William Morris has always been one of my favorite designers of all time. I am a huge fan of the Arts and Crafts movement and he is definitely one of the main reasons behind that passion. William Morris was a real character in life. There are so many wonderful books that speak about the personality of this man, but for now I thought I would just speak about his craft. He designed carpets, wallcoverings, and fabrics... to name just a few. He had a real talent for this type of medium. He was the founder of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, an organization that continues in England today.
William Morris started designing wallcovering in the early 1860s. At that time wallcovering was very formal and patterns repeated themselves over and over again. Being influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, William Morris created patterns that were more organic and naturalistic. He would take items from nature and from the woods surrounding his home. William Morris also designed patterns that were very two dimensional as well. Most patterns of that time would try to capture the real essence and dimension of a flower, leaf, etc. Morris decided to keep things matte, flat, and took influences from Japan's art of wood blocking instead.
There are oodles you can discover about William Morris. I encourage you to learn more about this man and his incredibly fascinating life. In the meantime, feast your eyes on some of his beautiful wallcoverings... Enjoy!
Photos: thetextileblog.blogspot.com