Choosing William Morris wallpaper
Where it works
Morris drew for the rooms of a Victorian house and his patterns still sit best where there is architecture to hold them: a hallway with a dado rail, a dining room, a study, a bedroom with a proper bed. Fruit Light and Willow Bough Blue, both on cream, belong in bedrooms and on landings; the open ivory around the branches stops the wall from closing in. Strawberry Thief Red and Acanthus Red are saturated enough to carry a small room, a downstairs loo or a snug, on their own. The navy grounds, Strawberry Thief Blue and Sweet Briar Dark, want lamplight.
Picking between the designs
The patterns here are the drawings Morris and his firm published, reproduced in colourways tuned for modern rooms, so the choice is really scale and density. Small and dense: Willow Bough, Larkspur, Sweet Briar, leaf trails that read as texture from across the room. Large and structured: Pimpernel, Golden Lily, Acanthus, Persian, big mirrored heads that show their repeat and suit a wall you can stand back from. Pictorial: Strawberry Thief with its thrushes, Fruit with its pomegranates and lemons, Snakeshead with fritillaries rising in pairs. If you want Morris without the density, take Willow Bough or Larkspur; if you want the full Victorian weight, Pimpernel or Persian.
Related
Every design here is also printed as peel and stick William Morris wallpaper; the designs in his manner are in Arts and Crafts wallpaper; the period is in vintage wallpaper. For the man and the firm, read Who is William Morris.
Iconic William Morris Designs
Strawberry Thief Wallpaper by William Morris
Designed in 1883, thrushes stealing strawberries, his most famous pattern.
Shop →Pomegranate & Fruit Wallpaper by William Morris
One of his earliest papers, c. 1866, split pomegranates on trailing boughs.
Shop →Pimpernel Wallpaper by William Morris
Designed in 1876, delicate stylised flowers in soft, muted colors.
Shop →Willow Bough Wallpaper by William Morris
Designed in 1887, trailing willow leaves in a gentle all-over sweep.
Shop →Acanthus Wallpaper by William Morris
Designed in 1875, scrolling foliage drawn from the Greek acanthus leaf.
Shop →
The Heritage of William Morris
William Morris's wallpapers are the defining patterns of the Arts and Crafts movement: intricate florals, climbing botanicals and motifs drawn from nature, from the thrushes of Strawberry Thief (1883) to the trailing leaves of Willow Bough and the delicate blooms of Pimpernel (1876). Our collection blends patterns true to the original designs with reinterpreted motifs in modern colorways, printed to order and suited to any room from bedrooms to kitchens. Order samples to see the detail up close.
Free samples
Patterns read differently on a wall than on a screen. Contact us and we will send you a free sample of any pattern in this collection.
Frequently Asked
Are the wallpapers inspired by original William Morris designs?
Twenty of them are the originals. Strawberry Thief, Pimpernel, Willow Bough and the rest of this collection are reproduced from his out-of-copyright patterns in colorways chosen for modern rooms. Everything else in our catalog is our own design work in the same tradition: flat color, strong outlines, patterns built from plants and birds.
Does William Morris wallpaper come in peel and stick?
Yes. Every pattern in this collection comes in three materials: classic Peel and Stick, LUXE Traditional paste-the-wall, and extra-thick LUXE Peel and Stick for textured surfaces. Peel and Stick removes cleanly at the end of a lease, which makes it the renter's favorite. All three are printed to order in panels sized to your wall.
What makes William Morris wallpaper so distinctive?
Morris drew plants the way they actually grow, then flattened them into repeating pattern. There is no shading and no perspective, just firm outlines, a stem that winds through the whole repeat, and muted, earthy color: olive, madder red, indigo. Once you have noticed the winding stem you can spot his work across a room.
How do I choose the right William Morris wallpaper for my home?
Start with the light. Dim or north-facing rooms suit the dark grounds, which hold their color in low light, while bright rooms can carry the pale ones. Then think about scale. A large repeat like Acanthus wants a full wall to breathe, and smaller patterns work almost anywhere. Samples are five dollars, and a pattern on your own wall answers questions a screen cannot.
Can William Morris wallpaper work in smaller spaces?
Yes. Small rooms are where dense pattern earns its keep. A powder room or entryway wrapped in Willow Bough reads as deliberate rather than busy. Pale grounds keep a tight space feeling open, and dark ones make it feel intentional and snug. If you are torn, order a five dollar sample and tape it to the wall for a few days.