Morris & Co. on Screen

I caught Willow Boughs in Slow Horses, but missed Strawberry Thief - will need to look again!

Fiddler on the Roof, 1971

William Morris, "Chrysanthemum", 1877

Oh wow - I just looked it up, it's great! (And as you say: very improbable.) Can't believe nobody had pointed this one out before!

The Baudelaire children, dressed in green hotel bellboy uniforms, gather in a hotel room decorated with green-on-green, complexly patterned fabrics and wallpaper. The room is dimly lit, but a lamp on the far wall illuminates the wallpaper, which is Morris & Co. "Bachelor's Button," a tonal green pattern of large swirling acanthus leaves and rounded flowers.

Arthur Poe leads the Baudelaire children down a hotel hallway. They are all wearing blindfolds and dressed nicely in suits or dresses. They are at a crossing of two hallways, and there is an open area surrounded by a wrought-iron ballustrade to the right. The floors are inlaid parquet. The walls have dark green trim surrounding large panels of Morris & Co. "Seaweed", a complex pattern of many fine details, with sharp-edged foliage in brighter green and small blue flowers on a dark green ground.

A Series of Unfortunate Events, Season 3 Episodes 5 and 6, "Penultimate Peril" Part 1 and 2, 2019.

William Morris, "Bachelor's Button", 1864 and J.H. Dearle "Seaweed", 1901.

Harriet Denning (Tallulah Haddon), a young woman in a white and blue 1890s day dress with loose wavy blond hair, sits on a chaise lounge draped in fabric in front of a wall papered in Morris & Co. “Indian” wallpaper, a historic revival unrealistic pattern of very thick plant stems and large stylized flowers, in gold tones on a dark blue background.

Nathan Appleby (Colin Morgan), a man with dark hair and beard in 1890s waistcoat, shirtsleeves, trousers, and high boots, sits at a desk adjusting a phonograph horn. Small amounts of “Indian” wallpaper are visible under the window and behind the various pieces of decoration above his desk.

The Living and the Dead, Series 1 Episode 1, 2017

"Indian", probably by George Gilbert Scott, 1868-70

Another Morris cushion spotted on Taskmaster @taskmaster.tv Season 17 - Episode 4, "Apropos of Apoppo"

William Morris, "Strawberry Thief", 1883 (alongside a sliver of "Snakeshead", 1876)

A young man in a blue shirt and black waistcoat, seen from shoulders up, bows his head in front of a wall covered in Morris & Co. “Pimpernell”, a swirling, symmetrical pattern with green background, light green steams and leaves, large peachy flowers and small white flowers.

The Lodgers, 2017

William Morris, “Pimpernell”, 1876

another past contribution from @petrabclark.bsky.social !

Fruit | Morris, William | V&A Explore The Collections 'Fruit' (or 'Pomegranate') wallpaper pattern, branches of fruit trees bearing fruit, including limes and pomegranates, on a blue ground; Block-printed in distemper colours, on paper; Part of 'Volume 1...

However, the colorway is otherwise fairly close to one of the original 1860s versions of "Fruit", on a sky blue ground.

collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O73421/...

Sunflower, 108 | Morris, William | V&A Explore The Collections Specimen of 'Sunflower, 108' wallpaper, a symmetrical, formalised pattern of sunflowers and grape vines with fruit, golden yellow with a dark ground; Colour block print, on paper; Designed by William ...

As noted, the paper used is a metallic version which seems to be modern. Some historic Morris papers did have shine to them, but this was either a subtle effect created with mica in the pigment or very bold embossed lacquered faux-leathers like this "Sunflower": collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O248656...

Setting: A room papered floor to ceiling with Morris & Co. "Fruit", a pattern of leaves, citrus, and pomegranates on a silvery blue metallic background. The room has white trim including a doorway, a chair rail, and inset panels above the chair rail; every divided section is papered with the same pattern. A large gilt-framed mirror sits on the mantle of a white fireplace, reflecting yet more wallpaper. Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps) sit at a breakfast table in the middle of the room. Reynolds is writing or sketching in a notebook on his lap. Alma is pouring tea from a silver pot.

Phantom Thread, 2017

William Morris, "Fruit", 1866 (modern metallic colorway)

Setting: A nineteenth-century style dining room with ornately carved wooden chairs around a marble-topped table. The table is covered in various old, dusty-look detritus including some books and an ice cream scoop. Against the wall and through a wide doorway, other furniture is draped in sheets. the walls are papered in Morris & Co. "Indian" in a gold on dark green or brown background. The design is a bold meandering stem with large highly stylized flowers. Two Black women stand in the doorway in 1950s clothing. One, a young woman in black blouse and gold trousers, stands with hands on hips looking into the room. The other, an older woman, wears a green dress and is speaking.

Lovecraft Country, Season 1 Episode 3, "Holy Ghost”, 2020

George Gilbert Scott, “Indian”, c. 1868-70

(yet another originally submitted by @petrabclark.bsky.social!)

Wallpaper Sample Book Wallpaper sample book, printed paper. Each sample illustrating different colors of different floral and foliate wallpaper designs by William Morris with pattern name and number on back. Bound in gre...

This green-on-green colorway is appropriate to the general period - it's seen in Morris & Co. sample books by the turn of the 20th century. The version seen here is from one of the Brooklyn Museum sample books.

www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/97900

fills the middle of the room into the foreground, surrounded by low Aesthetic-style wooden chairs with small red back cushions. There is a limited setting on the bare wood table: two place settings at the far ends of the table, a small ceramic tureen, and two lit candles in low crystal candle sticks. against the walls are a mid-height buffet and two tall glass-fronted china cabinets. The buffet displays some pieces of Aesthetic pottery. The walls are papered in a green-on-green colorway of Morris & Co. “Chrysanthemum” (see second image for description). Three people stand around the table: an older man in casual modern clothing, a younger man with long dark hair and a dark jacket over a white shirt with big flowing white cuffs, and a woman in a dark coat or dress.

Morris & Co. “Chrysanthemum” wallpaper sample. A pattern of thin meandering stems and large blossoms and serrated leaves on a background fill of smaller simplified leaves and stems. The colorway is green-on-green, all in chalky distemper shades. The darkest green is the background, with the majority of the small and large foliage in the same shade of mid olive green. The central large poppy-style bloom with serrated petals is in a light, yellowish green and its stems are a lighter, mintier green than the rest of the pattern. The large namesake chrysanthemum blossoms’s rounded petals are another lighter shade of minty green, and the central gathered stamens olive green on dark green.

"I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson", Season 2 Episode 1, 2021

William Morris, "Chrysanthemum”, 1877

Michaelmas Daisy wallpaper Turquoise blue and ochre on deep blue green.

Wallpaper sample: William Morris Gallery, item B103

wmgallery.org.uk/object/micha...

Sample of Morris & Co. “Michaelmas Daisy”, a pattern of repeating symmetrical bunches of daisies with dense foliage. The flowers are bright blue and the leaves ochre-bronze on a background of rich medium blue.

Sanderson introduced several new colorways to their Morris & Co. products in the late 1960s to appeal to period tastes - a common practice throughout the history of Morris patterns (see today's "Pure" monochromes, for example!). The vivid blue Michaelmas Daisy seen here is one of my very favorites.

Setting: A room with low white wainscoting. To the right, the wall above the wainscoting is also white. To the left, taking up most of the frame, is a wall where the wainscoting is topped with Morris & Co. “Michaelmas Daisy”, a pattern of repeating symmetrical bunches of daisies with dense foliage. The colorway is dark bronze leaves and bright blue flowers on a dark blue background. There is a half-height bookshelf in front of the wall, full of antique books and toppes with a bronze of a horse and rider and some Chinese porcelain. There is a portrait of a man on the wall, maybe 17th-century. To the right, the white wall has other framed pictures on it and a marble bust. There is an open door in the corner where the two men meet, white with white trim. Michael Falconer (James Fleet), a man dressed in black with grey hair and beard, is coming through the doorway into the room, followed by John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon).

Midsomer Murders, series 19 episode 6, “The Curse of the Ninth”, 2017

J.H. Dearle, “Michaelmas Daisy”, 1912 (blue and bronze colorway c. 1968-72)

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, 2010, also featured another Morris & Co. paper:

William Morris, "Windrush", 1883 (designed as textile, modern red colorway)

Oh wow!! I’m actually doing deeper research on Morris & Co. in set design right now in preparation for a conference paper, so I’d love to know anything about sources or how pattern choices are made, if he’s willing to share!

A teen girl leans against a dark wood door set in a stone wall. The adjacent wall is decorated with a swirling green and cream leaf-patterned wallpaper, long red curtains, and an Art Deco wardrobe.

A teen girl with short dark hair stands in front of a wall decorated with green and cream leaf-patterned wallpaper.

The teen protagonist of "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" (2024) has a lovely bedroom papered with "Willow Bough" (1887) wallpaper. These screenshots are from Episode 1, but it reappears throughout. 🌿

@morris-on-screen.bsky.social

Two women and a man observe a third woman preparing a dish in a restaurant kitchen. The wall behind the man is decorated with a fruit and floral wallpaper in shades of red, yellow, green, and pale blue.

Two women sit at a counter in a restaurant kitchen while a thirs stands between them tasting some sauce. The woman on the left wears an apron decorated in a large print floral pattern in muted green shades.

For @morris-on-screen.bsky.social :

A Morris & Co. two-fer spotted in the film "Nonnas" (2025): "Fruit" (1866) wallpaper appears in one scene along with a character wearing a "Pimpernel" (1876) apron.

William Morris, “Marigold” (1875) and “Windrush” (1883, designed as fabric).

Ooh, I had the Marigold on my list to post but didn’t know about the Windrush, thank you!

Sleeping Beauty | Crane, Walter | V&A Explore The Collections Portion of nursery wallpaper 'Sleeping Beauty', depicting Sleeping Beauty lying in a hamock amidst briar roses, surrounded by various figures and animals, including a knight in armour, a dog and a pea...

Here's "The Sleeping Beauty" at the V&A - a similar style to Morris in the roses, but with a fantasy element in the small figures that is very at odds with Morris's design philosophies.

collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O224318...

Kim Raphael (Katie Holmes) standing in a room papered with Walter Crane's "The Sleeping Beauty", a dense pattern of rose blooms and foliage with small figures intertwined, in shades of ochre gold. A dark paneled section of wall with Morris & Co. "Blackthorn" is visible at far left.

A teddy bear in front of a section of Walter Crane's "The Sleeping Beauty", a dense ochre-colored pattern of roses with small figures intertwined.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark also features a paper by Morris's contemporary and friend Walter Crane, "The Sleeping Beauty" from 1879.

Shout out to @petrabclark.bsky.social for this spotting!

Kim Raphael (Katie Holmes) looking through a doorway trimmed with very dark wood. The wall on the side of the doorway has dark wood wainscoting topped by Morris & Co. “Blackthorn”, a symmetrical pattern of branches and small white flowers on a dark red background.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, 2010

J.H. Dearle, “Blackthorn”, 1892 (modern red colorway)

Joy Richards (Toni Collette) sitting in an light brown leather armchair in front of a bookcase. There is a throw pillow beside her on the chair covered in Morris & Co. “Strawberry Thief” in a light blue colorway. The birds and strawberries of the pattern aren’t visible, but green foliage and small cream and pink flowers can be seen.

Joy Richards (Toni Collette) again sitting in an light brown leather armchair in front of a bookcase, but in a different outfit. There is a throw pillow beside her on the chair covered in Morris & Co. “Strawberry Thief” in a light blue colorway. The birds and strawberries of the pattern aren’t visible, but green foliage and a large cream tulip can be seen.

Wanderlust, 2018 (recurring set)

William Morris, "Strawberry Thief", 1883

Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) sitting at a desk in the same room as the first image, with the wallpaper discussed behind her.

The Gilded Age version is interesting because it has the chalkier effect of the original distemper-printed papers, but the colors of the motifs are more in line with the modern colorway. Possibly a paper no longer made, or a different manufacturer.

Sample of Morris & Co. "Chrysanthemum", with large cream chrysanthemum blossoms and pink poppies on stems with elaborate blue-green serrated foliage. The background is a dark green with yellow-gold infill of simple lobed foliage.

Wallpaper sample of modern Morris & Co. "Chrysanthemum", with red-pink chrysanthemums and yellow poppies, brighter green stem foliage, and a dark blue ground with dark grey-grean infill foliage.

This is another case where the colorway is probably a modern Morris & Co. invention, though it's quite close to the original 1870s style. Left is an original sample of the design from one of the Brooklyn Museum sample books, right is a modern Morris & Co. colorway.

Setting: An elaborate late-19th-century interior with Belter & Co.-style Rococo Revival sofa and chair in dark wood and dark red damask upholstry, windows hung in pink-red curtains with gold trim, and wall papered with Morris & Co. “Chrysanthemum”, a meander pattern of closely-spaced large blooms in cream and dark pink on a dark blue ground. The room also holds objects like a small landscape painting in a thick gold frame standing on a display easel and a small marble statue by the window. Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon) stands by the window in an 1880s day dress set, a red jacket and skirt with gold underskirt and cuffs, with tight bodice and large bustle.

The Gilded Age, Season 1 (episode unknown), 2022

William Morris, “Chrysanthemum”, 1877

Sample of modern Morris & Co. "Pimpernel" wallpaper with large light red-orange tulips, mint green swirling tulip foliage, and white pimpernels, on a dark green ground.

The colorway here seems to be an ultra-saturated version of the modern Morris & Co. red-orange colorway (likely sold by another company). I haven't seen 19th-century examples with the red-orange tulips.