Our Designs, Your Favourites | Willow Boughs, Strawberry Thief and Pimpernel
Now, here at Morris & Co., we think we’ve learned a thing or two about pulling together a room that sings. We’ve been in business for over 160 years, after all! But in this piece, we wanted to throw the limelight onto our biggest inspiration…
All of you.
Seeing how our fabric and wallpaper end up in your homes gives us real joy. The joy of knowing someone has made something you cherish truly their own cannot be beaten. So, give it up for yourselves, and let’s see just a few of the brilliant ways you put William Morris’s 19th-century designs to work in the 21st century.
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.
This, from @janeshomejournal, gently introduces a biophilic feeling through a lovely sage green colour palette and the tenderly folding leaves of the Willow Boughs wallpaper.
This 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 willowy theme? How very perceptive of you. William Morris returned to the willow motif again and again in his life. Read more here.
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 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.
For more on crafting your own cosy nooks, have a read of our five top tips here.
3. BATHROOM BRIGHTS
Never neglect a bathroom! These are often the missed opportunities in home design… but not by you guys, clearly! Never ones to pass up a challenge, we’ve loved seeing how you bring William Morris’s designs to life in this 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.
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@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. Impressive!
@velvetleurenvintage, our hats go off to you. This happy scene 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 at @wmorrisandco.
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posted on 26 May 2023 in Interiors
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