Fabrics & Papers

Floral and Flower Design Fabrics and Wallpapers

Articles

The use of floral designs in interior decorating has been popular ever since Henry VIII first started using wallpaper as a decorative finish to bring the garden into the home and enjoy a year round display of flowers, foliage and berries.

Wallpaper was originally made in elaborate floral patterns with primary colours in the backgrounds, such as red, blue and yellow and overprinted with colours of cream and tan. This was followed by Gothic art inspired papers in earth tones with stylised leaf and floral patterns.

William Morris was one of the most influential designers of wallpaper and fabrics during the latter half of the Victorian period and used floral designs for much of his inspiration. Morris was inspired and used Medieval and Gothic tapestries in his work. Embossed papers were used on ceilings and friezes. William Morris designs are still prove popular to this day. His fabrics and wallpapers epitomise the arts and crafts movement. He created simple designs but with the use of colour and layering managed to produced amazing bold images of stylised plant forms through the use of block printing.

To this day we are still able to purchase Morris’s designs from Sanderson who had bought the wallpaper blocks and pattern books and have continued to block-print the wallpapers along with textile prints. These exceptional designs make a great feature for any room.

If you're looking to make an impact on a room, a flower design on a wallpaper is a simple way to do so. But florals are no longer just for traditional, feminine rooms – bold contemporary prints look fabulous in every room of the home in pink, purple, gold and turqoise.

Floral fabrics and wallpapers are a great way to introduce a softer laid back atmosphere to a room as long as you do not go over the top. With many different floral designs on the market it can be quite challenging to choose the perfect fabric.

Each year we see fabulous new floral wallpapers and fabrics come onto the market but like all styles of decorating designs come in and out of fashion. Currently in vogue are retro floral designs from the 1950s and 60s. The vertical effect of the pattern was a common feature of 50s design, whether floral or more abstract.

You can infuse other floral colours into your design by tying the background together. Green, purple or black floral colours with white backgrounds will add an extra element to the design. The other colour should one that is already in the room. If the sofa is black, use black floral pillows or drapery, keeping the red toile as the accent.

But there is no substitute for the real thing and a vase of fresh flowers will always complete the look and provide a highlight to any room.