In an unspoken exchange between artists throughout history, we have picked up the pen laid down by William Morris and John Henry Dearle to create The Unfinished Works, a newly completed series of designs, signalling a new era, over a century in the making.

From The Huntington’s remarkable library of documents in California, come handcrafted and unmistakably original designs with the familiarity of Morris’s unmistakable hand, translated across wallpapers, borders, fabrics, weaves, and embroideries by our talented studio artists.

Previously incomplete sketches have been thoughtfully and meticulously uncovered and interpreted into new design iterations, authentically reimagining these hidden treasures in interiors through exceptional handcrafted techniques and processes.

Unmistakable Craftsmanship

The design team, equipped with our extensive archive and brand history, has completed these pieces with accuracy and attention to detail, honoring the original documents with our modern-day studio's detailed eye and creative talent. Every design has been repainted in the studio. The colorations reference the richly pigmented palettes in the archive books to bring authentic colorisation to this series.

Boundaries have been pushed, as we believe William Morris would have done, to celebrate craft at every turn, producing designs precisely as Morris and Dearle would have envisaged, using their notes and references, where available, as guidance.

New Heroes

Designs discovered from sketches and documents found in The Huntington’s library have taken our design team on an exploration of historic artistry, completing designs and unveiling these treasures in interiors for all to enjoy.

“Chamomile (the sketch) encapsulated everything I thought this archive would be and laid out the path for what we could do as designers and artists to complete these unfinished treasures… You could see the tweaks made (most likely by William Morris himself), and I could visualise the challenge ahead of me.”

Alongside Chamomile, sure to be a new icon of William Morris, designs such as Cornflower, confirmed as by the hand of John Henry Dearle and Lent Lily, reveal the typical style and striking composition of the original artist.

Originality through the eras

“Rather than stepping into their shoes, it was like we were working with them across the design generations. Designs annotated with thoughts from Dearle or Morris in the margins were really special. To receive ‘instruction’ from them was like being part of their studio and the original Morris & Co. creative team.”

Wallpapers echo the recognisable handwriting of Morris, Dearle, and the original creatives behind Morris & Co., maintaining the artist-to-artist connection through a series of annotations on the original artworks. Lovingly crafted hidden designs have been translated into printed fabrics and embroideries using intricate techniques by specialist mills for superior handcrafted finishes.

A Library of Morris

Comprising a library, art museum, and botanical gardens in San Marino, California, The Huntington is a collections-based research and educational institution founded in 1919 by Henry and Arabella Huntington. Its extensive holdings include over 12 million items spanning the 11th to 21st centuries, alongside renowned collections of fine art and botanical landscapes open to the public.

Since 1999, it has been home to a vast collection of William Morris and Morris & Co. materials – from original textile designs and stained glass sketches to more than 10,000 pages from Morris’s Kelmscott Press – preserving a world of pattern and craft for future generations to explore. “The Huntington’s collection included documents and designs for fabric, wallpaper, carpet and stained-glass, so the potential for this collection was huge and witnessing this library of design was a genuine thrill… William Morris and John Henry Dearle each have exquisite and distinct handwriting. Seeing these sketches for the first time, we needed to digest and make sense of it all before beginning this new chapter of design.” Jess Clayworth, Lead Designer, Morris & Co.

From this collaboration come new designs, finally completed and translated into exceptional products, including a series of borders, a welcome return to the Morris & Co. portfolio.