Not because it's blue, but because it refuses to fade back. Kamisaka Sekka's butterflies drift across a warm cream ground in deep blue, teal and soft green, and even at a distance the diagonal keeps pulling the eye. Hung above a low sideboard, console or reading chair, the piece quiets a room without emptying it — the cream ground softens hard modern lines, while the blue and green give a neutral scheme something to hold on to. It pairs happily with pale oak, linen and matt ceramics. Skip it in rooms already loaded with strong pattern or heavy dark wood, where the delicate linework can get lost. Stretched over a wooden frame and ready to hang.