Wallpaper

This richly designed wallpaper was made in Britain and imported to New Zealand. Tree branches are laden with berries, entwined with borage, anemones and unfurling tulips. Known as 'parrot tulips' they are fittingly accompanied by actual parrots in the design.

Parrot tulips became increasingly popular in the twentieth century, especially from the 1930s onwards, when breeders managed to increase the strength of the stem. When exposed to the sun, the flowers open wide until they are almost flat, as depicted here.