12 Mar Morris in 3D
Some design collaborations just feel like they were meant to be, and a new partnership between Morris & Co. and Lincrusta is just that. Morris’ classic patterns are now available in embossed form, thanks to Lincrusta, with two wallcoverings and a dado panel launched at London Design Week 2024.
The wallcoverings are derived from two classic patterns, ‘Acanthus’ and ‘Fruit’, while the ‘Willow Boughs Dado’ panel is a seamless assemblage of three motifs, with ‘Willow Boughs’ at the top of the panel, ‘Diaper’ at the bottom, and a detail from a Morris & Co. rug as an elegant vertical divide.
They were contemporaries, but there’s no evidence that William Morris and Lincrusta founder Frederick Walton ever met. However, they shared a philosophy that good design should be more democratic and deserved by all – however utopian that ideal was. Lincrusta was invented as an alternative to the ornate plasterwork found in the finest houses, and became beloved by Victorians not just for the grandeur that it lent to design schemes but its hygienic qualities (it was the first washable wallcovering on the market).
In their natural state, the new designs show just what a master that Morris was at repeating pattern. But these wallcoverings are also made to be finished with your own paint or paint effects, from contemporary matte finishes to multiple layers of gloss and metallics, creating a final look that pays tribute to high-Victorian richness.