FAQs

Your Cart

Close
Paper Plane Your order qualifies for free standard delivery
Subtotal £0.00
Delivery £0.00
Order Total £0
Checkout Securely

Who was William Morris?

6th July 2022

By now, you’re probably familiar with William Morris designs. From the runway to high profile designers latest work, we seem to be able to point out his designs everywhere. We even noticed Brother Rabbit wallpaper featured in “The Flight Attendant” – so they’re even in places you wouldn’t expect! But, who was William Morris? We thought we’d write about the man behind the designs. The man we can thank for so many beautiful timeless designs.

Early Life

“It was my good luck only of being born respectable and rich, that has put me this side of the window among delightful books and lovely works of art.” – William Morris

Morris grew up privileged, over the years developing his social beliefs which he would go on to campaign for and push for throughout his life. He grew up during the time of industrialisation and the affect that had on the workers which helped shaped his ideals. 

Due to his fathers successful investments in copper shares, Morris and his siblings grew up financially comfortable, Morris spoke of his childhood in the quote above, historians have since noted that his upbringing was a potential source of embarrassment for him, the thing he hated, industrialisation, bringing his family their fortune. 

Morris University Years

Morris attended Oxford University from 1853, he is known to have said that these years were the happiest of his life. Studying theology at Exeter College, he met Edward Burne-Jones and the lifelong friends initially wanted to be clergymen. It’s easy to see if you’ve visited Oxford how easily it is to fall in love with the beautiful buildings, back then when it was still a medieval city, it heavily influenced Morris and he ended up training to be an architect. 

Morris during the time at university started a lot of his ideas about not wanting modern buildings and wanting to preserve the beautiful existing buildings, an idea that would last him a lifetime. 

Morris after University 

Following Oxford, Morris went on to his apprenticeship in the office of G.E.Street. He was an architect and leading figure in the Gothic Revival. He only lasted a few months at the apprenticeship due to his hatred of an office environment. However, it was a vital chapter in the story of Morris as it was here he met Philip Webb. A lifelong friend and colleague, Webb and Morris worked together a lot throughout the years, notably Webb drew the birds within the famous Strawberry Thief design. Have you seen our licensed William Morris Strawberry Thief? We print it in both blue and red, so make sure to check it out!

Morris remained passionate about architecture all his life, considering the art to be the ‘supreme master craftsman’ and the decorative arts he became famous for, to have meaning only in relation and response to the architecture. This is true when we take a look at his work with Philip Webb – working closely together, Morris appears to have a deep respect for Webb and his craft. 

Personal life

William Morris married Jane Burden in 1859. She was a famous Pre-Raphaelite model, an unconventional beauty, if you’ve seen Pre-Raphaelite art, you will probably have seen her in their works. It includes Morris’s famous La Belle Iseult and many of Rossetti’s works. 

The two met in 1857 when she visited the Drury Lane Theatre Company in Oxford with her sister Elizabeth. It was Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti who noticed her for her beauty and wanted her to model for them. After initially not turning up for the modelling, but later bumped into Burne-Jones and agreed then. It changed her life – from growing up poor, she went on to be educated fit to be a gentleman’s wife when marrying Morris and became immortalised forever in some of histories most famous artworks. 

They had two daughters together, Jenny and May, and although it’s well known she didn’t love Morris, going on to have an affair with his friend Rossetti, it’s known Morris loved her very much. 

Red House

Found in rural Kent, Bexleyheath, lies Red House. If you’re lucky enough to visit, you’ll see why Rossetti wrote it was, “more of a poem than a house.” A beautiful home Morris commissioned Philip Webb to build the house. It’s important to link this back to where we wrote of his early ideals here – the servant’s quarters were larger than contemporary buildings. A clear indication of what both Webb and Morris believed surrounding working class conditions and their socialist beliefs. 

When furnishing the house, Morris couldn’t find any furnishings he felt fit the house, with the level of artistry he wanted. It led to the creation of “the Firm.” In collaboration with his artistic friends, this was of course, “Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.” – which in a few years would dissolve and lead to his famous company, Morris & Co. 

Morris & Co. 

This is potentially his most long lasting legacy. His poetry, beliefs and writings remain, but his designs have stood the test of time to still be iconic and popular today. During his years leading the company, he created stunning designs and created jobs that were forward thinking in their ideals. 

He also opened Merton Abbey prints, where he printed his own fabric using traditional methods. He hit back against industrialisation, perfecting the indigo dye technique which he used to print incredible designs such as Brother Rabbit. J.W. Mackail wrote Morris became, “a manufacturer not because he wished to make money, but because he wished to make the things he manufactured.”

Printed and manufactured in the United Kingdom

We still print all our licensed William Morris designs here in the UK, as he did all those years ago, to keep the heritage of the designs and to retain the artistry that he was so passionate to keep. We could write for days about Morris’s life, he had so many fascets to his interests that there’s so much to talk about, but we don’t want to keep you reading all day! Check our other blogs to keep reading about Morris and his designs for a more in depth chat about all of his interesting facts! We’re always over on our Instagram too and would love to know your favourite designs and Morris facts. 

“If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris.

Related Articles

Post Title

William Morris Merton Green

Thank you to Ann for her lovely feedback, I am so pleased you like the William Morris Merton Green design Good afternoon, Just a line...

Post Title

Customer Feedback!

We are always excited to receive emails from our customers giving us feedback about how much they love the designs and fabric we print on....

Post Title

The King’s Speech

This is the dress that the wonderful actress, Claire Bloom, wore in The King’s Speech.  It is a great film, with lovely costumes and locations. ...

Last week creating my beautiful bridal bouquet with my mum whilst wearing my little quilted jacket made from our Jean quilting design 🌿 We will have to show you all our wedding tables, we re-printed Jean in a sage green especially for the wedding (the small low key wedding escalated a little..) and created our own napkins for each guest, plus a tablecloth for the cake table! 👰🏽‍♀️ Having it all tied together with the same design was so special, especially as I’d named the design after my lovely Nanny Jean - who was absolutely always wearing green 🌿 Now I can wear my little jacket and always think of my wedding! 🤍 It’s a gorgeous quilting design and fabric, let us know if you’d like an in depth quilted jacket tutorial 🪡🧵
•
•
•
#Wedding #bridalbouquet #bridalbouquets #brideflowers #weddingflowers #weddingfloristry #weddingflorists #weddingplanners #beautifulblooms #quiltedjacket #sewingpattern #quiltingfabric #quiltersgonnaquilt
Beautiful floral magic by William Morris, why do you think his designs are so timeless? 🌿 
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #heavyweight #heavyweightfabric #upholsteryfabric #teatowels #floraldesign
Gorgeous William Morris Golden Lily, it always brightens up the dining room when it’s on the table ☀️ Which is your favourite Morris design for on your table? 🫶🏻
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #morrisfabric #morrisfabric #fabric #goldenlily #tablecloths #smallbuisness #independantbusiness #womanownedsmallbusiness
Our French floral designs are stunning, we’ve got a French archive which dates to the late 1800s- early 1900s which is jam packed full of beautiful designs that are lovingly kept in the archive 🫶🏻 We wanted to recolour a few into this gorgeous sage green colour, mainly because, in honestly, it’s my wedding colours and I wanted to have them on my wedding table - perks of the job! 👰🏽 So these are our designs Dot, Jean and Hearts & Kisses, three of our top favourites out the archive 🌿 We love seeing them restored back to life, the colours vibrant once more, we can just imagine them in the French countryside as they once maybe were, now we produce them as fat quarters which all tone together beautifully for quilting projects - we’d love to see what you make with them, don’t forget to tag us! 🫶🏻
-
-
-
#Frenchfloral #frenchdesign #originaldesign #ukprinted #independantbusiness #smallbusiness #wedding #weddingstyles #weddingnapkins #bridetobride #brideinspo #frenchflorals #fabricshop #quilting #quiltingfabrics #fabricstash #craft #fatquarters
Cutting gorgeous William Morris Lily today, did you know we sell all our fabrics by the half meter? So projects big or small, we’ve got you covered! 🫶🏻
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #preraphaelite #floraldesign #lily #floralfabric #upholsteryfabric #curtainfabric
POV: you’ve always got some sort of fresh flowers and a sweet treat on the table 🫶🏻
design on the table today is our beautiful William Morris Brother Rabbit Red 🐰
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisprint #designs #ukdesign #ukdesigner #britishdesign #britishdesigner #smallbuisness
Back in stock 🌿 Our Strawberry Thief blue oven gloves (and placemats too!) 🍓 a stunning addition to every kitchen 🫶🏻
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisprint #strawberrythief #preraphaelite #yorkshirefabricshop #fabricdesign #fabricstash
Bringing timeless elegance to the kitchen with our William Morris Strawberry Thief red oven glove and matching tea towel 🍓🕊️ The perfect blend of beauty and function—who said everyday essentials can’t be art? 🫶🏻
•
•
•
#WilliamMorris #StrawberryThief #KitchenStyle #HeritagePrint #BritishDesign #CottagecoreKitchen #KitchenInspo #TimelessDesign #TextileArt #HomeDetails #MorrisAndCo #FloralPrint #OvenGloveStyle #TeaTowelLove #PatternedKitchen
🎉 GIVEAWAY TIME! 🎉
Win 2 meters of the stunning William Morris “Daisy” fabric – perfect for your next sewing or home décor project! 🌼✨
To enter:
1️⃣ Like this post
2️⃣ Follow us
3️⃣ Tag a friend who loves fabric as much as you do!

📅 Winner announced 1st July
Good luck! 💛🌼
*
*
*
#WilliamMorrisFabric #FabricGiveaway #SewingCommunity #QuiltingLife #CraftAddict #TextileLovers #FabricStash #SewingInspiration #HomeDecorFabric #DaisyFabric #Sewcialists #giveaway #giveawaycontest #win #winner #competition #competitiontime
50% off Daisy heavyweight and cotton fabric?! 🌼 Oopsy Daisy we printed too much, so there’s now 50% off this incredibly beautiful William Morris design- what are you waiting for! 🫶🏻 This was the first design William Morris ever produced so it remains an incredibly special one, and such a timeless design, it’s perfect for quilting and crafting, the heavyweight is brilliant for light upholstery and curtain making! 🌿 Heavyweight is now £4 for half a meter and cotton is £3.50 for half a meter 🤯
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #salefabric #discount #quiltingfabric #sewingfabric #upholsteryfabric #curtainfabric #smallbusiness
✨ Timeless beauty for your kitchen ✨
Our Pimpernel Green tea towel and oven glove bring the iconic elegance of William Morris into your everyday. Perfect for adding a touch of Arts & Crafts charm to your home 🌿

Available now in our shop!
•
•
•
#WilliamMorris #ArtsAndCraftsMovement #PimpernelGreen #KitchenStyle #HeritageDesign #TimelessInteriors #FloralTextiles #HomeStyle #CountryKitchen #CottagecoreAesthetic #EcoHomeDecor #WilliamMorrisTextiles #BritishDesign #ArtisanKitchen #SustainableStyle
If you had to guess our favourite colour combo? 🫶🏻 Beautiful Brother Rabbits on the table today along with some stunning blue and white blooms 🤍
•
•
•
#blueandwhiteforever #blueandwhitedecor #blueandwhitehome #williammorris #williammorrisdesign #brotherrabbit #preraphaelite #artsandcraftsmovement
What have you made with bias binding? 🌿 Perfect for crafting, we’ve got some amazing sales on our 50m bias binding rolls in Red Strawberry Thief, Lily and Trellis have 80% off, a 50m roll for £25- what would you make? 🪡🧵
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #biasbinding #biasbindinguk #fabricsale #fabricsales
Which is your fave; Strawberry Thief red or blue? 🫶🏻 
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisdesigns #preraphaelites #artsandcraftsmovement #strawberrythief #printedintheuk
A gorgeous Strawberry Thief tablescape - because why not make everyday things just that little bit prettier? 🥰 Is Strawberry Thief blue or red your fave? 🫶🏻
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #uksmallbusiness #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #strawberrythief #strawberrythiefprint #preraphaelite
These gorgeous flowers steal the show in our easy little Saturday tablescape 🫶🏻 Lily is one of our favourite William Morris designs and we were so happy to be able to digitally print it now, of course it’s still printed here in the UK 🇬🇧 
•
•
•
#cottagecore #flowers #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #aldifinds #lily #aldiflowers
Beautiful blooms wrapped in timeless William Morris beauty 🌸✨
This William Morris floral Mallow Wine is so gorgeous and one of our faves year round 🫶🏻
•
•
•
#WilliamMorris #FloralDesign #MallowWine #VintageStyle #BotanicalBeauty #ClassicCharm #TextileArt #TimelessDesign #PatternLovers #NatureInspired #RomanticDetails #FloralFabric #EnglishHeritage #ElegantAesthetic
Totally obsessed with these dreamy William Morris florals 🌸🪡
Perfect for sewing projects, cushions, curtains – you name it. Classic prints that never go out of style!
•
•
•
#WilliamMorrisFabric #FloralVibes #SewingProjects #FabricAddict #VintageFlorals #HomeStyle #CraftyCorner #InteriorInspo #CottagecoreVibes #PrettyPatterns #FabricStashGoals
Every Laura’s Beau team member has a William Morris napkin on hand at all time; even on the beach apparently 😂 Dreaming of beach days in Cornwall a few weeks ago ⛱️
•
•
•
#cornwall #cornwallbeaches #cornwalluk #icecream #napkin #strawberrythief #williammorris
A little William Morris floral magic hanging over the cooker today 🫶🏻 can you name this Morris design? 🤎
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #ovenglove #teatowel #teatoweldesign #teatowelsofinstagram #cottagecoreaesthetic #cottagecore #compton