These Unfinished Morris & Co. Designs Are Finding New Life

In San Marino, the Huntington Library's collection of unfinished works by William Morris, figurehead of the Arts and Crafts Movement, and J. H. Dearle, his chief collaborator, is finally having its moment after curators invited Morris & Co. to explore the materials, sparking a new collection. The Unfinished Works is comprised of 26 designs for wallpapers, borders and fabrics, and the new patterns—Daisy & Oak, Persian Tulip and Cornflower, among them—feel immediately authentic as each was completed with the help of the company’s archive. The palettes, too, were chosen from period logbooks, with colorways like Madder, Flax, Indigo and Plum. “This is a collection like no other, a unique chapter in the Morris & Co. story,” says Jessica Clayworth, the company’s lead designer. “We hope Morris and 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.”