How to decorate with Fornasetti

To encounter the work of Italian painter, sculptor, interior decorator and engraver Piero Fornasetti is to tumble into a surreal and kaleidoscopic world of flying machines, suns with moustaches, playing card cities, vegetable faces, birds and butterflies. Where Alice in Wonderland meets Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Where a chest of drawers looks like a neoclassical building, a chair back is a Greek pillar, a screen evokes a forest and a Doberman is an umbrella stand. Fornasetti's imagination knew no bounds...

Lend a playful tone to your interior scheme with architectural details, antique plaster or marble, and witty illustrated ceramics

Decorative Fornasetti side plates displayed on a slate-grey wall — Walls painted in ‘Tallanstown Grey’, £42.50 per 2.5l, Paint & Paper Library. ‘Palloni’ plates, c1955, £6,800 for a set of nine, Holly Johnson Antiques & Design. ‘Sole’ table, £1,100, Themes & Variations.On table (from left): ‘Harlequin’ cup and saucer by Fornasetti, c1950, £1,500 for six, Holly Johnson Antiques & Design; antique books, from £30 each, Maison Artefact; set of plaster intaglios, £350 for 23, Lassco; ‘Casa con Colonne’ vase, £185, Milk Concept Boutique; ‘Labbra’ scented candle in a jar, £115, Amara; vintage Fornasetti tray, £95 for two, August Interiors. Marble columns, from £414 each, Retrouvius. Glass ball from ‘Still Alive’ desk set, £270, Amara. - -

Arrange a coffee table with trinkets and trays, incense and books. Make it an interesting place to pause and gaze

A black coffee table peppered with Fornasetti curios — - -

Curate a cosy and curious sitting room, starting with a backdrop of dark moody walls. Layer with Grecian and Roman patterns then accent the space with stylish gold and brass on mirrors or lighting

A dark grey living room featuring a green velvet sofa and armchair, plus Fornasetti plates and a Fornasetti drinks cabinet — - -

Entertain your guests with a humorous and captivating dining room. Introduce optical illusions into mirrors and rugs, play with scale on oversized vases and statues, and produce a 'peep show' of Fornasetti's famous faces

A two-tone yellow and grey dining room with a large dining table and Fornasetti dining chairs — - -

Mix and mismatch both old and new pieces. The monochrome colour and quirky illustrations will hold the look together

A brown breakfast table featuring a Fornasetti tray and tea cup, plus glasses filled with flowers and breadsticks — - -

Enrich your scheme with clever decorative illustrations to enchant and charm the viewer

A Fornasetti umbrella stand in the shape of a dog against green malachite wallpaper — Walls papered in ‘Malachite’ (77/7024), £90 per roll, ‘The Fornasetti Collection’ at Cole & Son. Woodwork painted in ‘Studio Green’, £39.50 per 2.5l, Farrow & Ball. ‘Diamond’ runner, £60, Rockett St George. Vintage Fornasetti ‘Spinoni’ umbrella stand, c1950, £5,750, Holly Johnson Antiques & Design. ‘Libri’ magazine rack by Fornasetti, £1,200; umbrellas from £25 each, both Amara. - -

Sculpt yourself a space for creative exploration that is anything but sterile. Decorate the walls with a textured malachite paper and introduce colour with vintage seating, lighting and accessories

A yellow Fornasetti dining chair at a glass-topped writing desk against green malachite wallpaper — Walls papered in ‘Malachite’ (77/7024), £90 per roll, ‘The Fornasetti Collection’ at Cole & Son. Woodwork painted in ‘Studio Green’, £39.50 per 2.5l, Farrow & Ball. ‘Sole’ chair, £12,000, Holly Johnson Antiques & Design. ‘Compass’ table by Matthew Hilton, £1,110, SCP.On table (from left): Bronze ‘Dionysus’ Italian sculpture, £2,200, Lassco; ‘Porta’ bookends, c1950, £1,250, Holly Johnson Antiques & Design; antique books, from £30 each, Maison Artefact; ‘Gedeo’ clay, £8; ‘Gedeo’ modelling tools four-piece set, £7, both Hobbycraft; ‘Strumenti Scrittura’ pen pot, £150, Milk Concept Boutique; red tools, £4 for a set of four; similar canvas, paintbrushes and pencils, all Hobbycraft; plaster intaglios set, £350, Lassco; vintage flags tray, £195, Emmett & White Antiques & Interiors; early porcelain lidded jar, c1960, £580, Holly Johnson Antiques & Design. 1960s Italian floor lamp, £875, Cubbit Antiques.On wall: framed architectural prints, £125 each, Emmett & White Antiques & Interiors. - -

Photographs: Katya De Grunwald

Styling: Ali Bradshaw

All prices and product names correct at time of publication.