William Morris’s rich legacy of timeless, beautifully crafted interiors has been sensitively continued and evolved by the company that has borne his name for 160 years. The latest step in this evolution is one that will be welcome news for the discerning decorator: the introduction of a debut collection of distinguished paint colours. To mark the launch, Morris & Co. has used these to decorate the East Sussex home and studio of basket weaver Annemarie O’Sullivan and her partner Tom McWalter.
The couple’s love of craft and commitment to using traditional techniques in their work is very much in tune with the Arts and Crafts movement, in which William Morris played a key role. ‘As basket weavers, we are following in a very long line of craftspeople. When I first started weaving, it wasn’t so much learning how to make as remembering, in a way, how to be human,’ explains Annemarie. Decorating one’s home, and doing this with care and attention, was a central preoccupation for Morris, and in painting the rooms of their house in colours that derive from his work, Annemarie and Tom have found a fresh connection with this admirable tradition.
The 40 colours in the collection, ranging from elegant neutrals to intense jewel tones, are all drawn from the world of William Morris, with his original 19th-century logbooks providing a rich source of inspiration. The warm yellow ‘Sunflower’, for instance, which Annemarie and Tom have chosen for their kitchen, was inspired by a distinctive floral motif in one of the designer’s patterns, and by the quality of the sunlight in his kitchen at Red House on the outskirts of London. Likewise, Morris’s experiments with medieval dyeing techniques influenced the deep indigo of ‘Inky Fingers’, which features in their studio. ‘We love the story behind Inky Fingers, recalling an observer arriving at Morris’s studio and finding him up to the elbows in indigo,’ says Tom. And, taking its name from the wood used by Morris for his printing blocks, ‘Pearwood’ provides a light yet warm and welcoming backdrop for the dining area.
William Morris’s profound connection to nature is an enduring influence – his work is full of flowers and trees, with inspiration taken from forests, meadows and the native flora of Britain. ‘I must have unmistakable suggestions of gardens and fields, and strange trees, boughs and tendrils, or I can’t do with your pattern,’ he said in 1881. Many of the colours in the new collection are drawn from the natural world, with the deep green ‘Wooded Dell’ being a particularly good example of this. It is a versatile shade to pair with other Morris & Co. designs, working wonderfully with the exuberant scrolling leaves of its ‘Acanthus’ fabric, for example, as Annemarie and Tom have done in their sitting room. With hues including ‘Kelmscott Water’ (a serene aquatic blue), ‘Blackthorn’ (a dark, earthy berry) and ‘Sweet Briar’ (a delicate pink), the collection pays homage to those aspects of nature Morris loved best.
This carefully considered collection is the result of Morris & Co.’s enduring commitment to craft. Its high-quality paints are mixed by hand in UK factories, and have eco-friendly credentials thanks to their minimal VOC levels. The meticulous research that has gone into producing these colours ensures an authenticity that will be appreciated both by Morris devotees and also by anyone with an interest in the well-crafted home. ‘When I think of the long lineage of this craft tradition,’ says Tom, ‘it makes me feel hopeful. Like Morris & Co., it stands the test of time, for it too is based in real materials, traditions and lives.’
For more inspiration, visit morrisandco.sandersondesigngroup.com
