William Morris (24 March 1834 to 3 October 1896) was a man of diverse interests. He was a British textile designer, writer, translator and social activist. 

William Morris was best known in his lifetime as a poet although posthumously became better known for his designs. 

The natural environment inspired William Morris. William Morris believed that “there is no square mile of earth’s inhabitable surface that is not beautiful in its own way, if we men will only abstain from wilfully destroying that beauty.” 

William Morris disliked the elaborate designs of the wallpaper, textiles and furnishings during his time; he wanted to produce simpler, natural designs that would suit the purpose and material for what they were designed.   

William Morris created over 600 designs during his life and although he dabbled in many mediums, it was the woodblock printing techniques he masted to create some of the most recognizable textile patterns which feature swirling leaves, those thieving birds (drawn by Philip Webb), rose-filled trellises and fruit trees. 

William Morris had his wallpapers printed by hand using a carved woodblock loaded with natural mineral-based dyes and pressed down with the aid of a food operated weight. William Morris favourited natural dyes which faded evenly providing a beautiful design for the lifetime of the product. Each block was lined up just so to ensure a seamless look.

William Morris’s designs live on to this day with the original wooden hand-blocks preserved to replicate and create designs in the William Morris style. 

We have some of William Morris’s designs printed on 100% Cotton -112cm wide. They are a reproduction of the typical arts and craft styling of that era. The timeless appeal of these beautiful classic designs is enhanced by groups of prints and colourways to co-ordinate and merge together for awe-inspiring individual creations.

Click HERE to see our full collection. 

As a writer, William Morris knew his way around the English language and is known for the quote “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”. We believe his words sum up his fabric designs and the use thereof in the home perfectly.