Chinoiserie vs Botanical Wallpaper: What's the Difference?
Chinoiserie: Chinoiserie began in 18th-century Europe as an imaginative response to imported painted silks and porcelain. Botanical: Botanical wallpaper draws on the Victorian passion for plant hunting, when glasshouses filled with ferns and palms. In practice: Run it all the way round a dining room or bedroom to create the immersive 'painted room' effect it was invented for. Large leaves suit big walls; smaller sprigs and trailing vines are better in cloakrooms and alcoves where you see the pattern up close. Our range has 156 chinoiserie and 158 botanical designs.
Side by side
| Chinoiserie | Botanical | |
|---|---|---|
| Designs in our range | 156 | 158 |
| Pattern repeats | 64–91 cm | 53–53 cm |
| Half-drop matched | 70 of 156 | 87 of 158 |
| Most common colours | Dark & Moody, Green, Gold & Yellow | Green, Dark & Moody, Multicolour |
| Most suggested rooms | Hallway, Bedroom, Dining Room | Living Room, Bedroom, Cloakroom |
| Styling | Lacquer-red, celadon and gold accents suit chinoiserie, as do bamboo-effect furniture and blue-and-white ceramics. | Pair leafy prints with natural textures – rattan, linen, oak – and pick a paint colour from the darkest leaf for woodwork. |
| From | £44.20/roll | £44.20/roll |
About chinoiserie
Chinoiserie began in 18th-century Europe as an imaginative response to imported painted silks and porcelain. Branches, blossom and birds give walls a hand-painted, collected-over-time feel. Run it all the way round a dining room or bedroom to create the immersive 'painted room' effect it was invented for.
About botanical
Botanical wallpaper draws on the Victorian passion for plant hunting, when glasshouses filled with ferns and palms. Today it is the easiest way to bring a sense of growth and calm into rooms that lack a garden view. Large leaves suit big walls; smaller sprigs and trailing vines are better in cloakrooms and alcoves where you see the pattern up close.
Figures are counts from the Wallpaper Kingdom range today.
Chinoiserie designs
Kerrigan Garden Birds Wallpaper
Trerice Willow Court Wallpaper
Montacute Garden of Birds Wallpaper
Kelmarsh Peony Bough Wallpaper
Botanical designs
Rossiter Scattered Leaf Wallpaper
Magnolia Leaf Sprig Wallpaper
Sheldon Scattered Leaf Wallpaper
Orchard Leaf Sprig Wallpaper
Questions & answers
Can I mix chinoiserie and botanical wallpaper?
Yes, in different rooms or zones – link them through a shared colour such as green.
Which is more popular, chinoiserie or botanical?
We do not publish sales rankings; in our range there are 156 chinoiserie and 158 botanical designs.