Nature has always had a strong influence on interior design: think of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, 1950s floral prints and, recently, the overblown blooms in every wallpaper collection going. So far, so pretty, but the new take on nature is slightly macabre, borrowing the moonlit colours of 17th-century Flemish still lifes and mixing them up with a liberal sprinkling of Victorian gothic. The fashion designer Russell Sage’s obsession with skulls and taxidermy is a prime example.

The wallpaper designer Jocelyn Warner – who recently won the Elle Decoration award for her Kew print – is another exponent of the trend. By her own admission, her latest design, Flora (above; £99 per 10-metre roll), is a bit Frankenstein. “I spliced together photos of five different plants to create a pattern,” Warner says. The result is an evocative, slightly spooky crisscross of petals and leaves in midnight colours. She uses a printing technique that allows photographic levels of detail but can give a 3-D effect in certain light, unlike modern digital processes, which tend to look flat.

She is not the only designer to veer towards the dark side. Maarten Baas’s Smoke range features ornamental furniture burnt to a husk, then strengthened with resin; and the glitzy fashionista Matthew Williamson uses black backgrounds for his new wallpaper in Habitat’s VIP range. Elsewhere, Cole & Son has reworked the surreal patterns designed by the Italian painter and interior decorator Piero Fornasetti in the 1950s – they are now 1.5 metres tall, on a charcoal background.

It all fits in perfectly with the black lacquered Louis XV-style tables and huge candelabras around at the moment. Enjoy the drama.

www.jocelynwarner.com; www.maartenbaas.com

FLY BUYS

1 Katharine Pulford specialises in colour palettes and textile patterns. She was inspired by fabric she saw in a painting of Anne Boleyn for this gorgeous vintage-vibe chocolate-and-berry-coloured rug.£295, from Habitat; 0844 499 1111, www.habitat.net

2 Habitat’s purple acrylic Verdi chairs will instantly revamp any boring dining room for a fraction of the cost of a new table. They’re so hot, they’re selling out everywhere.£39 each, from Habitat

3 The Irish heritage brand Waterford has been upping its game by collaborating with big names such as Marc Jacobs. This decanter, by John Rocha, is a modern, moody take on medieval banqueting. £145; www.waterford.com

4 Go dramatic – group together mismatching antique-look mercury-effect glass candlesticks. Graham and Green does a good selection.From £23.50; 0845 130 6622, www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

MAKERS’ MARKET

Beverly Lay used to work in advertising, but after Christmas last year she realised she could not face another day of it. That was a blessing for people who, like me, love mooching around market stalls finding glorious one-off pieces, as she has now set up All Things Original, a website that sells the work of young designers.

The site works as an online marketplace. Lay had plenty of experience of the real thing during stints of selling her jewellery at markets including Greenwich, Brick Lane and Spitalfields. After hours of standing in the cold, selling to a small customer base, it struck her that lots of other small designers were in the same boat and that they could reach a wider audience by setting up online. On the site, you can buy by price, seller or product type. My Christmas shopping is already nearly done.

Tweet! cushion, £40, and Vintage Lavender Birdie, £7, by Clare Nicolson; www.allthingsoriginal.com

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