William Morris Decor and Design

Morris revolutionized the art of pattern-making and altered the course of Western design.

"Have nothing in your houses which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" - from "The Beauty of life", William Morris, 1880

It is ironic that a designer whose name is so strongly associated with richly patterned paper and fabric should have been so influential in establishing plain white walls as an acceptable interior feature. From our perspective, it is difficult to imagine just how radical a notion this must have been to the Victorians.

The Oxford Union Library showing the murals and decorated ceiling begun in 1857 by Rossetti and his team

Morris warned that 'Pattern choosing, like pattern making, is an architectural art'.

William Morris's ideals and principles influenced the Arts and Crafts movement, the last decorative style of the nineteenth century. Forming a bridge between Victorian and modern, Arts and Crafts emphasized individuality and handcrafted work and stressed the importance of responding to the context of local architectural styles and cultural influences.

By the end of the century a Morris design was synonymous with good taste. Rooms were lighter and emptier. One contemporary writer said that Morris 'had changed the look of half the houses in London and substituted art for ugliness all over the kingdom'.

Iceland provided just the revitalizing element Morris needed. He had become interested in Icelandic sagas during his work on The Earthly Paradise and in typical fashion followed this up by learning the language and translating sagas himself.

The attachment between Janey and Rossetti soon became too obvious to hide; it was a double betrayal for Morris, who lost a friend and mentor as well as wife.

her particular type of beauty was so strongly associated with the Pre-Raphaelite