HANDBLOCKED WALLPAPERS
As stated in my first blog post, master craftsman and designer, William Morris has been one of the inspirations to my Beauty of Life design focus. His genius for pattern design in his wallpaper, for instance, is as enthralling, as it is timeless, in its application. Depending on the pattern, a Morris design will enhance a room in almost any home, whether it’s a townhouse in the city or a house on the beach, but the designs are always picture perfect in any room of a country house.
Morris’s revolutionary designs were based on his study of native plants and of textile themes dating back to medieval times: trees, flowers, birds, fruits, and animals. He had an abiding interest in making use of the past as inspiration for the present. Most of us have seen Morris’s designs, with their intricate intertwining and layering of organic forms, gracing the walls of historic manor homes and in movies or television shows set in the early part of the 20th century.
Arthur Sanderson & Sons Ltd, founded in 1865 in London, acquired Morris & Co. in 1923, complete with the original woodblock inventory. Many of his designs have not been seen in many years. I search the archives for patterns that I love and I incorporate them into my designs as often as I can. The designs are timeless, when updated color pallets are applied, a resurgence of life is infused and their natural beauty takes on a whole new glow. I love working with a clients to compliment their garden or favorite flowers and have them handblocked in England.
For a recent project I had the papers colored using a variety of delicious hues from a Benjamin Moore color wheel, with its thousands of paint colors to choose from: Key lime, sweet pea, lemon drops, delicate rose, pale almond, Devon cream, Yorkshire tan… The result was scrumptious.
For a child’s room overlooking a new exterior “room” of wild flowers in the country, the walls were graced wtih Honeysuckle. The room looks beautiful in shades of light and dark pinks, pale greens, beige and crème. I could not resist using Myrtle and Sunflower to enliven the upstairs of a Shingle Style seaside home as the flowers grow wild nearby. I also used the Chrysanthemum pattern, in varying shades of soft green, yellow, beige, and crème, was perfect in the stairhall.
I hope you enjoy seeing the samples of the custom hand blocked papers designed for recent projects below: Sunflower, Honeysuckle, Larkspur and Mallow.
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