I’ll admit it — Morris & Co. is not the first name that comes to mind when I think of Livingetc. Its trailing botanicals, intricate repeats and deep 19th-century roots can feel a long way from the cleaner, more contemporary spaces we usually gravitate toward. But that is precisely what makes it interesting. In a room filled with sleek silhouettes and newer pieces, a little historical weight can be the thing that stops everything from feeling too generic.
Founded in 1861, Morris & Co. grew from William Morris’s rebellion against the conformity of industrial production and his belief in the value of craftsmanship. The brand’s new Design Rebel Edit brings that radical side of its history back into focus, presenting its iconic patterns as expressions of creativity rather than simply traditional decoration. It's a useful reminder that these designs were never intended to be timid.
Its ongoing collaborations also prove how adaptable the archive can be. The latest Habitat x Morris & Co. collection places familiar motifs across tableware, lighting and textiles, making them easier to introduce in smaller doses. Meanwhile, the latest Ruggable x Morris & Co. designs have an extraordinary story behind them — 26 unfinished sketches discovered in the archives of The Huntington Library in California were completed and repainted by hand in Morris & Co.’s London studio, before being translated into washable rugs for modern life. Then there is House of Hackney’s Nature of Morris collection, which embraces the drama of the patterns and pushes them somewhere much bolder and more theatrical.
Below, I have gathered my favorite Morris & Co. collaborations and pieces, along with my stylist’s take on how to make each one feel fresh, personal and unmistakably Livingetc.
Habitat x Morris & Co.
As an interior stylist for Design Lab by Livingetc, my approach would be to style Morris & Co. through contrast. Place a richly patterned rug beneath a low, streamlined sofa, pair a floral cushion with crisp linen upholstery or introduce one patterned lampshade beside contemporary art and sculptural lighting. The trick is not to make Morris look modern — it is to give it modern company.
Ruggable x Morris & Co.
If you are exploring how to bring traditional style into a modern home, start with one confident piece and allow some breathing room around it. I would avoid matching the wallpaper, curtains and cushions, as that can quickly pull the room toward period pastiche. Instead, choose one color from the pattern, perhaps an inky blue, tobacco brown or acidic green, and repeat it once elsewhere in a cleaner, block-colored form.
Next x Morris & Co.
An antique side table or timeworn timber cabinet can also help bridge the two worlds, making the Morris pattern feel like part of a room that has evolved rather than something newly added. There may even be benefits beyond appearance — if that interests you, we have explored how antiques can make your home healthier, too.
Swyft x Morris & Co.
If I were upholstering a sofa or armchair in a Morris & Co. pattern, I would treat the print as the room’s color palette rather than its theme. Ground it with a block-color rug taken from the pattern’s quietest shade, rather than its most obvious flower or leaf, then pick up one of the smallest, more unexpected accents in a cushion or lamp. Changing the material each time is important — a dense wool rug, a mohair cushion and a glossy lacquer or brushed-metal table will feel connected through color, but never overly coordinated. I would also introduce something with a very precise, architectural silhouette nearby, such as a low chrome coffee table, to give the traditional upholstery a sharper contemporary counterpoint.
The Huntington x Morris & Co.
With Morris & Co. wallpaper, I would avoid treating it as a decorative feature added to an otherwise unrelated room. Instead, let it become part of the architecture by wrapping a smaller space completely or continuing it inside shelving or behind built-in joinery. Paint the skirting boards, doors and architraves in the wallpaper’s background color rather than default white, so the pattern feels immersive and intentional rather than nostalgic. Then interrupt its organic florals with something distinctly precise, perhaps a stainless-steel shelf, a smoked-glass table or one oversized piece of abstract art. That tension between intricate pattern and a clean, almost industrial element is what brings it firmly into the present.
One well-placed Morris & Co. piece can give a contemporary room something new furniture alone rarely can — history, tension and a real point of view. For more stylist-led ideas and the latest design discoveries, subscribe to the Livingetc newsletter.
