span roughly two thirds of the furniture below. The poster size guide helps you pick.
Keep it at eye level. Hang it so the middle of the print sits 145–150 cm above the floor, which feels right in most rooms. Everything else is in our guide to hanging wall art.

What is botanical wall art?

Prints of flowers, leaves, plants and fruit. It ranges from old scientific plant illustrations and William Morris patterns to modern paintings, graphic cut-outs and photographs, and it works in almost any room.

Where should I hang botanical prints?

Wherever you’d like a bit of green. Large prints and patterns suit the living room, leaf shadows and pale flowers suit the bedroom, and herbs, fruit and flowers in a vase feel at home in the kitchen. A small, detailed print is perfect in a hallway or next to a desk.

What frame goes with botanical prints?

Oak is the classic choice, especially for vintage illustrations. Black makes colours and patterns stand out, and white keeps pale prints light and airy. For leafy motifs, a green frame is a playful extra.

How do you arrange botanical prints on a wall?

Start with something they share – a colour, a technique or the same frame – and build from there. Two prints side by side is the easiest beginning; for a bigger wall, combine one larger print with a few smaller ones. See our gallery wall ideas for layouts.

Are William Morris prints too busy for a small room?

Not if you give them space. Choose one print in a calm colourway, such as sage green or soft blue, keep the wall around it bare and let it work like a small feature wall. A white or oak frame keeps it light.

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