This border is based on a 1918 design by Voysey for a striped woven silk. Silk has its origins in ancient China, where it was kept a precious secret until being smuggled out and revealed to the world as a luxurious commodity. Its opulence is thanks to its unique lustre: when it catches the light, natural strands in the material are highlighted. We like to think of wallpaper borders as the highlights you find in paintings, where the lightest areas tend to be added towards the end to give a...