Historic designs to be made available to the public for the first time

The range is inspired by the designs within the house

January 13, 2023

Emery Walker’s House has entered into a partnership with Morris & Co to make available to the public a collection of wallpapers and textiles for the first time in the house’s history.

The former riverside home of Sir Emery Walker has one of the most authentic Arts and Crafts interiors in the world. The new collection offers a range inspired by the designs within the house.

Sir Emery Walker (1851-1933) and William Morris (1834-1896) worked together over many years. With Walker’s industry expertise as a noted typographer, Morris established the Kelmscott Press for book printing, a feat scholars refer to as Morris’s final triumph. Living a mere stroll away from one another in Hammersmith — and visiting each other almost every day — Walker also collaborated with and supported Morris in the other great passions of their lives, including the local Hammersmith Branch of the Socialist League and the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society.

Walker decorated his house almost entirely with Morris & Co. furnishings. To this day, 7 Hammersmith Terrace remains one of the largest repositories of original in situ Morris & Co. designs anywhere in the world.

The preservation of the house is due largely to the efforts of Sir Emery’s daughter, Dorothy, her friend and co-habitant, Elizabeth de Haas, and, since taking over stewardship of the house in 1999, Emery Walker’s House Trust.

Dorothy’s Kilim draws from Dorothy Walker’s Middle Eastern travels and is only the second kilim-inspired design in production by Morris & Co. May’s Coverlet offers a tale closer to home, bringing to light the needlework talent of May Morris, William’s daughter.

In total, six historic designs return to the Morris & Co. order books, in some instances after long decades of absence. The choice of designs was spurred either by examples used in the original decoration of Emery Walker’s House or to reference a part of the house. For instance, Wallflower from 1890
adorns Sir Emery Walker’s drawing room, whilst Rose from 1883 creatively responds to the house’s traditional Victorian-style garden.

“We are delighted to announce this collaboration with Morris & Co. It’s a perfect partnership continuing the houses’s personal connection to the Morris family. We are impressed and delighted with the high standard of craftsmanship and hand finished touches evident in Morris & Co’s Emery Walker’s House Collection, beautifully embodying Arts and Crafts aesthetics and ethos,” says Hugh Belsey, Chair of The Emery Walker’s House Trust.

Jessica Clayworth, lead designer for Morris & Co. says “As a designer, expanding the archives of patterns first bequeathed by William Morris has been an enormous privilege and we are thrilled to add four new designs, each with a story to tell.

“We’ve simply adored awakening six sleeping Morris & Co. designs based on the exquisitely preserved examples in the house. These are designs, such as Emery’s Willow and Wallflower, which we’re glad to see return to our production books and contemporary homes.”

All wallpapers have been designed and manufactured in the United Kingdom.

Discover more about the collection by visiting Emerywalker.org.uk where you can also find out about the Trust’s live and online talks this spring and prebook its guided tours from March.