Archive prints

There was a time when trends were all about the new. But when it comes to interiors, over the next few months, some of the most exciting wallpaper and fabric launches will involve patterns sometimes hundreds of years old, drawn from textile archives and the walls of historic houses. With recognisable designs set to make a grand return, 2023 looks to be the year of the comeback print.

After the unsettling events of the last few years, what we are craving for our homes is not the never-before-seen, but rather something that feels comfortingly familiar.

That is partly what inspired a new collection from wallpaper company 1838, available next month, which will comprise nine patterns drawn from the V&A’S vast archive. Some are taken from watercolours, others from furnishing fabrics; one, which has the look of a certain Gucci heron-print wallpaper that can be spotted in many a fashionista’s home, is in fact derived from a 19th-century Japanese kimono.

‘In uncertain times we look for continuation and reassurance, which these designs evoke,’ says James Watson, managing director of 1838, which still makes its wallpapers at its Lancashire factory using original surface-printing machines. ‘It was so inspiring discovering the wealth of patterns,’ he adds, ‘and what is so incredible is that they feel as exciting and relevant today as they would have done over 100 years ago.’

The key to reinventing older designs, in some cases, is to tweak them slightly to make them appealing to a modern eye – in 1838’s collection, some original patterns have been scaled up or down, most have been recoloured, and in one, named Macaw, the eponymous parrot has been given ‘a friendlier expression’.

Elsewhere, textile brand Morris & Co, which recently worked with the interior designer Ben Pentreath on recolouring some of its much-loved motifs, has a new spring collection including six archive designs not seen in the order books for decades. Paint and wallpaper brand Little Greene will also continue its collaboration with the National Trust next month with the launch of eight historic wallpaper designs, taken from source material found at Trust houses Oxburgh Hall and Felbrigg Hall, both in Norfolk, and Newark Park in Gloucestershire.

Given the enduring vogue for nostalgic floral prints epitomised by the ‘cottagecore’ trend, it was, perhaps, only a matter of time before Laura Ashley staged a revival. For its 70th anniversary next year, it will be reintroducing several archive prints, among them popular designs from the late 1980s and early 1990s such as Summer Palace and Tulips.

At a time when no one wants to be redecorating regularly – for both sustainability and financial reasons – choosing a pattern that has stood the test of time and looks as fresh now as it did decades or even centuries ago is a smart choice. To be forward-thinking in decorating next year, it seems you’ll need to have one eye on the past.