Heritage in metamorphosis: Morris & Co. launches The Unfinished Works collection – a remarkable portfolio of 26 now-complete archival sketches by Founder William Morris…
The new The Unfinished Works collection draws from the archives of The Huntington, California’s world-renowned library and museum, where forgotten drawings by Morris and his close collaborator John Henry Dearle lay well-preserved but unrealised and incomplete.
In an act of creative continuity, the Morris & Co. studio has meticulously reinterpreted these original fragments, reimagining them as wallpapers, fabrics, borders, weaves and embroideries.
Image credit: Morris & Co.
In respect of the unmistakable craftsmanship of the originals, boundaries have been pushed, just as William Morris himself might have done, to celebrate craft at every turn. Wherever possible, the design team worked from Morris and Dearle’s notes and references, producing pieces with accuracy, integrity and a sense of imaginative completion. The result is 26 new designs, all repainted in the studio and coloured using pigments referenced directly from the archive logbooks.
“This is a collection like no other, a unique chapter in the Morris & Co. story in collaboration with The Huntington,” explains Jess Clayworth, Lead Designer at Morris & Co.
“As artists, we’ve asked ourselves not what we should do, but what we can do to preserve, refine, and complete these exquisite pieces of archival art, making them relevant not only to today but also to the future as part of art history. We hope William Morris and J. H. Dearle will be proud that we’ve followed the design trail they set out, bringing these designs to life as a creative team spread over the centuries. The Co. in Morris & Co. is alive and well in The Unfinished Works.”
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- Image credits: Morris & Co.
Borders – long absent from the Morris & Co. portfolio – make a striking return, while hidden patterns have been translated into delicate embroideries using intricate hand-finishing techniques. Wallpapers echo the recognisable handwriting of Morris and Dearle, while weaves and fabrics balance fidelity to the originals with the sensibilities of contemporary design.
Upholding and honouring a 164-year legacy, The Unfinished Works marks a moment of art history for the company founded by William Morris; one that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Image credit: Morris & Co.
True to the brand’s heritage of British craftsmanship, all designs are created in the Morris & Co. studio in Chiswick, London, with wallpapers and printed fabrics produced at its historic UK factories in Loughborough and Lancaster. For hoteliers, designers and specifiers, the collection offers a rare opportunity: to integrate newly completed, yet authentically historical works into modern interiors.
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Main image credit: Morris & Co.
