Our Designs, Your Favourites

An everlasting joy for us is discovering the innovative ways that you have incorporated our heritage heroes such as Strawberry Thief and Pimpernel into your home. 

After 160 years in business, we've learned a thing or two about creating an inviting aesthetic, but we’re always learning from our biggest source of inspiration…all of you. 

It’s no small feat weaving in nineteenth century patterns seamlessly into twenty-first century homes, and we’re taking note of all the remarkable ways our fabrics and wallpapers have been used. After all, the joy of knowing someone has crafted a home they truly cherish is a delight for us all at Morris & Co. 

If you’re looking for fresh inspiration or simply curious to see some of the ways our best-selling designs have been woven into people’s homes, here’s a round up of some of the brilliant ways you’ve made our heritage patterns work effortlessly in your homes. 

1. BIOPHILIC BEDROOM SCHEME

A movement that’s gathering pace has to be the shift towards biophilic design ideas. No more the cold, texture-less surface. Out with the white, the grey, the patternless! In with natural themes, plants and materials from nature itself.

We’re with William Morris when he said “Wherever nature works, there will be beauty.” We are not apart from nature, but a part of it, and that’s clearly something you guys take to heart too.

The Willow Boughs wallpaper was itself inspired by a walk William Morris went on with his daughter, May. She recalls: “We were walking one day by our little stream that runs into the Thames, and my Father pointed out details and variety in the leaf forms and soon afterwards this paper was done, a keenly observed rendering of our willows.”

Exemplifying William Morris’s love of willows is this beautiful bedroom from@the18thhomeonthestreet. Using a beautifully earthy colourway of the earlier Willow design (not to be confused with Willow Boughs from 1887),@the18thhomeonthestreet uses this warming colour to create a welcoming, serene feeling in their bedroom.

Noticing a recurring theme here? An enduring motif in William Morris’ work and life was the presence of a gorgeous willow.

2. THE COSIEST OF NOOKS

One of the great pleasures of designing interiors has to be the comfort and security they can provide in the bustle of daily life. A long day, a rainy afternoon; a well-designed space can heal and nurture. We think this is nowhere truer than in cosy nooks.

If “a little corner full of charm and restfulness” was the brief, then @culkner has surely surpassed it with this. Nestled in the attic of their home, they’ve created a space that is soothing and warm with pastel colours and earthy neutrals. Framing the window, it’s our lovely Pure Pimpernel design. We love the choice of this colourway for the space – its porcelain look works with the natural light to create an almost sculptural effect.

Not quite a ‘cosy nook’, but we definitely think this workspace from @tinkerandtallulah has a worldly charm of its own. Moreover, it shows what an impact Pimpernel can make in a totally different colourway.

3. BATHROOM BRIGHTS

Never neglect a bathroom! These are often the missed opportunities in home design… but not by you all. Never ones to pass up a challenge, we’ve loved seeing how you bring William Morris’s designs to life in these smaller, intricate spaces.

Making sure function never trumps fun,@beth_goltz has made full use of the raucously colourful Strawberry Thief from 1883. We especially love how the mirror catches the colour from the pattern, creating a space which is rich in tonality from every angle. 

@themoderncottageIt adds a glitzy feel – with a Gatsby-inspired chandelier – to their beautiful bathroom scheme. Clean white marble allows the dramatic Pimpernel wallpaper to take centre stage. Delightful! 

We certainly know that @ericabryantdesign agrees, as they’ve gone for a similar half-height Pimpernel wallpaper arrangement in their bathroom!

A little darker, a little moodier, but we just can’t get enough of @_appleofmyeyedesign_’s powder room. We love how Pimpernel’s flowing floral form is contrasted with the stylised angularity of the flower lamp by the mirror. A clash of styles we just love! What’s more, it shows just what impact anyone can achieve, regardless of how much (or how little) space you have.

4. ADORABLE CHILDREN’S ROOMS

As if raising a little one isn’t enough of an achievement, some Morris-fans have even put together charming nurseries for their tots.

@velvetleurenvintage, our hats go off to you. This happy scene featuring another colourway of Pimpernel has a lovely lived-in feel – it is a nursery, after all – filled with trinkets, toys, and an inspiring creative feel.  We guess it takes more than a few years to get them to make the bed…

It’s not just Pimpernel you guys love to use in a nursery setting. Owl & Willow tickles your fancy too…

Don’t forget, if you want to be in with a chance of featuring on our Instagram, tag us whenever you use a Morris & Co. product using @wmorrisandco.