Florals, arguably more than anything else in the interiors world, epitomise a patchwork of the people and moments that make up our lives. They may bring to mind your mother’s tablecloth, your grandparents’ curtains, perhaps the nostalgia of a childhood bedroom.
These prints – and the interiors that we associate with them – have a way of embedding themselves in our memories. No wonder we continue to bring these sentimental patterns into our own homes, often refreshing them and making them our own.
That's not all. Humans have always been drawn to nature; we are instinctively comforted by its colours and tropes. Long before biophilic design became a key word in interior design, we were finding ways to bring the outside in, whether through freshly-cut garden roses or wallpaper printed with wildflowers. It is deeply human – a biological impulse – to want to live among the things that grow and simultaneously soothe us.
In 2026, the floral print seems to be thriving – and not exclusively in the country-house drawing room or the more saccharine corners of cottage core. In fact, florals continue to find new expressions in contemporary interiors. Their appeal lies in their vast spectrum of formations: while a tiny sprig repeated across a fabric feels delicate and antiquey, a more oversized botanical print can be bold and graphic.
Incorporating floral in the modern home can be approached in a variety of ways, from an extravagantly floral-covered sofa to a daintily ruffled sink skirt. Most charming is perhaps the classically wallpapered floral room, which allows us to decorate with feeling and inject a welcome dose of personality on a big surface. A densely patterned wallpaper can make a small room feel cocooning, while mixing prints, periods and textures infuses a space with charm. The soft floral detail of the Sweet Pea wallpaper from the Farrow & Ball heritage collection delivers a perfect balance of elegance and romance through traditional hand-block printing.
The secret to making florals feel modern is to resist the temptation to treat them as a theme and pair prints with contrasting elements. Here some of our our favourite houses which exhibit innovative ways of bringing florals into the home – with true character.
