'Trellis' wallpaper

‘Trellis’ was the first wallpaper designed by William Morris, but the third to be printed by the firm ('Daisy' and 'Fruit' being the first and second to be printed). The pattern features a neatly squared wooden trellis covered with pretty pink roses, small insects and garden birds. The original design is in the William Morris Gallery’s collection.

Morris based the design on the rose trellises in the medieval inspired garden of his first house, Red House, Bexley Heath, Kent. The birds were drawn by Philip Webb (1831-1915), Morris friend and the architect of Red House.

Although ‘Trellis’ was in continuous production, the wallpaper was not an immediate success. In the 1860s the fashion was for more realistic, three-dimensional wallpapers. In comparison Morris’s design appears flat and simplistic. However as the Arts and Crafts movement became more popular British taste began to favour Morris’s designs. Morris & Co. produced 'Trellis' in cream and green colourways.