William Morris Decor and Design [Paperback]

Elizabeth Wilhide (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 1997

This practical guide by Elizabeth Wilhide sh ows the reader a variety of simple and cost-effective ways o f creating a ''Morris'' style that will complement their own m odern living space. '

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Morris (1834-96) was an amazing figure, an accomplished painter, poet, translator, weaver, and typographer; a designer of stained glass, tiles, carpets, furniture, and tapestries; and a socialist organizer. Wilhide focuses on Morris's zeal to "Bring art back into people's lives" via his stunning wallpapers and furnishings, which drastically changed late 19th-century English interiors. While the book is well written and researched, its special appeal is the inclusion of numerous lush photos of historic rooms decorated by Morris & Co., along with contemporary rooms decorated from current sources. For the decorator or renovator interested in achieving the Arts and Crafts style, there is an illustrated glossary of current suppliers, dealers, and collections. An essential companion to William Morris by Himself (Little, Brown, 1988) and Linda Parry's William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement (Portland House, 1989). Highly recommended for public and academic li braries.
- Joseph Hewgley, Nashville P.L.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Pavilion Books (October 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862051267
• ISBN-13: 978-1862051263
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,250,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a beautiful, must-have interior design book!, March 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: William Morris: Decor and Design (Hardcover)

With its stunning photographs, reproduced in exceptional color, William Morris: Décor & Design is a fine interior design book that belongs on every coffee table. This book will surely win more appreciation for the diverse talents of the great designer, especially when newcomers to Morris see the breadth of his talents presented so beautifully. As a long-time admirer, I have many books about the 19th century designer, poet, fantasist, etc., but this is one of my favorites, as well as one of the most complete books on his design that I have seen. Photographs range from the colorful interiors of houses and public buildings decorated by Morris for clients, to the homes he actually lived in. Insets show details of his striking patterns, from wallpaper to tapestry to upholstery fabric to curtains, as well as pages from his illuminated books and the Morris & Co. catalog. Non-Morris interiors are shown for comparison. A pictorial glossary of his most common patterns completes the book. Further, the biography chapter is a good, comprehensive introduction to Morris, describing his forays into politics and literature, as well as his many efforts in all aspects of design. I recommend this beautifully designed book, a fitting tribute to Morris's own delight in design, to any lover of beauty in art and design.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for William Morris fans, September 9, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: William Morris: Decor and Design (Hardcover)

Elizabeth Wilhide's superb "William Morris: Decor and Design" will be a real treat for William Morris fans. Wilhide combines dozens of sumptuous color photographs of Morris interiors with an overview of his life, his influences, and his artistic goals. I learned a number of interesting things about his personal background, such as:

- His beautiful wife Jane had a long affair with fellow artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti;
- In addition to his design work, he was such a respected poet that he was offered the poet laureateship of England once Tennyson had died;
- Many of his designs are still in active production today, more than a century after his death.

Morris shunned the effect the Industrial Revolution had had on the arts in England (and elsewhere) and proposed that hand-crafted art, furniture, wallpaper, and so on be the goal of an artists' cooperative he helped to found. He felt that art should be in every home and that it should be useful, beautiful to look at, and durable. This success of the cooperative produced the uncomfortable situation, for Morris, of having art be so beautifully and painstakingly produced by hand that, in the end, only the wealthy could afford it.

The photographs of Morris interiors, wallpaper designs, furniture, and more, are absolutely sumptuous, and Wilhide's well-informed and well-written text helps to expand our understanding of the whole of Morris' life. Highly recommended!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a beautiful, must-have interior design book!, April 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: William Morris: Decor and Design (Hardcover)

With its stunning photographs, reproduced in exceptional color, William Morris: Décor & Design is a fine interior design book that belongs on every coffee table. This book will surely win more appreciation for the diverse talents of the great designer when newcomers to Morris see the breadth of his talents presented so beautifully. As a long-time admirer, I have many books about the 19th century designer, poet, fantasist, etc., but this is one of my favorites, as well as one of the most complete books on his design that I have seen. Photographs range from the interiors of houses and public buildings decorated by Morris for clients, to the homes he actually lived in. Insets show details of patterns, from wallpaper to tapestry to upholstery fabric to curtains, as well as pages from his illuminated books and the Morris & Co. catalog. Non-Morris interiors are shown for comparison. A pictorial glossary of his most common patterns completes the book. Further, the biography chapter is a good, comprehensive introduction to Morris, describing his forays into politics and literature, as well as his many efforts in all aspects of design. I recommend this beautifully designed book, a fitting tribute to Morris's own delight in design, to any lover of beauty in art and design.