Few names in design history resonate as strongly as William Morris. Known as the father of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Morris created timeless patterns that celebrated craftsmanship, nature, and artistry. Now, more than a century later, a new chapter of his story unfolds with The Unfinished Works Collection - a collaboration between Morris & Co. and The Huntington Library, based in San Marino, adjacent to my hometown of Pasadena! It has been more than a century since the world has seen a new Morris design. The Unfinished Works Collection brings Morris designs to life once again.
Last month I had the opportunity to view The Unfinished Works Collection at The Huntington. The presentation was led by Claire Vallis, Design Director of Sanderson Design Group (the parent company of Morris & Co.), and Lisa Montague, CEO of Sanderson Design Group. Hearing them share the story behind the collection and the creative process that brought it to life was both inspiring and insightful.
The Morris & Co and The Huntington Collaboration
The Huntington holds one of the most significant William Morris archives in the world, and the largest outside the UK. With thousands of works ranging from textiles to stained glass sketches to manuscripts, the institution recognized an opportunity to share these designs beyond its galleries. Partnering with Morris & Co. and its parent company, Sanderson, The Huntington launched an almost two-year initiative to reimagine William Morris' archival sketches, unfinished works, and rare patterns as fabric and wallpaper for today’s interiors.
How did the William Morris Archives end up at The Huntington?
After William Morris' death in 1896, John Henry Dearle took over the reigns as art director at Morris & Co until his death in 1932. Morris & Co went into receivership in the 1940s, and at that time, the archives were broken up. The original wood blocks and first prints of the wallpaper were retained by Morris & Co while the stained glass studies, manuscripts, Kelmscott Press publications, work in progress and sketches, much of which was John Henry Dearle's work, went to Dearle's family. Sanford Berger, a trained architect, and his wife Helen Berger, based in Northern California and ardent Morris collectors acquired the archive from the Dearle family via a San Francisco dealer in the 60s. The Bergers continued to add to their collection for nearly 4 decades, and in that time amassed the largest private William Morris archives outside of the UK.
Before Sanford's death, he sold the collection of nearly 2500 works to The Huntington for $5.5M in 1999. Since then, The Huntington has added to the collection. In addition to the museum collection, which consists of sketches and artwork, there is a large collection of book plates in the library from Kelmscott Press, founded by Morris in 1891. Kelmscott Press honored the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement by bringing beauty back to books - creating art in both the written word as well as the presentation. There is also a large archive of stained glass sketches, and a Morris stained glass window that sits in The Huntington Museum.
About the new collection: The Unfinished Works Collection
The Unfinished Works Collection currently includes 26 newly developed designs, with a total of 50 projected at completion. This new release will add 50 patterns to the 250 already in circulation.
The Berger's acquisition of sketches came complete with handwritten notes, some intended for carpets. Designers then translated these works into borders, embroideries, jacquards, and complementary stripes.
Each design was created as authentically as possible, following the methods William Morris himself would have used. Morris & Co. designers redrew the patterns to place them into repeat, focusing on the symmetry that is instantly recognizable as Morris. The design team derived the color palette directly from the Morris archive, spectro-matching hues to ensure authenticity. They then repainted the patterns with the original William Morris palette to maintain historical accuracy.
Many designs were carefully adjusted in scale to integrate seamlessly into modern interiors while preserving their historic integrity. This balance of authenticity and adaptability allows the collection to honor Morris’s legacy while remaining relevant for today’s homes. The result is a series of fabrics and wallpapers that carry the unmistakable spirit of William Morris, yet introduce fresh patterns and interpretations unique to this collection.
After I viewed the presentation of the new collection, I hopped on a golf cart and took a trip to the archives. There I viewed the original work from which the 50 new patterns were derived. It was surprising to see how small the original designs were. In some, I would imaging needing a magnifying glass to paint the intricate details.
The Morris & Co and The Huntington Collaboration: The New designs
There are 26 new patterns and a variety of colorways that comprise this initial launch of The Unfinished Works Collection. The Morris team was responsible for naming each new pattern. I recently learned an interesting fact: William Morris always named his designs after the smaller element being presented. Morris & Co used the same approach to name these newly minted designs! Below is a glimpse of some of the new designs:
• CORNFLOWER
John Henry Dearle, the successor to William Morris, designed "Cornflower". His initials and notes appear in the margin confirm that he was the designer.
I must say that I'm partial to the Lemon/Sage colorway below. The subtle color combination keeps the details hidden at first glance. The longer you look, the more the design’s intricacy reveals itself.
• WILD TULIP AND VINE
• PEONY TRELLIS
• SCROLLING TULIP
Scrolling Tulip was originally designed for a carpet, that was not in repeat. The Morris & Co. creative team translated the carpet design into a repeatable pattern and included symmetry. This process kept the pattern authentic to William Morris and adapted the design for modern use.
•DAISY AND OAK WARP PRINT
•OAK AND BLOSSOM PRINT
To appreciate “Daisy and Oak Warp Print” and “Oak and Blossom,” you must understand their handcrafted process. The warp is first printed. The warp consists of vertical yarns stretched under tension, giving the fabric its structural strength.
Next, artisans weave the weft - the horizontal yarns - through the printed warp. This interaction of yarns creates the soft, fuzzy movement across the design. If you know ikat weaving, the technique follows the same principle.
Oak and Blossom Print has a contrasting embroidered stripe that runs the length of the fabric and adds dimension.
Above, Oak and Blossom is coordinated with Hanover Check in Indigo/Teal. I love how beautifully the patterns complement one another.
These two fabric designs fall under the "Handcrafted" category of The Unfinished Works Collection.
• WOODBELL AND ANEMONE WALLPAPER
• CHAMOMILE WALLPAPER
William Morris designed "Chamomile", confirmed by his signature in the margin of the unfinished design at The Huntington. This early example of William Morris wallpaper uses only two colors, giving it the look of a sketch. Future iterations may add more colors to transform the work into a complete finished design.
I especially love the positive/negative effect between the two different colorways.
• ETCHED SCROLLING TULIP WALLPAPER
• PERSIAN SCROLL EMBROIDERY
Persian Scroll Embroidery Involves a unique dye technique that requires several steps and utilizes a dye resist method. Different yarns are used to embroider - some cotton and some synthetic. Because of this, each yarn takes the dye differently and creates different effects. In some areas, the motifs are embroidered using a dissolvable thread that disappear once washed. Persian Scroll Embroidery also belongs to the Handcrafted category of the collection.
• LENT LILY EMBROIDERY
Lent Lily Embroidery utilizes different stitching techniques to bring the stylized acanthus vines and lily motifs to life.
William Morris Fabrics and Wallpaper and Textiles: Both Archival and Contemporary
What would William Morris say about the new collection if he were alive today? I think he would likely feel extremely proud. The collection reflects the ethos of William Morris wallpaper and textiles that we know well. Familiar motifs and symmetry remain, yet the scale is more varied and the palette feels surprisingly current. Why does the color palette feel so relevant? Morris, a leader in the Arts and Crafts Movement, celebrated nature as an antidote to industrialization. Today, designers embrace biophilic design in response to technological overstimulation. This shared focus on nature explains why the collection’s palette feels both archival and contemporary.
The Unfinished Works collection, a collaboration between Morris & Co. and The Huntington, will soon arrive at Cozy Stylish Chic. Once it arrives, the full range of fabrics and wallpapers will be available. To be notified when the collection is available, sign up for our mailing list - we'll notify you via email. We can't wait to utilize these new (old) designs in our projects and hope that you do the same for yours!
