House style

Styling Morris & Co for the modern day

MUCH IS KNOWN about William Morris – his socialist ideals, his natureinspired patterns, and his enduring influence on design. His youngest daughter, May, is a far less celebrated figure, yet she was integral to the Morris & Co brand, taking over its embroidery department in 1885, when she was just 23. She later became an influential designer at the Royal School of Needlework and co-founded the Women’s Guild of Arts

In light of her contribution to needlework and her role within the Arts and Crafts Movement, Morris & Co has released a new collection, based on pieces such as bed hangings, tapestries and quilts that she designed. The collection (named Melsetter, after the house in Scotland for which she designed some of her most notable wall hangings), includes seven embroidery fabrics, as well as complementary prints and wallpapers, in a palette of carmine red, indigo and soft green.

These rich tones would tie in beautifully with one of this summer’s key trends – the return of terracotta. This time around, the colour, which was so popular in the ’70s and ’80s, is more muted, as seen in a new range of tiles by Artisans of Devizes, to mark its 30th anniversary, inspired by some of its most popular archive designs. The tiles come in a choice of brick, square, herringbone and picket formats, and would add rustic appeal to a kitchen or conservatory.

They would also chime well with another new edition – Anglepoise’s ongoing collaboration with the fashion designer Margaret Howell, which sees its classic Type 75 table and floor lamps in a new Sienna colourway (available from Monday), inspired by her forthcoming autumn/winter clothing collection.

Clockwise from above Fabrics from the Melsetter collection, from £49 per metre, Morris & Co (stylelibrary.com/morris&co); Marlborough Terracotta Picket floor tiles, £54 a metre, Artisans of Devizes (artisansofdevizes.com); Type 75 Margaret Howell Editions desk lamp, £165, Anglepoise (anglepoise.com)